Thinning hair is a problem that most adults, whether male or female, will experience in their lifetime. When you see your hairline receding, or notice thin patches of hair, the idea of a hair transplant might cross your mind, but how much do you really know about how they work?
Hair transplant therapy has been practiced in some form or another for over 100 years but today is able to provide more natural, better looking results than ever before.
When considering a procedure, the first question most people have is: Is hair transplant permanent? Hair transplants are permanent because it’s your body’s natural hair growing back again and again. After a successful hair transplant, you’ll be able to wash, style, and cut your hair just as did before starting to bald.
Transplanted Hair is Your Hair
There are two major techniques for hair transplantation, Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUT is an older technique that involves the taking of a continuous strip of hair in one graft and then transplanting the follicles. FUE involves the individual harvesting of hair follicles and often results in reduced scarring.
Your care provider will help you decide which procedure is best for you based on your unique circumstances.
Regardless of which method is used, the transplanted hair follicles will be from your body. Hair follicles are extracted from the back of the head and grafted into place to cover thin patches and bald spots. The goal of a hair transplant is to take your existing healthy hair follicles and move them to the front of your head to fill in thin spots.
The Hair is Permanent
Hair follicles that are successfully extracted and grafted will continue to grow new hair just as they would have before being moved. The utmost care has to be used when performing a hair transplant because damaged or improperly extracted hair follicles are less likely to take hold and grow more hair.
Both FUT and FUE procedures have recovery and healing times before the natural hair growth fully begins. If you have a hair transplant done, you may notice even more of your hair falling out in the first few months. This is normal and expected and something your care provider will review with you.
After your transplant has fully healed, it will begin to grow new hair for good. Some patients may require multiple hair transplant sessions to achieve their desired result and it’s important you discuss your expectations with your provider ahead of time. Hair transplants are ultimately a medical procedure and some patients may be better candidates than others.
You Can’t Stop the Passage of Time
Even after a successful transplant, it’s possible that you may experience hair thinning again at some point in your life. Eventually your new hair follicles will grow old and may not continue to grow as thick of hair.
Some patients may need to have multiple hair transplant therapy sessions during their lifetime to maintain their desired appearance. This occurrence is not uncommon and both FUT and FUE therapies can be safely performed more than once with similar results.
Common Misconceptions
As medical technology continues to advance, the sophistication of hair transplant therapy has advanced right alongside. Early techniques were less effective and the results were oftentimes very noticeable. Hair transplants used to be referred to as hair plugs because the results of a poorly done procedure could look like the hair was “plugged” directly into the scalp.
Modern hair transplant techniques tend to have a much more natural looking result than procedures from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Your new hair will blend evenly in with the rest of your head and help you look like you did before going bald.
In the past, a hair transplant had the possibility of leaving a very noticeable scar on the back of your head. While the scar could often be covered, new advancements in technology have made it possible to have a full head of hair without the added scar tissue.
You Can Choose to Have Hair Again
Ultimately, getting a hair transplant will not be the right decision for everyone. Some people may choose to let their hair fall out, and others may decide to buy a wig. However, every person that does experience a receding hairline or notices thin patches has options they can pursue.
Transplanted hair is the same healthy, natural and full hair that you’ve always had, just moved into a better location. This is hair that you can cut, color, shampoo and style any way that you want to. The techniques for hair transplants are always advancing and they have never provided more natural and healthy results.
If having a full head of hair again is something that interests you, you should speak with a doctor about hair transplant therapy.