A hair transplant is a surgical procedure that moves healthy hair from areas of thick growth to bald or thinning parts of your scalp. It’s performed by dermatologists (healthcare providers specializing in the skin) or plastic surgeons.
Your surgeon numbs your scalp with anesthesia before surgery. During the procedure, they make tiny cuts in the bald or thinning area of your scalp.
Choosing a Surgeon
The surgeon you choose will have a huge impact on your results, so take your time in finding the right one. Ask friends, family members, and colleagues for recommendations or referrals and make sure to look at the surgeon’s before-and-after photos to get a feel for their work.
The goal of hair transplant surgery is to move thick hair to bald or thinning areas of the scalp. Healthcare providers perform the procedure under local anesthesia in a medical office. They take grafts of healthy hair from an area of your scalp with a lot of hair (called the donor site), usually the back of your head. The grafts are then moved to hairless areas.
Before surgery, your doctor will trim and numb the donor site. Then, he or she will extract the follicles in the donor area using a tool called a punch. Depending on the type of hair restoration surgery you need, the grafts may be used in a single session or spread out over two sessions.
Preparing for the Procedure
A successful hair transplant requires a healthy scalp, and proper preparation is crucial to your success. Eating a diet rich in vitamin C and other essential nutrients supports healthy scalp cells, while avoiding medications that reduce your body’s healing capabilities can prevent complications during and after the surgery.
To perform the procedure, your surgeon sterilizes the area to be worked on and injects you with anesthesia. The surgeon will then use one of two methods:
With follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS), your surgeon removes a 6- to 10-inch section of your scalp from the back of your head, which can stretch from ear to ear. They then set the skin aside and sew it closed.
You may also receive slit or micro-grafts, which are smaller punches of the donor area; they contain anywhere from two to four hairs each. The final step involves placing the grafts in your scalp to replace the thinning or balding areas.
During the Procedure
Hair transplantation is an outpatient procedure that takes hair from areas where you have it, such as the back of your head or your earlobes, and places it in areas where you do not, such as balding spots or scarred areas. First, your surgeon sterilizes the area to be treated and numbs it with local anesthesia.모발이식
The surgeon then removes a strip of scalp from the top of your head. This strip may be up to 10 inches long or stretch from one ear to the other. It is then split into thousands of smaller pieces called grafts.헤어라인
These grafts are then planted into the area that is bald or thinning, using a needle or a blade to make tiny holes in your scalp. It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions and avoid activities that can damage the grafts. You should also be careful when washing your hair, only using shampoo specifically formulated for the area and rinsing it gently.
Post-Procedure Care
The first week after the procedure, it is important to follow your surgeon’s post-op care instructions carefully. This will determine the success of your hair transplant. Avoid smoking, high-impact exercise, and alcohol during this time as they may interfere with the healing process.
Itching is also common, especially around day 7. This itchiness usually indicates that the transplanted hair follicles are healing well. If the itching is strong, take an antihistamine pill to ease it.
It is important to keep the transplanted area covered at all times, particularly from sunlight and dust. Petroleum jelly (vaseline) can be applied to the head daily to protect it, as well as a loose-fitting cotton cap at night. You should also gently wash your hair twice a day, as instructed, using the mild shampoo and dabbing instead of rubbing. Be careful around pets and children as they may inadvertently dislodge or irritate the grafts. This is especially true if they play with or pull the scalp.