A hair transplant is a way of redistributing hair by taking hair follicles from a donor area, like the back of the head, and transfer them to thin or balding areas.
The two most common hair transplant procedures are FUE, Follicular Unit Extraction and STRIP which is the Standard Strip Procedure.
FUE is considered a safe and gentle hair transplant technique, which makes it possible to transplant individual follicular unit grafts without removing any skin from the scalp.
The STRIP method involves surgically removing a strip of scalp from the bald area of the patient. The area is then sutured together. These sutures are then removed about ten days after surgery. This method could result in loss of feeling in the operated area. Risk of scarring occurs, even if hair growth covers it to some extent.
With STRIP, the client should avoid exercise for at least 30 days after surgery. With FUE, the client can usually exercise as soon as they wish.
No visible scar is formed after an FUE transplant. With STRIP, there will be a scar line. After a STRIP-surgery skin needs to heal for about 12 months. With an FUE the skin heals much faster and a new transplant, if needed, can be done within days after the previous one.
A FUE is usually not painful as local anesthesia is given throughout the treatment. The patient may receive pain medication afterwards; however, it is rarely necessary. While STRIP requires general anesthesia, FUE is a minimal intervention that requires only local anesthesia. Clients feel good afterwards and have no need to stay overnight. Scarring is rare as FUE is a scalpel – and stitch free method unlike STRIP.
The cost of both FUE and STRIP depends on the type of treatment performed and the size of the area concerned, though the STRIP is less expensive.
A successful hair transplant looks completely natural and the new hair is strong and healthy and continues to grow. If you see a hair transplant that does not look natural, it is simply a poorly performed treatment. A good hair transplant should be impossible to detect. With current microsurgical technologies, hair transplants provide a very natural look.
Though complications are rare it is possible to get an infection after a hair transplant, in that case antibiotics may be prescribed by your physician. It is important to cause minimal trauma to the skin while achieving a natural looking hair line when undergoing a hair transplant.
Hair transplants are a popular and satisfactory method since most clients will be able to keep their “new” hair for life. But be sure to consult a professional clinic with a good reputation when considering a hair transplant of any kind.
Photo via Robertbernsteinmd
