Planning to Get a Hair Transplant? Here’s What to Keep in Mind

We all feel more confident when we feel like we are looking good and there are various things that can affect this. Your own perception of your weight, height, and attractiveness can seriously affect confidence and cause self-consciousness and anxiety. One problem which many people face is losing their hair.

Unlike skin issues which can be fixed with makeup or cosmetic treatments, or body image issues that can be addressed with exercise and diet, traditional hair loss solutions such as wigs are woefully inadequate. These days, however, more and more people are finding that a hair transplant is helping to solve their hair loss problems and have them feeling great again.

For everyone who is planning to get a hair transplant, here’s what to keep in mind.

Hair Transplant Is Surgery

The first thing which you need to know is that hair transplants are a type of surgery and depending on which type of transplant you opt for, they can be very invasive. Hair transplants are performed by a qualified surgeon who removes hair follicles from one area of your head where there are enough and moved to a different area where there are fewer. The surgeon will use a different transplant tool depending on the type of procedure you choose and will usually need to repeat the process multiple times. Literally, thousands of hair follicles are moved and each session can take as long as five or six hours.

There Are Different Methods to Choose From

Hair transplants are still a relatively new surgical procedure but there are already three different types that are popular and have shown to be effective; FUT (follicular unit transplantation), FUE (follicular unit excision), and Micro FUE.

FUT

When you undergo FUT, the surgeon will remove patches of the scalp and then cut them up into smaller pieces, each containing many hair follicles. These will then be implanted into your scalp where the hair is thin because you don’t have any hair follicles.

FUE

With an FUE procedure on the other hand, rather than patches of the scalp with multiple hair follicles being removed, individual follicles are punched out of the scalp. These smaller circles of the scalp can then be punched back in somewhere else.

Micro FUE

With Micro FUE, a similar process as FUE is followed except that the follicles themselves are removed rather than a circle of the scalp around a follicle. This has become a very popular option in Australia and elsewhere as it is less invasive than the other two. One hair transplant clinic in Brisbane which offers the treatment explained that the follicles are so small they can be easily inserted back into the scalp elsewhere. This causes less discomfort for the patient and reduces recovery time.

Hair Transplants Are Not Always Effective

Hair transplants are not always effective as everyone has a different set of conditions that have led to their hair loss, and often the best candidates are older people whose hair loss has already reached its pinnacle but still has enough “donor” follicles to fill in the thin patches. Young people are not great candidates for hair transplants as once the new follicles are inserted they may just fall out again in later years. People who have lost their hair due to alopecia or another illness will also usually not see great results from a hair transplant.

Results Are Not Guaranteed

With each patient receiving hair transplants with their own unique set of factors, the results can vary widely. Some patients may not see any noticeable change in their hair after the surgery while others may grow back as much as 80-90% of their original head of hair. The most skilled and experienced surgeons will create new hair that looks natural and which nobody would ever know were transplants. Less skilled surgeons, however, can leave your head looking patchy or your hairline looking wonky. Make sure you thoroughly research the clinics in your area to find the most reputable one before going under the surgeon’s knife.

Negative Side Effects Can Occur

With all surgical procedures, there can be some minor side effects and this is true for hair transplants. After undergoing FUT and FUE, you may have a little swelling and bruising around the transplant area. These side effects may not occur or will be far less serious than with the other two procedures. Your surgeon will explain the correct aftercare steps to take and the side effects will subside in a few days.

So many people’s lives have been totally turned around by hair transplants. This new and effective technology has finally provided an effective solution where the wigs and hair tonics of previous years fell so short. Be sure to research the clinic and surgeon before getting a hair transplant and you will be looking your best in no time.