Gallery

YOUR TOP QUESTIONS ABOUT HAIR TRANSPLANT ANSWERED

Are you wondering about any unanswered questions regarding hair transplants? According to the American Hair Loss Association, 35 million men around the world experience baldness, and in the United States alone, 40% of patients experiencing hair loss are women. For many, hair transplant surgery has become the choice to overcome hair loss. It is an effective method that provides natural results and involves a simple procedure. It has practically no downtime and it is very safe.

Having questions about hair transplants, meaning transplanting hair from one part of the scalp to the area where the hair is missing isn’t new. Many people are curious about the procedure and want to get familiar with all the details. It is becoming an increasingly safe and effective method for dealing with hair loss. Plus, it is being performed globally which makes it even more of a trustworthy procedure. Let’s begin with some history about hair restoration surgery.

What is the History of Hair Replacement Surgery?

Hair transplantation first appeared in Germany in the mid-1800s. Modern hair transplant surgery has come a very long way since its introduction to the United States in the 1950s. The very first hair replacement surgery was done in New York City by Dr. Norman Orentreich. This occurred after many obstacles and opposition by the medical community, which did not agree with the initial submissions of his paper. It became a landmark study that was published in 1959.

Dr. Orentreich coined the term “donor dominance” to expand on the basic concept of hair transplantation. It explained that transplanted hair continues to show the same characteristics of the hair from where it came from. To explain another way, hair that was taken from the rear or side of the head, which is also known as the permanent zone, would continue to grow the same way as when it was in its original place.

The study concludes that donor dominance shows the reason why hair located in the donor area, which does not experience hair loss, continues to grow after following the transplantation to the bald regions of the scalp.

Modern techniques, coupled with the science supporting transplant development, are providing a more natural look and feel for hair transplant recipients. It has become a common method for dealing with hair loss for both men and women. Not only for hair on the scalp but even for eyebrows, beard and mustache hair transplants. 

Today, a hair transplant is a natural choice for those seeking to regain a more youthful, healthy look. For those who can only think “toupee” “hair pieces” or “hair plugs,” think again. Hair restoration is an innovative technique that has proved to be the most effective in regaining hair as you once had it.

The following are some questions about hair transplant and their answers.

What is hair transplant surgery?

A hair transplant is a minor surgical procedure that involves removing hair from an area of the head that has ample hair – usually the sides or back of the scalp – and then placing those hair follicles in the thinning and balding areas where more hair is desired. Over time, the hair follicles take root and grow, filling in the areas of the scalp that have lost hair. The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia and takes several hours. It involves a fairly easy recovery and very little downtime. Patients do not experience tremendous pain and most don’t have any complications. The result is natural hair in areas where hair had been lost. 

Can women go bald like men?

Men and women are both affected by baldness or thinning hair. Men are more genetically prone to baldness, though ironically, baldness is passed down through one’s genes. Both men and women can lose their hair and even go bald, but unlike men, balding for a woman is primarily related to hormones. Women lose hair due to hormonal changes, and they seldom go totally bald, but only experience thinning. Alopecia areata is an auto-immune disease that attacks the hair follicles, causing hair loss. While rare, it can cause baldness in both men and women. Some women experience temporary hair loss after pregnancy. This, however, is a temporary state that usually goes back to normal after their hormones regain balance. Another reason why some women may experience hair loss is due to extreme hairstyles that pull on the hair and eventually cause the hair follicle to get damaged.

What type of patient most often gets hair transplant surgery?

Statistics gathered from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery indicate that a little more than 84% of balding men are or at have some point considered hair transplant surgery.

In comparison, women who choose hair replacement surgery to deal with hair loss come in at 15.3 percent. The greatest number of men who are deciding to take advantage of hair transplant surgery are between the ages of 30 and 39 years old although this has expanded to the 25 to 55 year age group with an increasing number of younger and older men seeking hair transplants. Women who are choosing the surgery most often are between the ages of 39 and 49 years old. 

What does the procedure entail?

Hair transplant surgery is rather straightforward and quick. It is performed in a doctor’s office or clinic setting, and for most patients, the surgery lasts several hours. Each client is different as far as the extent of their hair loss, and their viable donor site. Depending on the number of grafts to be transplanted, more than one hair restoration procedure may be required. Your doctor or clinician will give you a timeline and detailed plan during the initial consultation. The hair restoration surgery might be conducted under local anesthetic, which is perfectly normal and it is the most common way it is performed. However, some patients may be completely anesthetized, meaning under general anesthesia so that they will sleep through the procedure. This is usually the case for patients who might be very nervous or may have other special needs. Commonly, it is an outpatient surgery and the person will be able to go home afterward. It is strictly advisable not to drive immediately following the procedure. 

