Hair loss

Since medical treatments are not the answer for everyone, is hair transplantation the Holy Grail for treating hair loss? No, but like the other treatments, it may help some people, especially those with FPHL.

Hair transplantation, or hair restoration surgery, wasn’t always considered a viable option. But the procedure has evolved from the earlier “doll-head” look of the old-fashioned, telltale hair-plug procedure to one that is more refined and aesthetically pleasing.

The latest technology and procedures, as well as the aesthetic sensibilities of the many physicians now performing hair restoration surgery, have transformed it into a viable option.

In reality, the hair-plug procedure was skin grafting-a section of bald skin was replaced with a piece of skin that had hairs in it. For men, even this earlier procedure was a win-win situation, as the patch of skin was taken from a place with hair and placed in an area that had no hair. This couldn’t be used successfully in women with diffuse thinning or a widening part not completely devoid of hairs, as the placement of the graft would cause trauma to the surrounding hairs.

However, the procedure evolved. Instead of moving sections of skin with hair, hair restoration surgeons now move hair follicles. There are two major techniques now used: mini-micrografting and follicular unit transplantation, with the latter considered the procedure that produces the most natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing result.

Hair restoration surgery is not a viable option for all people. This is because in order to successfully transplant hair to your bald or thinning areas, called the recipient sites, you must have a place on your head that has enough hair to spare. This area is called the donor site, and it is usually at the back of the head.

Your hair restoration surgeon will assess your scalp to make sure you have a viable donor site. If you have diffuse thinning over your entire head, you are likely not a good candidate for a hair transplant for two reasons-one, there is not a good donor site, and two, with overall diffuse thinning it means all the hairs on your head are programmed to shed.

The reason hair transplantation works in some people is that the hairs taken from the donor site are not programmed to fall out as they are in the balding areas. This is why most bald men have a fairly thick fringe surrounding their central balding area. When the hair from the donor site is put into the area of hair loss, the donor hairs keep their genetically coded programming.

Hair transplantation should not be the first choice in treating your hair loss, but if a visit to a hair restoration surgeon is your first doctor’s visit in regard to your hair, you will-or should-be put through the same battery of tests a dermatologist would put you through. This, of course, is to ensure that if you have a treatable condition or underlying medical condition, it is taken care of. Then the hair transplant option becomes clearer as to what it can or cannot do for your situation.

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