How Does a Hair Transplant Work?

You’ve probably heard of various organ transplants: kidney transplant, heart transplant, and liver transplant. But did you know that you can transplant hair, too? 

Losing hair can be distressing whether you’re a man or a woman. It can affect your confidence and self-esteem. Fortunately, technological advancements in medicine paved the way for innovative solutions, such as hair transplants. In most cases, your doctor will only recommend a hair transplant if none of the prescribed hair loss treatments work. 

How Does Hair Transplant Work?

There are several types of hair transplant surgeries. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common is called grafting. 

Grafting is the process of getting hair from a donor area in the scalp and transplanting it to the recipient area. It involves getting a piece of skin, called a graft, from the part of the scalp with healthy hair. The doctor then separates the hair-bearing graft into smaller pieces and transfers them to the balding or thinning area. As for the area where they harvested the graft, they will stitch it close, often resulting in a linear scar. Grafting may take hours to complete. In many cases, patients are awake, but they receive medicines to numb the scalp. 

Nowadays, it’s also possible to harvest individual follicular grafts instead of the hair-bearing skin. In this process called follicular unit extraction, the scar will be smaller, often looking like a dot. 

The Other Types of Hair Transplant Surgeries

Besides grafting, there are three other types of hair transplants:

Scalp Reduction 

Scalp reduction involves removing the bald or thinning portion of the scalp and stretching the adjacent hair-bearing scalp toward the area. Like grafting, you may also receive a numbing medicine for scalp reduction. 

Flap Surgery

Flap surgery involves shifting a flap of hair-bearing skin from one part of the scalp to another. If the doctor recommends flap surgery for you, know that it happens in several weeks. It also requires general anesthesia. 

Tissue Expansion

What happens here is the surgeon inserts the balloon-like device in the hair-bearing part of the scalp. For weeks, the surgeon inflates the device to stretch the skin. In the second procedure, the stretched skin will be used to cover the bald area. Like flap surgery, tissue expansion requires general anesthesia. 

Aftercare

Following all of your surgeon’s aftercare instructions is crucial to avoid complications. In general, refrain from strenuous activities that may increase your blood pressure. An increased blood pressure can make your wounds bleed. 

Besides bleeding, you must also watch out for unusual signs and severe pain. If any of these occur, get in touch with your doctor immediately. 

Are You Interested in Hair Transplant Surgeries?

Are you interested in hair transplants? Consult with the experts at Pacific Lipo at our office in San Diego, Beverly Hills, or Newport Beach, California. Call (858) 427-8899, (424) 421-2250, or (888) 575-8898 to schedule an appointment today.