Hair Replacement Surgery

Are you considering hair replacement surgery? This type of surgery has been performed for more than thirty years.

To determine if you are an ideal candidate for hair replacement surgery, see your doctor. All existing techniques use the hair you have left on your head, so you need to have a healthy amount of hair on both the sides as well as the back. These areas serve as donor areas – this is where the surgeon will take the hair. If you do, you are the ideal candidate for this type of surgery.

There are many techniques that surgeons use when doing hair replacement surgery. Occasionally, two or more techniques are used. This is so you get the best results. For a modest change in hair fullness, surgeons use transplant techniques that include punch grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit grafts, and slit grafts. For a more dramatic change, flaps, tissue-expansion and scalp reduction are used. You will not get the same type of coverage you had prior to hair loss, but surgery can give you more fullness and hide the thin areas.

All surgeries carry some sort of risk and uncertainty. Hair replacement surgery is no different. It is normally a safe procedure, especially when performed by a qualified, experienced surgeon. However, everyone differs in his or her physical reactions and healing abilities, so the outcome is never predictable. Excessive bleeding, wide scars, or infection may occur. If they do, your physician will give you instructions on what to do.

Occasionally, the surgery will not be a success and need to be repeated. This does not happen often. Patients with plug grafts may notice small bumps on the scalp at the transplant sites. The surrounding hair can hide these bumps. When a hair transplant surgery is a success, the scalp will look patchy, especially when the newly placed hair lies next to patches of hair that continue to thin. If this occurs, additional surgery may be required.

After the surgery, the head will be cleaned and covered with gauze. Depending on the doctor, you may have to wear a pressure bandage for a couple of days. Some physicians allow their patients to heal without bandages. As you heal, the scars are hidden by the relocated hair, which grows as close to the incision as they can get. Any aching, tightness and pain can be controlled with medication prescribed by the doctor. If you must wear bandages, they will be removed a day later and stitches within ten days. You can gently wash your hair within two days following surgery.