Understanding Hair Transplants
At this point a hair transplant can only be performed by harvesting DHT
resistant hair from the back of your own scalp, and then transplanting it
into the balding areas, or hair can be transplanted between identical twins
with the same genetic makeup. In general, it is believed that hair transplanted
from one person to another will be rejected unless anti-rejection medications
are taken for life. The risk of taking these medications far out weigh the
benefits attained from the transplant, however, scientists are currently
researching ways to transplant hairs from one person to another without
rejection.
Typically, men experiencing male pattern baldness will remain with
a permanent wreath of hair surrounding the sides and the back of their head,
this is where hair is harvested from for transplantation. This hair is genetically
programmed to continue to grow even in the worse cases of male pattern baldness.
The exception is men suffering with diffuse hair loss. These men suffer
with a similar form of hair loss as women; the hair loss is distributed
throughout the entire scalp leaving the sides and the back very sparse.
If this hair were to be transplanted, there would be no guarantee that the
hair would continue to grow in the recipient area due to the fact that this
hair seems to be inherently unstable and just as susceptible to DHT as the
hair lost on the top of the scalp. For this reason the vast majority of
women suffering from hair loss should never have a hair transplant.
As in the case of any other medical procedure, the more you know,
the better off you'll be. Gone are the days when people willingly remained
in the dark about heir own bodies, their treatments and conditions. An educated
and informed person now become an active partner in his/her own health care,
which not only leads to better health but also is of great advantage to
the doctors because nobody knows his/her body better than they do.
The following questions and answers will prepare you to understand
the procedure and methods:
Whose hair will be transplanted onto my head? Does this work like
organ transplants where there's a donor and a recipient?
Unlike the case of organ transplants, in a hair transplant you
are your own donor. If you received hair, follicle, and tissue from someone
else (other than an identical twin), your body would reject them without
immune-suppressant drugs. You donate your hair from what are called your
donor sites.
Where are my donor sites?
Male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness are terms that
include the word pattern. That's because there is a pattern to the baldness.
You've probably noticed, especially in men, that no matter how much hair
they lost in the front, top, and crown areas of their heads, the sides and
backs of their heads retain hair and sometimes a great deal of it. The sides
and back are far less affected by the action of DHT upon their hair follicles.
These areas are the donor sites from which the hair you donate to yourself
is removed, along with the follicles and some surrounding tissue.
Where does the surgeon put my donor hair during the transplantation?
Once it's been extracted, it is transplanted to the balding parts
of your scalp, into tiny slits that the doctor has created with his or her
surgical tools. The donated hair, hair follicles, surrounding tissue, and
skin are called grafts, and each graft contains one or more hair follicles
with accompanying hair, tissue, and skin. No two heads are alike, and you
will see that the art of hair transplantation is just as important as its
science or medical aspects.
Some people have naturally thick hair, and some don't. How does
this factor into your ability to have a successful hair transplant?
Hair density is the number of hair follicles you have per square
centimeter of scalp. Scalp laxity is the flexibility and looseness of your
scalp. More grafts of hair can be transplanted when your density is high
and the scalp laxity is high.
How does the direction in which your hair naturally grows affect
your hair transplant?
Coarse hair is bulkier and can therefore be transplanted using
fewer hairs per graft since it gives more coverage of the scalp. Fine hair
has less bulb and can give a very natural look but less coverage than coarser
hair. Wavy and curly hair lends itself to good visual results in transplantation
because a single wavy or curly hair curls on itself and can therefore cover
more scalp area than can a straight hair. Curly hair also rises from the
scalp and holds its shape, and these factors also give the appearance of
greater coverage.
Does hair color or skin color play a role in hair transplantation?
The closer your hair color is to your skin color, the better the
appearance of the hair's coverage. African hair is dark and very curly and
therefore provides the least contrast against various shades of dark skin,
giving the best visual hair transplant results. From a visual point of view,
people with dark, straight hair and alight complexion pose the most artistic
challenges in hair transplantation because they have the most contrast between
their hair and skin shades.
What are some of the other visual considerations?
When designing your procedure, your doctor must keep in mind your
future hair loss pattern and the rate of that potential hair loss. The design
of your restored hairline is crucial. Natural front hairlines vary in shape
and density from person to person. Your doctor will choose the recipient
sites for the transplanted hair based upon an overall design that may take
more than on hair transplant session to achieve. These sessions typically
take place months or even years apart, depending upon the progression of
your hair loss.
How do doctors decide which part of my head will receive the transplanted
hair?
The front and top of your head will receive transplanted hair first
needed because these are the areas that frame your face and make the most
impact on your appearance. The crown is usually the last area to receive
hair (in later procedures), unless it's your only balding area.
How many procedures will I need?
The number of procedures depends upon the extent of your hair loss,
the projected hair loss rate, the amount of donor hair you can spare, and
other artistic and medical considerations. Men can often have the results
they're looking for in just one or two hair transplant sessions in which
thousands of hairs are transplanted in follicular units of one to four hairs
each. Women need more sessions to achieve proper density. These sessions
can last between five and ten hours each. Future sessions can follow if
necessary.
What should I expect during my first meeting with a hair transplant
surgeon?
During your first consultation, the doctor should examine your
head thoroughly and take a detailed medical history. The examination of
your head should include the use of an instrument called the Hair Densitometer.T
This measures your hair density and allows your doctor to properly evaluate
the number of hairs in each of your naturally occurring follicular units
and the hair loss pattern you may experience over time if it is applicable
to your type of hair loss. This instrument compares fine hair to thick ones,
measuring the degree of miniaturization of your hair strands caused by shrinking
hair follicles, the progressive diminishing of each hair's diameter and
length. Your doctor should put into writing your hair transplant design
and an estimated timeline for any procedures that may be necessary. The
doctor should also explain the entire hair transplant procedure, including
any associated risks, and tell you what you can expect in the months following
the procedure.
Credits
-Information Provided Courtesy of The American Hair Loss Association
Hair Transplant Adviser Blog
Provided
by The International Alliance of Hair Restoration
Surgeons, the Hair Transplant Adviser blog provides the opportunity
for prospective hair transplant patients to ask questions and find answers.
