Like all forms of surgery, hair transplant surgery is one that it is incredibly important to ensure that you do the right research before making the tricky decision to go ahead with it. For starters, the form of hair transplant surgery that you are able to undergo depends on a number of different factors, such as your current level of hair loss and desired results, in addition to the reasons behind why you are actually losing your hair.
Generally hair transplant surgery is performed by one of two methods which are know as the FUE and FUT methods. FUE, or follicular unit extraction, is the more modern of the two and as such is more advanced in the way that it works. During an FUE hair transplant, individual hair follicles which contain a small number of hairs are surgically removed from the donor area of the scalp before being transplanted into the area to be treated. FUT, or follicular unit transplantation, is the older of the two but this doesn’t mean that the results look any less natural. During an FUT hair transplant, the follicles are removed as a small strip rather than individually before being split into smaller grafts that are to be transplanted into the treated area.
To make life easier for you (and to help with your decision making process), we’ve compiled a list of FAQ’s to answer some of the most commonly asked questions;
Will I have scars?
We’re going to dive in at the deep end and answer what is arguably the most asked question when it comes to hair transplants. Scarring is definitely a possibility, but the surgeon who carries out the surgery will always look to conceal any scars with the way that your hair will grow. It also depends on the method of surgery that you undergo, the FUE method has the follicle being extracted individually and so the scarring associated with this will be much smaller, whereas the FUT method uses strip farming so the scarring with this tends to be more linear. Growing your hair around the donor area is definitely something that we would advise as it can help to conceal any scarring in this area.
Will the hair transplant look natural?
Immediately after your hair transplant (and at least for the first few weeks) you will not be able to see your full results coming through. After the initial growth period, you’ll start to see what your new hairline or growth will look like. Because it has simply been moved from one part of your scalp to another, there is absolutely no reason to fear about it looking natural as the donor hair is indistinguishable from your existing hair. You are able to test this yourself by plucking a hair from the front of your scalp and another from the rear of the scalp and comparing the two, unless you’re looking through a high powered microscope, it’s highly unlikely you’re going to notice any kind of difference and that just how your results will be.
When will I see my newly transplanted hair grow?
This is something that varies on a patient to patient basis, but generally the results of a hair transplant surgery will start to show through within a couple of months. It’s important to know that after it is transplant, it will start to show signs of growth but the hairs that grow will shed and fall out shortly afterwards. This is natural and isn’t indicative of a failed transplant or problems with your new follicles, it’s just a sign that everything is working as intended. After the first 6 months, you should be able to see approximately 1 inch of healthy growth in the transplanted area that is starting to blend into your existing hair.
Are the results permanent?
The donor areas of the scalp that are selected for use in hair transplant surgery, more often than not the rear or sides of the scalp, are generally considered to be areas that are more hardy and resistant to hair loss. The hair follicles which are transplanted from these areas behave in a similar way to the area that they were taken from, so even if they are transplanted into an area that is more susceptible to hair loss, they will retain their resistant characteristics. What this means is that your results should last a lifetime or, at the very least, into old age.
What happens in during a hair transplant surgery?
On the day of surgery, the follicles that are to be transplanted are extracted from the donor area by the surgeon and their assistants. While the follicles are prepared by the surgical team, the recipient sites will be prepared by the surgeon so that they are ready for surgery. This is the most vital part of the surgery as this is where the final results will be created, the surgeon is responsible for ensuring that the orientation (angle, direction and depth) for each graft is correct. By making sure this is correct, it greatly improves the level of results that you will be likely to see. The grafts are implanted into these sites and, once all grafts have been implanted, the surgery is then complete.
So, hopefully we’ve been able to answer some of the questions about hair transplant surgery that have left you scratching your head, if there’s anything else you need to know then our team are always ready and available to give you a helping hand to make an informed decision.