After the procedure, the patient will be given an antibiotic ointment for them to apply after washing the area. It is important that the patient follows aftercare instructions to make sure the procedure is effective and doesn’t have any complications. The aftercare is simple, you are responsible for ensuring that the area stays clean, free from crusty build-ups and that you watch for signs of infection such as inflammation, redness, or pain. There is practically no downtime after the procedure, some people return to work within a couple of days and don’t notice a difference in the way they feel, which is a very positive result. 

Is Hair Transplant Surgery safe?

Hair transplant surgery is considered a safe procedure, however, as with any surgery, there can be risks. To minimize those risks and potential complications, a patient should have a conversation with their healthcare professional. Speak with the hair transplant surgeon concerning the risks that are involved and be sure to cover the issues that are particular to your case. Each person is different, so it is important that you find out what applies to you. Be sure to provide a list of medications, both over-the-counter and prescribed that you’re taking as well as supplements. Additionally, your hair transplant doctor/clinician will take a detailed health history to find out if you’re fit for surgery.

Is the hair transplant procedure affordable?

If your reasons for choosing hair transplant surgery are purely cosmetic, then most insurance companies won’t pay for it. If the surgery is due to an accident or injury, then the insurance company might underwrite the surgery but it would need to be pre-approved. You will have to take into consideration the cost of other solutions that you might implement to restore, control or camouflage your hair loss. People have to take into account all the products, wigs, hair systems, and other methods that they have used for years and examine the costs associated with those products. It is all relative, some people think is well worth having natural hair and being able to feel their best. Overall, the price of the procedure is competitive with other procedures as you would normally find in the healthcare industry.

Does it really work?

Transplanted hair falls out within a few weeks of the procedure which can be alarming to the patient; but the fallout is normal. New hair will grow in its place within as little as four months. It takes six to twelve months to see meaningful results. It is part of the normal hair cycle where it sheds and grows back again. In conclusion, yes, hair restoration surgery is very effective. 

Now all of your questions about hair transplant have been Answered. Are you losing your hair and don’t know what to do? One solution is to take charge of the situation and contact the skilled hair transplant specialists at MAXIM Hair Restoration. MAXIM Hair Restoration has plastic surgeons, hair transplant doctors, and FUE Hair Restoration clinicians who artfully create an attractive hairline for people with hair loss every day. 

MAXIM Hair Restoration has offices in Great Neck, Long Island, New York; Manhattan, New York City (NYC); Paramus, Northern New Jersey; Alexandria, Northern Virginia (Washington D.C. and Maryland areas); Houston, Texas; Dallas Fort Worth, Texas; Costa Mesa, Los Angeles metro area in Orange County, Southern California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Sarasota, Florida; Manila, Philippines; Cebu, Philippines; Dubai, U.A.E.; Istanbul, Turkey; and Wroclaw, Poland. Future centers are planned in Austin, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; and other markets. 

Contact MAXIM today for a free consultation to find out if you are a candidate for a hair transplant or other hair restoration solution.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HAIR TRANSPLANTS

What are the things to know in Hair Transplant? There is simply no amount of research or preparation performed by a prospective patient that is capable of replacing the insight gained during the initial consultation process with hair transplant centers and doctors in Chicago, New York, Connecticut, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Manila. During an initial consultation, the doctor will be able to discuss the patient’s specific goals as well as the most ideal strategies for achieving those goals. Each patient’s individual circumstances will dictate the procedure the doctor recommends, and it is during this time that the patient should be prepared to ask as many relevant questions as possible in order to ensure they have all the information they need about the hair transplant process.

things to know about hair transplant

Things to know about Hair Transplant

As is the case with any procedure, there are positives and negatives for the patient to consider, and it is critical that the patient understands exactly what a hair transplant can accomplish in order to set appropriate expectations regarding the outcome. It is also critical for the patient to understand what to look for in a hair transplant facility and a hair transplant doctor, as taking care in selecting the ideal doctor operating out the ideal facility is certainly beneficial in ensuring the outcome the patient is seeking. Armed with every piece of relevant information, the patient should be able to better understand their specific hair restoration needs so that they are able to ask the right questions and select the right procedure performed the right doctor.

Positives of a Hair transplant

Perhaps the most obviously positive aspect of a hair transplant is the fact that the transplanted hair is permanent and utilizes the patient’s natural hair to fill in the areas affected by hair loss or thinning hair. Following the completion of the transplant procedure and the subsequent healing process, a hair transplant often restores a more youthful appearance to the patient and makes an obvious contribution to the patient’s overall feelings of self-esteem. Although the recovery times vary depending on the procedure selected by the patient, it is often possible for the patient to return to regular activities the day after the procedure.

The fact of the matter is that a hair transplant is the most natural-looking solution to thinning hair or hair loss, and the wide variety of transplant procedures available makes it possible for a patient to choose a procedure capable of yielding the specific outcome he or she is seeking. Although some patients elect to pursue multiple sessions to achieve greater volume, the procedure can often be completed with just a single session and does not require the patient to take too much time off from work, if any time off is even necessary. Since the procedure involves a local anesthetic and is considered minimally invasive, the patient does not need to be worried over the possibility of experiencing any discomfort as a result of undergoing the procedure.

