Advances in hair loss prevention and transplantation surgery have developed with medical improvements, knowledge, and skills to improve the results available for the right candidates. Patient results show that improving hair restoration techniques can give a viable option to those looking for a solution to hair loss.
Always ensure you take a consultation before making any decision regarding treating your hair loss and the options between treatment and surgical hair replacement.
Get To Know Your Hair First
The average person shedding from 50 to 100 hairs each day
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, at any given time 90% of your hair is in a hair growth phase and 10% is in a resting phase
The hair follicle goes through three stages over the life of a hair, Anagen, Telgen, and Catogen
Hair grows in natural groupings known as follicular units (FU´s)
A follicular unit can contain from one to four hairs follicles per unit
There is a greater concentration of three and four hair units around the back of our head compared to the sides
The hair density around the sides of our head is approximately 10% lower than the back
People with blonde hair have the highest number of follicles and those with red hair have the fewest
On average there are 100,000 – 150,000 follicles on the scalp. If there are fewer than 90,000 hairs on the scalp, the hair density is considered thin
The Signs Of Hair Loss
Hereditary hair loss condition is called androgenic alopecia. Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) in men and Female Pattern Baldness (FPB) in women
The Norwood Scale is a classification of MPB for men, the female version is known as The Ludwig Scale
This balding process is caused by hereditary factors. You inherit the tendency to lose hair from either of your parents
The hair loss gene affects hair over the top of the head but to a lesser extent the sides with even an advanced hair loss stage leaving a band of hair around the back and sides
Male-pattern baldness is a result of a gene in the body that converts large quantities of testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone)
Genetic forms of hair loss make up around 90% of hair loss conditions
Hair loss is generally slow and progressive and often follow a similar pattern of others in your family
Other types of hair loss may include but are not limited to stress, iron deficiency, thyroid disease, traction alopecia, trauma, and medications
Hair Treatment Options
FDA (Food & Drug Administration of America) has only approved three hair loss treatments over the last 30 years
A hair transplant is not a cure for progressive genetic hair loss
The first type of hair transplant procedures were performed in the 1950´s
Early surgical hair restoration techniques included Scalp Reduction, Flap Surgery, and Minigrafting Hair Transplants
The first hair transplant to effectively use hair follicles in their intact condition was the follicular unit transplant technique or FUT/Strip
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) removes the FU´s individually
With a hair transplant, approximately 30% of scalp hair follicles have one hair, 40% have two hairs and 30% of follicles have three to four hairs, but this varies from person to person and ethnic background
It is impossible to place like for like hair density with a hair transplant when the individual had a full head of hair
The areas of hair loss can be divided into three regions: the front, the mid-scalp, and the crown or vertex
The total area of hair loss may vary from 5 to approximately 250 square centimeters, sometimes higher
Hair characteristics include hair colour, calibre or thickness, curly or straight hair shaft
Not everyone is suitable for a hair transplant procedure
FUT and FUE hair transplant techniques both have pros and cons
It can take multiple hair transplant session to treat an advanced stage of hair loss
Not everyone can achieve total hair restoration coverage from a hair transplant
Your age and hair loss stage can be a significant factor when deciding to undergo a hair transplant
FUT and FUE can be combined to treat a hair loss pattern if required
What Happens To Your Hair After A Hair Transplant
The transplanted hair falls out approximately 30 days after the operation and the follicle sleeps for 2 to 3 months
Consider using a hair loss treatment to protect and preserve any existing hair from hair loss
The hair rests for around three months before starting to regrow
At three months postoperative it is common to only see 15% of the hair growth and six months approximately 50% of the regrowth
As the transplanted hair grows it may be finer and different in hair characteristics until it has grown through a number of growth cycles and matured
Full hair growth can take twelve months or more from the date of your hair transplant
Crow or vertex reconstruction the full hair growth can take a few months longer than the frontal and mid-scalp areas
The newly transplanted hairs will continue to grow as if still in their original position around the back and sides of the head
