Hair transplant: Everything You Need To Know About Hair Transplant

If you are interested in a hair transplant, first of all, your expectations should be realistic. In recent years, hair restoration methods have been greatly improved, however, you are unlikely to get such a head of hair as in your youth.

The success of the operation largely depends on how much healthy hair you can use for transplantation, and how quickly your hair falls out.

How does a hair transplant take place?

For transplantation, the surgeon takes a small natural group of hair follicles of the patient and transplant them to the exposed area. Early methods involved the use of a flap that had at least 50 “donor” hair follicles, so when transplanted to the baldness zone, it looked like an unnatural tuft of hair.

New methods allow transplanting one follicle or a group of two, a maximum five follicles (grafts), which are implanted in the gaps between existing hair. The result often looks so natural that it is almost impossible to distinguish transplanted hair.

Do you need a hair transplant?

A hair transplant can help with male (female) baldness, as well as if you lost some of your hair as a result of an injury, burn, infection, or radiation therapy.

To get a good result, you should have enough healthy hair that you can use for transplantation. If they are not enough or the hair falls out quickly, transplantation is unlikely to be effective.

The best results are achieved if the area of ​​hair loss is clearly defined, and the hair on the temples and neck is quite thick. The presence of thin and thick hair also improves the result of the operation. On blond hair, the result often looks more natural than on dark hair.

How is the operation?

A hair transplant is usually performed by a plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or another surgeon who specializes in hair restoration. The procedure can take place in the doctor’s office under local anesthesia. What will the surgeon do:

First, he cuts thin strips of skin with healthy hair follicles.
Divide the strips into very small pieces (grafts) of various sizes.
Place the grafts into small incisions made in the area of hair loss or balding areas of the head. Hair can also be grafted onto other areas of the skin (for example, in a beard or eyebrows).
Sutures skin on donor sites. As a rule, only small scars remain, almost invisible under the hair.



The operation can last from one to several hours. If the site of baldness is large, several procedures may be required that will be carried out at intervals of several months. Sometimes, for best results, a combination of different hair restoration methods is used, including stretching the scalp or using tissue expanders.

As with any surgical operation, with transplantation of hair, there is a risk of complications - bleeding or infection - but it happens very rarely. A prolonged loss of sensitivity of the scalp is also possible, and some grafts may not take root in a new place.

What happens after surgery?

Healing after surgery occurs quite quickly. The bandage is removed after a day and within a few days, the swelling and swelling around the eyes go away. About a week after surgery, small but painful crusts may appear on the scalp. As a rule, you can return to your daily affairs immediately after the operation, and after two weeks, resume physical activity.

Do not be surprised if the transplanted hair falls out a few weeks after surgery. This is a normal and usually temporary occurrence. Hair will again begin to grow from transplanted follicles after 5-6 weeks, about a centimeter per month.

To slow down the loss of new hair and make them thicker, some patients use after surgery minoxidil (this cream is sold without a prescription) or Finasteride (pills, prescription). However, before using any of these drugs, you should consult your doctor.

About the Author:
Dr. Abrar Khan is a Hair Transplant Surgeon. He likes to write on topics related to hair care tips and facts. He is associated with Enhance Clinic, which is a renowned hair transplant clinic in Mumbai and hair transplant clinic in Delhi.