Hair transplantation is the most commonly performed cosmetic operation in the world.
The technique itself is fairly straightforward. But the deciding factor as to how natural the finished transplant looks is as dependant on the surgeon's artistic skills as his surgical abilities. The treatment is usually arranged through a private clinic, and after the initial consultation an appointment is made for the first series of grafts.
The patient is given a local anaesthetic, and possibly a sedative to thoroughly relax him. A small area of hair in the donor site is clipped short and a special surgical instrument is used to cut out a small plug of scalp containing around fifteen hairs. A similar sized plug of scalp is removed from the recipient site and is replaced with the donor plug.
The plug of hair taken from the recipient site is discarded and the wound at the donor site is surgically stitched. The surgeon will perform a number of these grafts each session, and a number of sessions will be required, depending on the degree of hair loss. Such sessions are performed every two to three months, giving each transplant time to settle down.
The standard graft as described is for the main area of hair loss, but smaller 'Micrografts' consisting of only two or three hairs per plug will be made along the hairline, which must be 'staggered' to provide a natural looking hairline.
Many poorly performed hair transplants fail cosmetically because the surgeon has simply transplanted a perfectly straight hairline similar to that seen on a child's doll, which looks extremely odd and unnatural.
Slightly coarser 'Minigrafts' of four or so hairs are placed behind the 'Micrografts', followed by the larger standard grafts. This gradual thickening of the hair from the hairline to the main body of hair offers a convincing natural effect.
The finer 'Minigraft' technique may also be used exclusively, to insert grafts between thinning areas of hair on patients that do not require more extensive transplantation.
There is little discomfort after the surgery, and a bandage may be worn on the head until the grafts have taken, usually within twenty four hours. After a week or so, the scab that has formed over the plugs will come away, and after a further week the transplanted hairs will shed, to be replaced by healthy new growth after approximately three months.
As you may expect, there are pro and cons to this form of treatment for hair loss. On the plus side, the technique will result in terminal hair growing quite naturally in the areas that you are currently thinning or bald. When performed by a talented and fully qualified surgeon, with sufficient 'artistic' sensitivity to arrange the transplant in a manner that looks entirely natural, the results can be excellent. This form of cosmetic surgery is popular, and has been performed for over thirty years, and a good many practitioners exist that can advise you as to the suitability of the treatment and describe the results that are likely to be achieved.
On the minus side, if you have a large area of hair loss there will simply not be sufficient donor hair to provide the required cover. The surgeon will need to leave enough hair in the donor sites to cover up the missing hair taken from the donor areas. In practice, about 30% of hair unaffected by Male
Pattern Baldness may be used as grafts. If you are an older man with advanced hair loss, you may be satisfied to attain a 'natural but thinning' appearance, which may be possible to achieve using Minigrafts exclusively. If you are a younger man with extensive hair loss and hope for a full head of hair, you may not achieve the results you anticipate. A good consultant will tell you honestly what can be accomplished, a less honest one may simply tell you what you want to hear. Even if the transplant is successful you may find that in time your original hair thins even further, and the results may be ultimately disappointing.
The worst possible scenario would be to have the operation performed by a less than competent surgeon. As with all types of cosmetic surgery, it is possible to end up looking worse after the treatment. If the hair is transplanted without taking into account the 'lay' or nap of the existing hair, and the natural irregularities and gradations of the hairline, the results can be truly horrendous. You should also realise that even with a competent practitioner infection can set in which may cause unsightly scars and blemishes, not to mention the potential risks to your health.
However, to put things into perspective, the operation is very commonly performed, and usually
successfully.
Men with advanced areas of baldness may be offered a different and more radical technique. The area effected by Male Pattern Baldness is reduced by removing a strip of skin from the bald pate and stretching the remaining skin together, and suturing the join. When the area is fully healed, normal transplantation techniques may be used to cover up the scar and further improve the cosmetic effect.
