Hair transplant surgery is a complex hair loss treatment that requires one to think and then think again before proceeding.
Hair transplant surgery has become one of several viable options for treating hair loss. Using either of two techniques -- trichophytic closure or follicular unit extraction -- hair transplant surgery is embraced by men and women who refuse to accept alopecia as a permanent condition.
But hair transplants can come with difficulty, challenge and cost. This is surgery, after all, and as such it is an invasive procedure that sometimes involves local infections and scarring.
Whether hair transplant surgery is successful or not depends on gender, ethnicity and age. This type of surgery works much better on men than women, largely because men’s hair loss falls into a distinct pattern, while women tend to get thinning hair that is evenly distributed across the head. The donor hair follicles come from the lower back portion of the recipient’s head; therefore, hair transplant surgery will leave that area, postsurgery, without hair. African-American hair is less transplantable, but hair transplant surgery for Asians and Caucasians is a more viable hair loss solution -- in all cases owing to the nature of their hair follicles.
The patient’s age can be a huge factor. Younger men who get hair transplant surgery may experience continued balding and require additional treatments later (they are advised to also take Propecia or use Rogaine). Future loss may leave odd bald areas, and transplantable donor hair might be depleted. Because of this, younger men are advised to wait until their full hair loss has occurred.
Because of the cost and the nature of this being an invasive procedure, persons considering hair transplants should work with only board-certified physicians who have experience in hair transplants.
If you think hair transplant surgery is a hair loss solution that could work for you, study up. It’s your head and your money.
