A hair transplant is a follicular redistribution of the scalp where follicles are removed from the patient’s donor area and implanted in the recipient (alopecic or bald) areas. The donor areas are usually the occipital and temporal areas, which are not influenced by genetic and hormonal action.
There are basically two hair transplants:
- FUE technique (Follicular Unit Extraction). It is the extraction of follicular units. It is a minimally invasive surgery where follicular units are extracted one by one from the patient’s donor area (usually the occipital or temporal) to transplant them, also individually, in the recipient area. During the process, follicular units of one, two, three or four hairs are selected, or even five or more, depending on the region where they are implanted and the necessary density to be achieved. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, has a quick recovery and leaves hardly any visible scars in the area where the follicles are extracted.
- FUSS Technique (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery). It is the extraction of one follicular unit per strip. It consists of extracting a strip of scalp with a surgical cut to subsequently extract the follicular units by means of a cut and implant them in the alopecic areas. It is an intervention that requires general anesthesia and has a slower recovery process due to the cut made. In addition, it will leave a more or less evident scar in the occipital area, which can be concealed as the hair grows. Although it is still used, it has taken a back seat to the FUE technique.
Will a natural result be obtained with hair transplantation?
Current techniques, such as FUE, where follicular units are transplanted one by one, allow totally natural results to be obtained. In addition, specialists in Aesthetic Medicine and Hair Surgery are especially careful in the frontal line and in the correct distribution of the follicular units according to the number of hairs they contain. Likewise, they will look for the follicular density necessary to repopulate correctly the areas with alopecia.
Can anyone undergo a hair transplant?
Not everyone is a candidate for a hair transplant. In addition, there are some contraindications, such as active infection or other scalp diseases, uncontrolled arterial hypertension or poor scarring (hypertrophic or keloid), which make hair transplantation not advisable.
On the other hand, it is also not indicated in some types of alopecia where hair can be recovered without the need for a hair transplant, such as alopecia areata.
It is therefore essential to have a correct medical evaluation in order to know with certainty whether or not the patient can undergo hair transplantation.
What exactly does the hair transplant procedure consist of?
The duration of the procedure will depend on the number of follicles to be transplanted. Thus, those of shorter duration will last 6-7 hours and those of longer duration will last up to 2 days (6-7 hours each day).
The hair transplanted to the patient is always the patient’s own and, therefore, does not produce any rejection. The amount of hair transplanted will depend on each case and the degree of alopecia suffered by the patient. As a general rule, for a good result, between 1,000 and 2,000 follicular units should be obtained from the donor area, which will be approximately 2,500 – 5,000 hairs.
Normally, to ensure the quality of the transplant, it is recommended that the number of follicular units should not exceed 2,000 (4,500 hairs more or less). However, on some occasions (and in agreement with the patient), it is possible to exceed 3,000 follicular units (7,000 hairs). It is usual to do two consecutive days of intervention, implanting more or less 1,500 units per session.
After the intervention, the treatment consists basically of moisturizing and not rubbing the implantation area for about 10 days. With the FUE technique there will be no scars but only small scabs that will fall off after a few days.
Can hair from other parts of the body be used in the hair transplant?
It is possible to use hair from other parts of the body but only as an adjuvant, which means that body hair will never be used exclusively to repopulate a capillary area, because its growth cycle, color, thickness and texture is different from capillary hair, and would affect the final result. Head hair can be used to repopulate other areas, such as the beard, chest, eyebrows or pubic area.
When will the results be noticeable?
It should be taken into account that the transplanted hair falls out in about 3-4 weeks, to regrow the root 3-4 months after transplantation and being visible at 5-6 months. Therefore, the definitive result is obtained after approximately one year.