Can a Hair Transplant Cure Your Thinning Locks?

Hair loss is not only a physical problem, but also a psychological one. Thinning hair or bald spots can affect your self confidence and the image you portray to the world. When it comes to women, this condition can take longer to detect as hair fall is generally gradual.

If you suffer from bald spots or thinning hair, you may be considering a hair transplant. Thinning hair or bald spots can be triggered by a number of factors including stress, genetics, hormonal fluctuations, imbalanced diets etc. Thus, given that bald spots and thin hair are no longer only age related, there are a number of people opting for this type of surgery today. A hair transplant is a surgery that takes hair follicles from one part of the head and transplants it to another section.

This surgery can be slightly painful, but the finished result is well worth the tears. A hair transplant surgery can be performed in two ways; Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS) or Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Both these are usually performed under some form of anesthesia. The former involves the removal of a strip of skin from the back of your head and breaking it down into thousands of tiny grafts that each one of them has a few hair follicles on it. On the other hand, Follicular Unit Extraction involves plucking out individual hair follicles to prepare grafts. The back of the head is usually the most favoured spot to take hair follicles from as it has the densest hair growth. These are then inserted into the desired areas by making tiny slits in the scalp to fit them into. This process usually takes 4 to 8 hours.

Once the surgery is over your scalp will be bandaged. It is normal for the some of the transplanted hair to fall out a few weeks later. However, in the weeks to come you will notice denser hair growth. In some cases, you may require a hair growing drug to improve the speed, at which your hair grows back. You should also avoid swimming pools and hot tubs for a while and not allow yourself to stand under a high powered shower after such a surgery.

If the surgery is performed well and all you follow the doctor's care instructions, a hair transplant can conceal thinning locks. However, it does not stop your hair from falling out. In some cases, patients may require additional hair transplant surgeries.