Hair Transplant — Hair transplant 101

Caring for a Hair Transplant

Posted on June 24, 2010

A hair transplant is a surgery, and as such there are certain steps that need to be taken in caring for a hair transplant. There are many things that can go wrong after a hair transplant surgery, ranging from the transplanted hair follicles dying to infections where the grafts have been placed. Knowing how to care for a hair transplant helps to reduce the risk of any of these problems and keep your new hair looking great.

After having a hair transplant surgery, your surgeon will most likely provide you with some antibiotics. These are to help prevent infections in the surgical area. Infections anywhere on the head are complicated because of their proximity to the brain, so it is very important to remember to take the proper doses of antibiotics to ward off potential infections.

Many people are tempted to go right home and wash off their new hair, hoping to get germs out and make the new hair look great. This would be a big mistake for someone who has just had a hair transplant. Showering can damage the newly transplanted hair follicles and even cause them to fall out. It is best to wash your face in the sink, being careful to avoid touching your new hair. When showering, try to keep your entire head away from the water, only washing off the rest of your body. Shower caps are not a proper solution, as the water will still cause pressure on the hair follicles and can damage them.

Similarly, hats should not be worn until the surgical area has healed. Many people are tempted to wear hats immediately after a hair transplant surgery since the surgical area can be inflamed. Hats can rub against the hair and cause a great amount of damage. Some people are tempted to wear hats because their surgeons tell them to avoid direct sunlight on the surgical area. The best way to do this without wearing a hat is to stay inside for as long as you can. The surgical area will be particularly sensitive to sunlight, so it is important to keep your head cool without wearing a hat.

The last step in caring for a hair transplant is sleeping in the proper position. This is one of the most difficult steps for many people, as finding a position that is both comfortable and protects the hair is hard to find. You cannot sleep with your hair directly on a pillow because, as stated before, contact with the new hair can cause damage. This means the best sleeping position while waiting for a hair transplant to heal is a sitting position. A pillow can be placed at the base of the neck to provide support without damaging hair. If you follow all of these steps on the care for a hair transplant, you should have no problems throughout the healing process.

Hair Transplants for Women

Posted on June 18, 2010

When the words “hair transplant” are mentioned, a man getting this procedure done often comes to mind. Though men struggle more often with hair loss than women, it is more common than one may think for a woman to have these same struggles. More than 5,000 women in 2008 alone opted for hair transplants. But how do you know if a hair transplant is right for you?

Women are not as good of candidates as men tend to be. If you have anemia or other problems that may affect the health of your scalp, a hair transplant cannot be performed until the problem is fixed. Also, women tend to have finer hair. A thicker hair follicle makes a woman a better candidate. Areas of the head need to be good donators of healthy hair, so if a woman’s whole head of hair is fine, there might be problems.

One way that hair transplants can benefit women is the cost. Surgeries are priced per follicular unit, which contains anywhere from one to five hairs, or per graft. Since women tend to have smaller bald spots (or simply thinning spots), this will decrease the overall cost of the procedure; less grafts of healthy hair are required. On average, surgeries for women will cost anywhere from $3500-$7000, depending on exact price per follicular unit and size of the problem area.

If you do not think you will make a good candidate for a hair transplant, or if you simply can’t afford it, what else can women do?

Women are lucky because they have many different styling options. Talk to your hair stylist about a new style or color that may help to conceal thinning spots of hair. In more extreme cases, wigs or hair pieces can be purchased. Over the counter creams may work for you as well.

If you decide that a hair transplant is worth the money, make sure to find the perfect doctor for you. Look for doctors who specialize in hair transplants. Ask to see photos of past hair transplants the doctor has performed, and ask any and all questions you would like answered. If he doctor is credible, they will not mind any of this. Hair transplant procedures have become fairly common, but you don’t want to mess around with your scalp!

Hair Transplants and Society

Posted on June 16, 2010

Societal pressures to look certain ways are all around us. We are told to be thinner, have bigger breasts, get a smaller nose, and be tan. In 2009 alone there were over 10 million plastic surgery procedures done. Though most people think of these societal pressures as affecting women, men face pressures as well. While countless female celebrities have gotten countless plastic surgery procedures done, male celebrities such as Jon Gosselin can be seen getting hair transplant procedures.


