Follicular Hair Transplantation
Follicular hair transplantation is a surgical procedure in which small plugs of hair-bearing skin containing 2 to 3 hair each are taken from the back or sides of the scalp and transferred to the bald area on the head. The area from which the grafts are taken (donor site) is first treated with a local anesthesia followed by removal of the desired number of hair grafts. The area that is to receive the grafts (recipient site) is similarly treated and the donor grafts are carefully placed into the prepared area in a pattern that matches the direction of the original hair. The transplants are spaced in such a way as to allow each to receive an adequate blood supply during the healing process. The procedure lasts for 2 to 3 hours depending upon the condition of the skin and extent of the area involved. One to three months later, the spaces between the new implants are filled in with new grafts. About six weeks after each transplant, the hair falls out. Approximately three months later, new hair appears and grows at a rate of one quarter to one-half inch a month.
What types of baldness can be helped by this procedure?
There are many causes for hair loss in men and women including high fever as a result of severe infection, thyroid disease, inadequate protein in the diet, certain medications, cancer treatments, childbirth, birth control pills and others. Many of these conditions are reversible and do not require hair transplantation. The most common type of baldness that is successfully treated with hair transplantation is male pattern baldness. This condition, inherited from either side of the family, starts when a person is in his or her teens, twenties or thirties. While women with this inherited tendency do not become bald, they can develop considerable thinning of the hair. Other types of baldness that respond to this procedure are those which have resulted from accidents, operations and inflammatory or infectious diseases of the scalp. Following the initial treatments, many patients who want to achieve greater density or refinement of the hairline will return for additional transplants.