Laser Hair Therapy

How does A FUE Hair transplantation work?

A hair transplant works by transplanting healthy hairs into areas of hair loss. Since the hairs are your own, your body will re-incorporate them easily.

We know that a hair transplant treatment is a big deal for many people, with the ability to improve your appearance and self-confidence by replacing hair in balding or thinning regions. With so many alternatives, we decided it would be ideal to create together a comprehensive guide that would address the issue of how a hair transplant works.

What Is A Hair Transplant?

A hair transplant is a procedure that involves transplanting healthy hair follicles from one portion of the scalp to another, generally the back or sides of the head. A technique is used to treat hair loss caused by genetic or hormonal factors and hair loss caused by an accident or an uncommon ailment. Many men discover that having their hair transplanted may help them regain a more youthful appearance, enhancing their self-esteem and overall well-being. A hair transplant in Chicago should only be done by a professional and competent surgeon. A local anesthetic will typically be administered before the commencement of the treatment to ensure that you do not experience any pain throughout the process.

How Does Hair Transplant Work?

FUE and FUT are the two most used hair transplant methods.

 

  • FUE hair transplantation involves using small punch incisions to remove hair follicles from donor areas on the back and sides of the head, then place them into small holes in the recipient area.
  • FUT hair transplant entails removing a strip of scalp from the back of the head, stitching the area, separating the retrieved strip into tiny hair strands, and implanting them into the recipient region.

Is a Hair Transplant Painful?

Many people who undergo hair replacement in Chicago report that they don’t feel anything throughout the process. A patient will not experience any discomfort after being injected with a local anesthetic on the scalp.

You should not have any severe discomfort during your rehabilitation. Take as much time as you need to relax (typically 1-2 days), and make sure you follow your aftercare and recovery guidelines. Any discomfort should be controlled with tylenol during the patient’s recovery. Antibiotics will help prevent infection, and if you experience postoperative edema, you will be given medicine to treat it.

Who Is A Good Candidate For A Hair Transplant?

In general, candidates for hair restoration in Chicago should be in good health and have healthy hair follicles that will remain healthy once the procedure is completed. The procedure is for males with male pattern baldness who have had their hair loss stabilized by drugs or natural aging. Both men and women who have lost their hair due to burns, trauma, or other unusual illnesses may benefit from a hair transplant. For hair transplant success, it is recommended that males wait until they are 30 years old and above, as hair loss begins to slow down.

How Many Grafts Are Required?

The number of grafts necessary will depend on the severity of the balding. In a hair transplant operation, grafts are strips of skin with healthy hair follicles that are removed and transplanted to a bald region on the scalp. Hair grafts are obtained as individual follicles from the donor region of the scalp when the FUE procedure is adopted; this implies hundreds and thousands of small punch incisions will be required to extract individual follicular transplants. These small individual grafts are then placed into tiny holes formed in the recipient location. The FUT procedure involves removing a large number of hair grafts from the donor region, which is generally located at the back of the head, in a single strip. A surgical instrument is used to split the strip into individual grafts once it has been removed. The recipient location can then be implanted with these hair transplants.

How Much Do Hair Transplants Cost?

The cost of a hair transplant varies depending on several criteria, including the amount of your hair loss, your age, hair color, hair type, and gender. A hair transplant for hair loss can cost anything between $6,000 and $100,000, depending on the number of grafts you need, the technology used, and the experience of your transplant team.

Recovery and Postoperative Care

Hair grafts must be properly cared for after a hair transplant for them to become secure and the follicles to develop healthily. To minimize scarring, you should avoid exercising for the first several weeks after the surgery.

A bandage is normally worn for 24 hours, and it’s recommended that you don’t wash your hair until day 5, when you may gently lather with shampoo.  If non-dissolvable sutures were used during a FUT hair transplant, they are usually taken out after two weeks.

Here are a few tips to avoid after a hair transplant

  • Avoid rubbing your hair after washing; allow it to air dry
  • Avoid scratching your scalp
  • Do not engage in any strenuous physical activity for 14 days after the treatment.

What Are The Side Effects?

A hair transplant has numerous typical adverse effects, although you may not experience all of them. Swelling is common following a hair transplant treatment, and it usually happens in the forehead. It normally only lasts a couple of days. Some oozing at the extraction (donor) site may occur in the hours after an FUE hair transplant, but it will stop once scabs form.

A cotton bud can be gently used to absorb any blood. Another typical side effect following a hair transplant is itching. This is a normal reaction to healing and indicates that the healing process has begun. You should resist scratching your scalp, even if you feel the urge to do so.

Hair Transplant Scars

Scarring is present in both FUE and FUT hair transplants although the degree may differ. These scars, however, may not be noticeable to the human eye in both procedures.

An FUE hair transplant is considerably less likely to leave visible scars than a FUT hair transplant because of the process of the surgery. Because hair transplants are obtained as individual hair follicles rather than a wide strip, the donor region will have little scars less than a millimeter in diameter. The tiny scars will become undetectable when your hair grows past a #1 guard. This method is appropriate for people who want to style their hair in shorter and longer hairstyles in the future.

In the FUT procedure, hair grafts are extracted from the donor location as a strip of the scalp, which is then divided into smaller portions for implantation. Due to the larger amount of tissue removed during the extraction, this procedure might result in a visible linear scar towards the back of the scalp. Longer hairstyles will be necessary later to hide the scar after FUT surgery.

Is Hair Transplant Permanent?

A hair transplant’s results, which are normally visible within a year, can last a lifetime for many people. You may expect the results to last for at least 15-20 years. People using medications to prevent hair loss can experience a more lasting result. If you do not use medications to prevent more hair loss, your hair transplant result may no longer be suitable when additional hair loss has happened. A second or third hair transplant may be necessary for circumstances where hair has receded behind the transplanted hairs.

Schedule Your Consultation

For more information about our hair transplant procedure, get in touch with us today at our practice. You can schedule an appointment with Dr. Vinay Rawlani, our hair loss specialist. Our experts will be happy to meet with you and enlighten you about how hair transplant really works. With us, you will get excellent and compassionate hair restoration services.