Hair loss can be a stressful experience, and this stress can, in turn, lead to additional hair loss. While the physical loss of hair is unnerving, there are several steps you can take to minimize the effects. The first course of action is to determine what is causing the hair loss. If the problem is genetic or due to male pattern baldness, there are a few options to reverse this loss and regrow hair.
The most effective ways to combat hair loss include a hair transplant or a series of PRP injections. Platelet-rich plasma and other non-invasive hair restoration methods are an excellent way for those who don’t want to undergo surgery to achieve a fuller head of hair. Surgical options include hair transplants. Surgeons perform these procedures if there is a larger balding area or if it can accomplish the best results for the patient.
Hair Transplant Methods: FUT & FUE
The surgeon will assess each patient and choose the hair restoration method that suits the patient’s needs. There are two types of hair transplants for patients to consider.
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) uses a strip of the scalp to remove hair follicles from the donor area. The surgical team will divide this strip into smaller sections, or grafts, which they will then implant into parts of the scalp with thinning hair. Surgeons often recommend FUT for patients with larger balding areas. This method produces more grafts, usually between 3,000 to 3,500. An additional benefit of this technique is that patients aren’t required to shave their heads. Scarring is possible after FUT, although hair will usually hide this scar. Patients may experience scalp itching or tightness after the procedure.
Follicular unit extraction (FUE) creates grafts through the punch method. This technique allows the surgical team to separate the follicles from the donor site and then transplant them into the areas that require new hair growth. FUE is less invasive and won’t produce the same level of scarring possible with follicular unit transplantation. The smaller incisions this method uses require less recovery time. The follicles may receive damage when the surgical team individually extracts them. Fewer extracted follicles make this technique less productive for patients with larger balding areas.
Does Hair Grow Back After A Hair Transplant?
Once the surgeon removes a hair follicle from the donor area, no hair will grow from this exact location. However, surgeons take hair follicles from places with a thick hair supply so there is always plentiful growth in the donor area. Follicles come from multiple locations, meaning transplanting hair won’t create thinning at the donor site.
Schedule a Consultation
Experiencing hair loss can be stressful for patients. A surgeon skilled in hair restoration can help alleviate some of that stress. The surgeon will present patients with the facts about each hair transplant technique and recommend the one they feel would suit the patient’s needs. Since the surgeon removes hair follicles and not just hair from the donor site, hair will not grow back where a follicle used to be. Experienced surgeons will remove follicles in a pattern that will not leave the donor area with thin hair.
Dr. Sumeet Jindal is highly skilled in surgical and non-surgical hair restoration. Call the Jindal Institute for Youthful Aging at (919) 929-6006 to schedule a consultation today.