Negatives of a hair transplant

When one considers the benefits and drawbacks of a hair transplant, it is clear that the positive benefits outweigh any negatives by a wide margin. The drawbacks associated with a hair transplant are relatively minor and can be easily withstood through the use of some very simple strategies. In the FUT procedure, for example, there will be a horizontal scar left on the scalp in the area from which the donor hair was harvested. Hair transplant doctors often take great care to ensure this scar can be easily hidden by the patient’s existing hair, and most patients have difficulty even locating their scar once their hair has grown in. Patients who prefer a close-cropped haircut, FUE is likely the best solution due to its status as a no-scar technique.

Additional Drawbacks

If they can even be considered negative at all — is the fact that it may not be possible for the patient to achieve the “hairline of their youth,” as there may not be sufficient hair available from the donor site, not to mention that achieving such volume might require multiple hair transplant procedure sessions. A hair transplant will restore hair follicles in a manner that visibly improves the patient’s hairline, but this is accomplished through the use of about 25 percent of the follicles one would find in areas of the scalp that remain unaffected by hair loss or hair thinning.

Finally, the time between the procedure and achievement of the procedure’s outcome might require some patience. After the procedure is completed, the transplanted hair will fall out within a few weeks and will begin to regrow shortly thereafter. In most cases, the results of the procedure are visible after four to six months after the actual transplant. This is typically discussed during the initial consultation and is simply the norm for any hair transplant procedure.

Realistic expectations from a hair transplant

It is important to reiterate that a hair transplant is designed to improve the patient’s existing hairline in the most natural-looking way possible, but it is simply unlikely that a hair transplant procedure will be able to restore the hairline the patient enjoyed during his or her youth. It has been determined that adequate coverage can be achieved by restoring about 25 percent of the original follicle density, so a patient expecting a return of the hairline and volume of youth has to understand what is possible when deciding to undergo a hair transplant. Of course, if there is sufficient donor hair available, a patient can elect to undergo multiple sessions in order to achieve greater volume, but it is still unlikely to achieve the hairline and the volume associated with one’s youth.

The patient should also fully understand the healing process and the length of time needed to see the actual results of the transplant procedure. The transplanted hair will fall out within a few weeks of the procedure, after which it will begin to re-grow from the recipient sites. This means that the outcome of the procedure will only be truly understood after a period of four to six months. All things considered, the timeline needed for a hair restoration to achieve its stated purpose should hardly be considered an inconvenience.

Things to look for when considering a hair transplant

Of all the things a potential hair transplant patient should take into account when considering a hair transplant, perhaps none is more important than the ability to find a doctor and a facility capable of providing the precise result the patient is seeking. When considering a hair transplant, it is therefore critical to be thoroughly informed regarding all aspects of the hair transplantation process and to be willing to take a thoughtful approach to the selection of the doctor and the facility.

Any patient considering a hair transplant should be prepared to ask questions regarding the procedure and should ask the doctor to go into great detail when outlining the entirety of the hair transplant procedure. The doctors and the facilities including New York and Connecticut should be accommodating of any and all questions relating to the procedure and should address all aspects of the process from beginning to end so the patient is able to make an informed decision regarding not just the ideal procedure, but also the ideal doctor and the ideal facility.

The patient should also take a number of practical considerations into account when determining an ideal course of action with regard to a hair transplant. A patient undergoing FUT may need to take time away from work following the completion of the procedure to ensure a proper recovery. If time off is not possible, the patient may instead elect to undergo an FUEprocedure. In addition to these considerations, the amount of coverage the patient is seeking should also be taken into account before a decision is made, as this will allow the patient to determine if multiple sessions are necessary or if one procedure is more conducive to the result they are hoping to achieve.

Things to avoid when considering a hair transplant

Hair restoration procedures have benefited in tremendous fashion from the continued development of technological and procedural advances, enabling doctors to perform increasingly precise and natural-looking hair transplants. Patients should therefore be cognizant of the most advanced and most effective procedures available along with those that are considered out of date. The Patients should avoid doctors or facilities that continue to utilize less-than-ideal hair transplant options and instead should focus on the doctors that offer the most effective and natural-looking hair transplant procedures, such as FUT and FUE, among others.

Patients should also avoid acting hastily in choosing to undergo a procedure or in selecting the right doctor and facility to perform the procedure. It is sometimes the case that patients seeking a hair transplant are too young to truly benefit from the procedure, have unreasonable expectations that cannot be satisfied with the resulting outcome, or do not have sufficient hair follicles available in the donor site to achieve the result they are seeking. A relatively young patient may respond quite well to prescription or non-prescription medication and can therefore delay seeking a transplant until their hair loss is more or less stable, while those without sufficient donor follicles and those without reasonable expectations will simply be discontented with the results of any transplant procedure.

Skip to content