Hair Transplant Surgery

Who does it?
● Plastic Surgeon

What is it?
For those people who suffer from hair loss and want a more permanent solution than those offered by Cosmetic Hair Loss Treatments, hair transplant surgery can offer the possibility of regaining hair in areas where it has been lost, by transplanting hair follicles from other areas of the body, or the back of the head.

The donor follicles can be taken in two different ways. The traditional method is through ‘strip harvesting’, where a strip of scalp is removed, usually from the back of the head.

A more modern technique is called ‘follicular unit extraction’ or FUE Harvesting, and involves transplanting the individual hair follicles.

Who is suitable?
A thorough consultation with a surgeon should ascertain whether you are a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery.

Broadly speaking, if your hair loss is very extensive, it might be quite difficult to find enough hair elsewhere to create the effect you want, so this procedure is more suitable for those with receding hairlines or bald patches than for the entirely bald.

What’s the treatment like?
Both versions of hair transplant surgery are usually performed under local anaesthesia, so you won’t feel any pain, but the whole process can take up to eight hours, so you might want to take a book!

In strip harvesting, a strip of your scalp is removed and is then cut up into individual follicular units, or grafts. These are then carefully placed, one by one, into the area where you want the hair to grow, using a microblade.

For the FUE technique, the method of replacing the follicles is very similar to that used in strip harvesting; the difference lies in the way they are extracted from the donor area.

Hair follicles are removed individually, using a micro-punch, from areas where hair is abundant, such as the back of the head, or even the chest or back.

What happens afterwards?
A major drawback of hair transplant surgery is that it can take up to four months before you will know whether the donor follicles have taken, and therefore whether the procedure has been successful.

If you’ve gone for the strip harvesting option, the wound at the back of your scalp will be dressed post surgery and it’s important to change this daily.

You will need to shield the area where the new follicles have been placed from the sun for the first few days after surgery, as it is likely to be very sensitive – you will probably want to wear a hat for a few days anyway, as there may be some redness and swelling. Surgeons usually advise that you wait at least a couple of days before shampooing.

It’s quite likely that some or all of the hairs from the donor follicles will fall out during the first ten days after the surgery – this is to do with shock and is not an indicator of whether the follicles have taken.

Will I have a scar?
The FUE method leaves little or no scarring, as it negates the need for a strip of skin to be removed.

The strip harvesting technique will leave a scar at the donor site, however as this is at the back of the head it can be hidden with longer hair.