A man with a thick head of hair in society is thought to have positive traits, such as being more accomplished, likable, healthy and attractive. Those who are balding may be viewed as unattractive and older. Bad personality traits may even be associated with baldness, such as what some people may associate when simply viewing an overweight woman.

Men are giving into these societal pressures. Over half of hair transplant procedures are done in the United States. There has been a large increase in the number of hair transplants performed worldwide as well. In 2009 alone, over 17,000 hair transplant procedures were performed in 2009, a large chunk of these patients being men.


Some patients have stated reasons for getting the surgery as becoming a grandparent or their child was graduating from school. These are signs of aging, and society clearly does not value age. We are supposed to stay as young as possible. We are not made to feel free to let nature take its course.

Many people may think they are left with no choice but to adhere to societal standards. Men may suffer in job interviews or not get promoted above that guy with luscious locks. They may be striking out in the dating department, or compare themselves to other men. Though women are most viewed as being under pressure by society, baldness can bring stigma to men as well.


If a hair transplant would make you feel better about yourself, by all means look into it. Low self esteem can become a large problem and consume one’s life, and hair transplant procedures can drastically boost confidence. The procedures nowadays are generally safe and minimally invasive. But maybe what should be looked into is our society as a whole and what is valued.

Hair Transplants for Men

Posted on June 14, 2010

Baldness in men has been a common problem for years. There are many myths surrounding male pattern baldness. It is not caused by wearing too tight of hats, but a genetic trait that is inherited. The chemical DHT causes hair follicles in predisposed areas to grow finer, weaker and eventually die. So what can men do if rocking a shaved head or constantly wearing a hat does not sound appealing? Hair transplant surgeries have become very popular and common among males of all ages. The recovery time is not bad compared to many other procedures. There may be some soreness or a numb feeling on the scalp for just a few days after.

Though the recovery time is light, results will take longer. On average it will take three to five months after the hair transplant for hair follicles to begin growing. Once the hair follicles begin growing, you will have this hair forever. Even in spots on the head where baldness used to occur, this will no longer happen. How does this work? Hair “donations” from spots on your neck or back of the head with thick, healthy hair will be grafted and placed on the weaker areas of the head where follicles have lost their ability to grow. These follicles are clearly healthy and are bald resistant. Luckily for most men, baldness occurs on the top of the head and along the hairline, leaving good grafting areas available.

The downside for men considering hair transplants may very well be the price of the procedure. Pricing is done per graft, running on average three to six dollars per graft. Men that have entire areas of their scalps without any hair, such as the entire top of the head, will require many more grafts. Depending on the area needing to be covered, the cost can range from $3500 to well over $10,000.

Since this procedure can be pricey, considering all options is a wise choice. Trying over the counter creams or talking to your doctor about other alternatives may be wise steps. However, if this has been an ongoing issue, talk to a specialist about scheduling a consultation. Since it is your own natural hair and the procedure only needs to happen once, it could be the best money you’ve ever spent.

Thinking about a Hair Transplant?

Posted on May 28, 2010

If you are considering getting a hair transplant, there are many factors to weigh and short and long term factors to consider before taking the leap. I remember my dad telling me that Robin Williams had hair transplanted from his head to his chest to make it more hairy back in the funky disco ’70s when we were watching an episode of Mork and Mindy.  Looking back I imagine he was being facetious because Williams had such a hairy chest – or at least i think he was kidding. Just like television and fashion, hair transplanting processes have moved into the future with great verve in recent years. So if you have been considering getting a hair transplant, now may be your time to pull the trigger.
If you are serious about getting a hair transplant, talk to your family, talk to your friends, read up about it and do research as much as you can in magazines, on the web, at your local library and in your community. Take your time and really mull it over. Call Bosley and Hair Club for men and request their brochures to see what they have to offer as far as time, money, techniques and possible short and long term negative side effects. Having any doctor cut into you with a knife is not a decision to be taken lightly, so take your time, and do not succumb to the pressure to rush into it by any sales people you may encounter. Technology is only going to get better, so if you do wait awhile longer, you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Cost is just one factor to consider when really mulling this over. You really need to consider your own reasons for going through with a hair transplant and will those priorities still be priorities in five or 10 years, or are they just passing fancies? You want to be sure before you take the leap of faith and decide to go ahead with this as it is a decision that will affect the rest of your life.

