Many people who suffer from hair loss wish that they could turn back the clock on aging. They miss the full head of hair that they used to have. The good news for these people is that it is possible to turn the clock on your thinning hair through a hair transplant. What do you need to know to ensure that you have a natural-appearing new head of hair?

What Makes a Good Candidate

To be a good candidate and to ensure that you have natural-looking results, you need to have healthy hair on your scalp. This is the hair that will be transplanted to the thinning areas to encourage new growth. You also have to be able to grow hair on the thinning area of your scalp. Your dermatologist can perform a scalp exam to ensure that you are an appropriate candidate. It is crucial to find out why you are experiencing hair loss. This can impact the procedures that you qualify for and what can be done about your loss. Dermatologists have the equipment necessary to take a biopsy of the scalp for this purpose.

In some cases, you may not be able to have a complete head of hair. There are situations where you may only be able to have fuller hair than what you have right now. You can expect the dermatologist will break down what your expectations should be.

What Helps Ensure Results

Between two and eight weeks, you will lose your transplanted hair. Then, after three months, your hair may look even thinner than it did before you had the transplant. This is a normal part of the process that you need to be prepared for. You will begin to see the results in about six to nine months. While some people do not see results for about 12 months, the majority of cases see complete improvement a year after the surgery.

Most doctors or dermatologists will recommend medicine that can treat hair loss. There are treatments that can help you to retain the results after the surgery. Some medicines will slow down hair loss and thinning and so you can maintain your look for years.

If you are curious about hair transplants but worried about the procedure and whether it will look natural, your next step should be to consult with a hair transplant doctor, like Dr. Robin Unger, as soon as possible. Hair transplants can lead to natural looking results in patients.

Getting a hair transplant can be an exciting time, especially if you have suffered from hair loss for years. However, like any transplant, rearranging the hair on your head is still a serious procedure that you shouldn’t take lightly. Understanding how it works, who is going to do it and what to expect afterwards are all essential elements you don’t want to discover after the fact. Here’s a list of questions you should ask your hair transplant surgeon, like Dr. Robin Unger, before agreeing to the procedure.

What Procedure Is Right for You?

There are several types of hair transplant procedures, and the one you get depends on individual preference and available donor hair. A Follicular Unit Extraction removes individual hairs from the backside of the head and places them in balding areas. A Follicular Unit Transplantation involves removing a strip of hair from the back of the head and transplanting the hairs from that strip into balding spots. Advanced Trico Pigmentation is a fancy term for receiving a tattoo that makes it appear as though you have short hair in bald areas.

How Long Does the Procedure Take?

This depends on the procedure you’ve chosen. A Follicular Unit Extraction takes more time than a Follicular Unit Transplantation because the individual hairs have to be removed from the head instead of taking an entire strip. Ask your doctor for an estimate on time.

How Long Does Hair Take to Grow In? 

If you don’t see immediate hair growth in the area that has undergone a transplant, don’t worry. It can take up to four months to see any growth after the procedure. You should see the promised results of full hair growth about a year afterward.

Do You Need to Take Time off Work? 

Some patients require a few days off of work to recover from a transplant, but others need almost no time. Those who transplanted individual hairs are usually recovered a couple of days after the procedure. However, those who had an entire strip removed may need more time, or they may be more self-conscious about the red spots left behind temporarily. Oftentimes, getting the transplant before the weekend can have you back in the office on Monday.

How Much Does It Cost? 

A hair transplant can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000. Ask several clinics for a quote before deciding on who to go with. Insurance plans normally don’t cover this procedure, so you’ll have to pay for the whole thing yourself.

Since hair transplantation is a surgical procedure performed by a licensed medical professional, what to expect post-operatively will depend on your adherence to the instructions given after surgery. Shortly after the procedure, small scabs will begin to form on the scalp at the graft sites. These scabs generally disappear in seven to ten days. Shampooing the hair can typically be resumed about 48 hours after surgery. 

As for appearance, the suture (stitch) used to secure the graft in the donor area is undetectable, since it is covered by your existing hair entirely, in most cases. The sutures are typically removed in a follow-up appointment about 12-14 days after surgery. Many hair treatment doctors recommend taking a couple of days off work after surgery. You can wear a baseball cap to cover the area at any time after surgery. 

Hair transplant patients should avoid strenuous physical activity for about five days after surgery. In most cases, the newly-grafted hair will shed in six to eight weeks. Then, new growth begins in about four to six months, and the length of the hair will increase approximately one-half inch per month with full density taking around 12-18 months.

What is shock loss after hair transplant surgery, and why is it a concern?

“Shock Loss” after hair transplantation is a well-known phenomenon that occurs as existing hair is lost at the recipient site. In most cases, shock loss is only temporary and is reversible. Whether or not it is entirely reversible depends on the cause or causes. The possible causes of shock loss include:

• Existing hair being accidentally cut above the surface during the incision-making process. This is basically like a hair cut, and 100% reversible.

• The appropriate time is not taken to preserve existing follicles while making the incisions for grafts. If a great deal of existing hair is present before the transplant and adequate care is not taken, these hair follicles can be damaged with the physician’s instruments. This direct trauma can cause permanent follicular loss.
  
• Sometimes, hairs that would normally shed in the future are pulled out on the day of surgery. Hair follicles normally cycle in and out of the telogen (resting) phase. Spraying and wiping during surgery can pull out these hairs. This is completely reversible.

• Anesthetic with vasoconstrictor injected into the scalp may also increase the amount of shock loss. This cause of shock loss is more on the theoretical side, and it’s not possible to say whether it’s permanent or temporary.

Applying minoxidil, a hair loss treatment medication, topically before and after hair transplantation can reduce the occurrence of shock loss. However, when there is full and care taken during the preparation of recipient sites, the patient should experience little to no shock loss.

As you can see, hair transplantation can be a bit involved, but the result—an attractive, free-flowing head of hair—is well worth it in many instances. To discuss the type of hair restoration treatment that is right for you, contact a hair treatment doctor and schedule a consultation with to discuss your circumstances. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will see results. Reach out today!

Resource: Hair Transplant

Dr. Robin Unger, Hair Transplant Surgeon in Manhattan