What is Hair Transplant?
Hair transplantation (or autotransplantation) is a surgical technique based on the transfer of small fragments of skin - and related hair bulbs - from areas of the head that are thicker to others that are more sparse. These are therefore live follicles taken from the same patient; it is not possible to use the bulbs of a donor, nor to insert synthetic ones. Fortunately, in most people suffering from androgenetic alopecia there remains a "crown" of hair in the occipital and temporal region, available for transplantation as it is resistant to falling even in old age.
Why do you run it?
Hair transplantation still represents one of the few solutions available in the presence of widespread atrophy of the hair bulbs, typical of those suffering from androgenetic alopecia.
Drugs such as finasteride and minoxidil - together with the large array of various cosmetics and supplements - can in fact produce a certain improvement only in the presence of more or less suffering but still vital follicles.
Since the transplanted bulbs retain the life cycle typical of the picking region - which we remember to be genetically resistant to alopecia - hair transplantation can be considered a definitive treatment, but not completely resolutive. In fact, it is not able to intervene on the causes that triggered baldness. It will therefore be the duty of the physician to direct each patient towards the treatments and therapies that are best suited to each individual case.
Planting techniques
Modern hair transplant techniques are rooted in the mid-50s of the last century. Showy scars and clearly unnatural results (the so-called "tufted" or "doll" effect) were the main limits of the first interventions.
Since then the surgical techniques have undergone a constant improvement, based above all on the progressive reduction of the sampling areas.
The procedure most in vogue until a few years ago consisted in the collection, from the occipital area (nape), of a strip of scalp immediately sectioned under the microscope and transferred in the form of micro-grafts in the area to be thickened. In this way, the hair transplant guaranteed quite natural aesthetic results, reduced by the scars at the site of the sampling and by the undesirable effects in the implantation (post-operative pain and swelling, loss of sensitivity).
To overcome the limits of this method, new transplantation techniques have recently been developed based on the collection and grafting of single bulbs.
We have thus moved from the installation of real islands to the current mini and micro plants carried out with the aid of special scalpels and constituted, in fact, by single follicular units (UF) that can contain from one to four hair bulbs.
In detail, this technique is called FUE, which stands for "Follicular Unit Extraction". This technique has evolved up to high-density hair transplantation, defined as "Micro FUE" which uses small-sized instruments in order to make the technique even less invasive and without scarring.
More attention than in the past is also placed in the direction of the implant, which thanks to the micro-grafting is oriented so as to follow the natural direction of growth and the arrangement of the hair. The result achieved is extremely natural and is not affected by heavy postoperative problems or permanent scars. For this reason, hair transplantation performed by expert hands represents - today more than ever - an effective, minimally invasive, discreet and more accessible solution than in the past.
The same techniques used for hair transplantation are also used to correct scars in various body sites, unsightly hairless areas on the face and in all those situations where there is thinning or a fall in the eyebrows.
The surgery
Hair transplantation is a real surgical procedure which - as such - must be performed exclusively by doctors specialized in this field.
Surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia and sometimes under sedation. It is not painful and thanks to recent micro-grafting techniques the results are often satisfactory and with limited side effects.
The professionalism and experience of a qualified aesthetic surgeon allow for maximum personalization of the intervention, whose aesthetic effectiveness also depends on a thorough pre-surgical visit. Painstaking precision and meticulousness in the execution are just as important to obtain an aesthetically beautiful final result (the smaller the islands are, the greater the risk of damaging the follicles). The great attention of the media on hair transplantation and all the positive information circulating about it should not make us forget that it is still a delicate surgical procedure, with all the limits of the case. There is no need, therefore, to create excessive or unrealistic expectations on the final result.
Duration
The duration of a hair transplant depends on the size of the area to be thickened. If this area is extended on average, the intervention is conducted in a single session of about 4 hours.
Sometimes it is preferable to repeat the operation after a time varying from a few weeks to several months (depending on the surgical technique used) for any further thickening.
Results
The aesthetic results can be fully appreciated only after a few months, since the grafted hair is very short (2 millimeters) and takes time to grow (1 centimeter per month). This will ensure a very gradual image change over time.
The grafted hair during the transplant will undergo a regular growth, completely similar to the natural ones; they must therefore be treated in the same way as the latter, washing them, combing them and making them grow to the preferred length.
In summary, the results that can be obtained with the modern techniques used to perform hair transplants are:
- Natural, since the implanted hair belongs to the same patient.
- Durable, as the follicles taken from areas derive from the action of DHT (dihydrotestosterone), the main responsible for the miniaturization of follicles in patients suffering from androgenetic alopecia.
- Gradual, since the regrowth of the implanted hair occurs in a constant and progressive manner following the normal and physiological processes of hair growth.
costs
The cost of a hair transplant depends on a number of factors, such as:
- The dimensions of the area to be thickened;
- The type of technique used;
- The total duration of the intervention;
- The eventual execution of a further thickening after some time from the first intervention.
Furthermore, the price of a hair transplant may also vary greatly depending on the surgeon performing the operation and depending on the structure within which it operates.
However, indicatively, the cost of a hair transplant in an area of medium extension can vary from around 3000 to around 5000 euros (for more information: How much does a hair transplant cost?).
In this regard, we recall once again the extreme importance of contacting medical professionals in the sector who work in highly qualified clinics. Being a real surgical intervention, in fact, you cannot afford to be flattered by those who offer excessively low prices, thus putting your health at risk.
To learn more, read: How much does a hair transplant cost?
Any complications
Thanks to modern implantation techniques, having a hair transplant is unlikely to lead to complications, as long as only professional doctors are contacted.
In fact, as reiterated several times during the article, a hair transplant is not a common aesthetic treatment, but a real surgical intervention that - as such - must be performed by specialized surgeons.
If performed by inexperienced hands or with inadequate techniques, hair transplantation can lead to a series of serious complications. These include the appearance of scars and damage to the donor area due to excessive follicle withdrawal. The damage that can result from poorly executed hair transplants, unfortunately - often and willingly - makes subsequent corrective treatments impossible, thus leading to an irreversible aesthetic (and not only) damage.