Choosing Where to Get a Hair Transplant

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Selecting the source or provider of your hair transplant surgeries is a decision not to be taken lightly. Depending on what part of your body and how big of area you are trying to fill in, these people will be carving into your scalp for at least several months and up to a few years to get the complete hair transplant job done. You are going to know the doctor intimately by the end of the process and know exactly how good they are by the time it is all done. So doesn’t it make sense to learn more about all of the surgeons available to you before you commit to going with one surgeon or another?
You don’t necessarily have to work with  a major corporation to get a hair transplant. Bosley, Hair Club for Men and others may seem to have the commercial side of the market on lock down, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ones in the game, despite what they may want you to think. Bosley and Hair Club work with doctors sometimes with exclusive arrangements, but more often than not, that is not the case. You can often get the same surgeon to handle your hair transplant by contacting the doctor themselves directly. Even if not, there are more than a few quality hair transplant surgical specialists in most major cities that are not affiliated with a big company and just work independently. This can mean better service, shorter wait list time to get started, better quality and overall a stronger personal relationship with the doctor themselves as you get to know them over time.
A hair transplant is permanent and as such is not a decision to barrel willy nilly into unawares. Meet with potential doctors both from the major companies and the independent ones and ask them questions. Make a list of questions before you go in so you are prepared and are sure to come out with all the information you desire. And if you think of more questions while you are in the meeting, write those down as well so you are sure to remember to ask them of the next doctor and/or company you meet with. You want to weigh all of your options before you decide. The major companies have their pluses – such as warranties – offices nationwide if you need adjustments, treatment or service on the road, but they can leave you feeling like a number as they whisk you through the process like cattle going to slaughter. For them it’s a volume game, whereas for an independent doctor, caring for their patient may be more their focus and concern.

Hair Transplant Techniques

Posted on May 26, 2010

Hair transplant techniques have evolved leaps and bounds over the past 50-60 years. That is especially apparent in the past 20 years as technology, computers and overall general surgical knowledge and techniques seem to be moving forward almost faster than most normal humans can even comprehend. And with the internet, new developments in research can be shared more quickly across the globe, whereas in the past, a hair transplant innovator would have to wait until a major conference or their turn to publish in a magazine to let the rest of the hair transplant community know about their findings. With this new more microwave ready instant world we live in, it is a great time to be considering being a hair transplant patient.

The current techniques are eons ahead of what doctors were doing when they first experimented with hair transplants in the 1950s and 60s. Can you imagine being a guinea pig for a doctor trying to innovate hair transplant techniques back then?  Ouch!  I imagine a doctor with a big thick metal needle and a kitchen knife cutting off pieces of a guy’s head and trying to sew or glue them back in place on different parts of the head. It may not have been that bad, but you get the idea – we are lucky to be alive when we are and have the benefit of living in what may be the golden age of hair transplant techniques.
Contrary to popular belief, a hair transplant does not necessarily mean having too tolerate excessive amounts of pain. With today’s techniques and the vast array of strong and mild pain medications and topical ointments and the like available to both doctors and patients over the counter, managing pain has gotten a lot easier for all involved. That doesn’t mean it is an entirely painless process, but it certainly isn’t any more painful than getting a cut stitched up, getting a needle in your arm or a visit to the dentist.

Back in the day, doctors would remove a lot more of the scalp than was needed to create a donor patch of hair. Now with lasers and other precision magnifiers and instruments used, they only have to take a thin layer of scalp and hair to make the process work. The hair follicles transplanted are specifically chosen from a part of your had that houses hair that is genetically resistant to thinning or balding. It is certainly most commonly used to fill in head hair, but also can be used at times to re-fill hair in the eyebrows, face, chest and other body parts as needed or desired.