how does hair transplant work
Science and medicine have allowed humans to access a variety of modern techniques and procedures to help people. This includes being able to restore people’s hairline and hair thickness. While this technology isn’t too new, it still might make a person wonder: “How does a hair transplant work?”
In this article, you’ll get a detailed look into the hair transplant process and how hair transplants work.
What is a hair transplant?
Hair transplants refer to a variety of procedures involving harvesting healthy hair follicles from one area of the scalp to balding areas of the scalp. While you may have heard the term “transplant” be applied to organ donations, you can’t “donate” hair follicles from one person to another (at least, not in our clinic.) The hair is from the same person, transplanted from healthier parts of the scalp to parts that require more hair. One of the common kinds of hair transplant procedures is FUE hair transplants.
What is an FUE hair transplant?
Short for follicular unit extraction, FUE is a scalpel-free hair transplant procedure where we extract individual hair follicles from the patient’s head. These hairs are usually harvested from the back of the head and then transplanted onto thinning or balding areas of the scalp.
Thanks to the scalpel-free nature of the procedure, it means we don’t need to remove strips of skin from the scalp, resulting in less scarring and faster recovery times.
What is the FUE hair transplant process?
There is a very specific hair transplant procedure for FUE-style hair transplants. Here is how FUE hair transplants work:
We prepare the donor area by shaving the head until all of the hairs are between 2 to 3 millimeters long.
We remove the hair follicles on the scalp one by one by using special medical equipment. The most important tool is a hand-held punch which allows the hair transplant surgeon to remove the hair follicles. This careful practice minimises the probability of any injury to the patient and ensures the harvesting of healthy hair follicles.
The donor area from where we acquire the healthy follicles is usually at the back of the head, where the hair is the least susceptible to genetic hair loss. The hair transplant surgeon will consider follicle quantity and thickness when harvesting follicles during the extractions, as over-harvesting from a donor area can be problematic for the patient.
Next, we prepare the healthy, extracted hair follicles for implantation. We separate the hair follicles into groups sorted by size and then place them in a plasma solution to guarantee the health of the extracted hair follicles.
Finally, the hair follicles are strategically placed in thinning areas of hair on the scalp. The implantation is done very carefully to match the direction of the curls of your existing hair. This makes sure that we can restore your scalp with a natural hairline.
Hair Transplant Recovery Process
You know about the hair transplant process, but you want to know what comes after. How does a recovery work? It’s quite simple. After a hair transplant procedure, you will receive detailed care instructions on what to do for your specific hair.
Your scalp will start to feel itchy, but it’s important not to scratch, wear a hat, wash your hair, or touch the grafts in any way as it might dislodge the delicate hair follicles taking root in your scalp. After around a week, the scabs from the procedure will fall out, and you can wash your hair as normal.
After several weeks of avoiding strenuous exercises, swimming, or exposing the new grafts to too much direct sunlight, the transplanted hair follicles will begin falling out. Don’t be discouraged! This is a normal part of the hair transplant process, as it means that the growth cycle for your new hairs is about to begin, sprouting out of your scalp as healthy hair.
Book a Hair Loss Consult Today
Are you someone suffering from hair loss and needing help? Follicle Clinic is a leading hair transplant clinic that helps people with all of their hair concerns. Be it receding hairlines, hair loss, or alopecia, our wide range of services are up to the task of helping restore our clients’ confidence. Book a completely free consultation with us today, and we can answer all of your questions about our specific hair transplant services and how they can help you