In addition to hair loss pills and creams that are meant to accelerate hair growth, there is another permanent alternative to baldness, hair transplant. If you have tried all other possible creams and medication but found that they were of no use, you might want to turn to this option. It is by far the most expensive solution but after all, it provides a permanent change.
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What is a hair transplant?
Hairtransplant is a surgical procedure in which functional hair follicles are transferred onto the bald area. Hairtransplant is based on the fact that the hair follicles on the neckline do not stop functioning, but bald people usually lose their hair from the top and the sides of the head. The follicles taken from the neck will not be damaged when moved elsewhere on the head during a surgical procedure. It is therefore not possible to create new hair follicles during a hair transplant, but only to reorganise them by transferring functional follicles to bald areas.
The results are usually very natural. Unlike hair loss drugs, hairtransplant results are also very long-lasting, often even persistent. With the help of hair transplantation it is also possible to plant hair in already completely bald areas, which is not possible with medicines that can mainly strengthen the growth of poor quality hair. On the other side, hair transplant is clearly the most expensive method of preventing baldness.
You can find more about hair loss, here.
Hairtransplant techniques
Hair transitions can be completed in different ways. There are currently two main techniques available, the so-called Strip Method, also known as FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) and a newer method called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Both of these methods are currently being used extensively and both have their own advantages.
The choice of method depends on the patient, the needs, the type of hair, and the number of follicles needed. Hair transplants are most often used to treat male pattern baldness. You should discuss with a hair transplant specialist about the suitability of the treatment for you as well as the method needed.
Both methods utilise the fact that the hair grows naturally in the groups of 1-4. In both FUT and FUE, these groups are removed and transferred to a new area as a group. The results from these methods are more natural than if the hair was removed individually or if their natural grouping was ignored.
Strip method: Follicular Unit Transplantation
In the Strip method, a long and narrow strip of skin is cut from the back of the head, which also removes all hair follicles in the area. The surgical wound is immediately sewn and hair follicles are cut from the strip with a help of a microscope and planted on the desired area. This method is particularly well suited for patients with large bald areas. The benefit of the method is the fact that usually over 90% of the transferred hair begins to grow normally after the transfer. The disadvantage, however, is that the operation leaves a scar on the area from which the skin was originally removed from. This scar, however, is left under the hair and is therefore generally not very visible unless the patient wants to keep their hair very short. Although both operations are performed in local anesthesia, the Strip method is generally somewhat more painful in its entirety.
FUE method: Follicular Unit Extraction
Another method is the so-called FUE method, which removes single, 1-4 hairs, hair follicles having a diameter of about 0.6 to 1.0 millimeters. After that, the surgeon makes small holes in bald areas and the transplant is implanted in these holes. As a result, the FUE technique takes longer, but on the other hand, healing is faster, and the scar is not as remarkable as in the Strip method. Instead, the FUE method causes small scars on the scalp, which are often unnoticeable.
In addition to longer duration, the disadvantage of the FUE method is that a smaller part of the follicles will survive the transfer itself. In the FUT (or Strip) method, the survival rate is up to 90 percent or more and in the FUE method this figure is about 75 percent. Additionally, the FUE is fairly clearer than the Strip method. Especially in countries, where people often have thin hair, there is a risk that some of the hair will break during surgery, which means that they will not grow after the transfer.
Risks
Although the success rate of hair transplants is very high, there is always a risk associated with all surgical procedures. In addition to the allergic reactions caused by the anaesthecia, the affected area may become inflamed. In addition, in some patients, the wounds can have difficulties in scarring over. Sometimes it is also possible that the end result itself is not good even if no complications arise. This may require a new transplant to correct the problems of the previous operation. If you want to minimize the risk of problems, you should choose a surgeon who has a wealth of experience in similar operations.
Prices
Hair transplant is an effective way of preventing hair loss, but sadly, it is not cheap. It is impossible to give a clear estimate of the price as it depends on many factors, such as the method used, the number of follicles to be transferred and the doctor performing the surgery. The prices start from about 2,000 pounds, but can go all the way up to 15,000 pounds. The more hair you want to be moved, the more expensive the operation will be. For the best results, it would be good to choose an experienced doctor so the cheapest offer is not necessarily always the best.
