Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure where hair follicles are extracted from one part of the body (donor area) and implanted where they are lacking (recipient area). It is a great way to regain your lost mane and feel confident again as you flaunt your brand-new natural hair! The transplanted hair is just like your natural hair; post-recovery, the maintenance is just as usual. This procedure has a high success rate of around 90-95%.
Who Is A Good Candidate For Hair Transplantation?
Hair loss can root from many factors like genes, stress, trauma, hormonal changes, certain medications, radio-/chemotherapy, advanced age, etc. Hair transplantation can help you in all of these cases. There are only 2 factors to consider that qualify you for being a good candidate for the surgery:
- Sufficient hair follicles in the donor area
- Your scalp’s ability to support new hair growth
However, it is also important to manage expectations and understand that how much hair thickness you will have also depends on the budget you have for this surgery.
How Is Hair Transplantation Done?
At Skin Stories, Dr. Amit Kolli, one of the best trichologists in Hyderabad, practices two kinds of hair transplantation. These are: Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
Before starting the procedure, your donor and recipient areas will be marked precisely and numbed by using a local anesthetic so that you stay comfortable during the procedure. After that, the procedure could go in either of the two ways:
- FUT involves removing a strip of skin from the donor area and then dissecting it into individual follicular units. These units are then transplanted into the recipient area. This is usually less expensive and most suitable for when you have to cover a larger bald area.
- FUE, on the other hand, involves extracting individual follicular units directly from the donor area using a small, circular punch. These units are then transplanted into the recipient area. This causes minimal scarring and is best suited when the donor area has scanty hair follicles.
The follicles are carefully placed in the recipient area making sure that they are aligned with the natural growth pattern of the hair.
You will feel sore for the next week. So, it is important that you take antibiotics, painkillers, and other medicines as prescribed. Keep your scalp away from water and soap for a few days until your doctor clears you during the follow-up visit.
How Soon Can You Expect Results?
The recovery time varies to some extent depending on the technique used and other individual factors, but most patients can return to work and normal activities within a week. After the procedure, the transplanted hair will initially fall out within a few weeks; this is to be expected. New hair growth should start to appear within a few weeks after the shedding of transplanted hair, with more significant results becoming visible after 3-4 months. Full results may take up to a year to be noticeable.
