Tuesday 16 September 2008

Hair Restoration Surgery

A surgical operation that involves taking hair from the back of the head and shifting it to the bald area is called hair restoration surgery. The hair situated on the back and sides on a balding scalp is known as the donor dominant hair. This is the hair that will continue growing throughout a lifetime for most individuals, especially men. As the donor dominant hair is transplanted to a bald area, its ability to attain that ability to grow remains. This is said to be the key concept in hair restoration surgery.

Over the past decades, hair restoration has improved, from the days of the “plugs and corn rows” through the discovery of the singe, micro, and mini-grafting methods. Today, modern instrumentation and procedures applied by accomplished hair transplant surgeons allow transfer of larger number of grafts at the same time reducing the number of procedures needed to complete the result. As an outcome, these technique advancements improve hair aesthetics of an individual. Moreover, hair restoration procedures become a relaxing experience for hair loss patients. Some find hair restoration surgery comfortable and pleasant.
Terminologies and techniques may vary for various hair restoration surgeons. Nevertheless, the difference and the combination of these grafting techniques provide hair loss patients the most natural and effective surgical treatment.

In a hair restoration surgery, variable sizes of grafts from a donor site of a patient are transplanted to another area of the head. For instance, single hair grafts do not provide much density but have the finest and softest appearance that is critical to producing a soft hairline that transitions to thicker hair. This aspect alone implies the need for an expert advice. Before going through a hair restoration surgery, it is imperative to do considerable planning.

Observing the hair line of a non balding individual, the presence of numerous single hairs can be seen. In the process of restoring hair, small grafts containing 2-3 hairs or micrografts, are placed behind the hairline to provide a gradually increasing hair density. On the other hand, some instances require minigrafts (small grafts containing 4 or more hairs) to be set well behind the hairline. This way the single hair and micrografts blend naturally into the density provided by these larger grafts.
It is most common for post-operative patients to experience side effects after a hair restoration surgery. These effects are relatively minor and consist of mild pain and discomfort such as swelling and formation of scabs over the grafts. Approximately these effects may take one week to resolve. Bleeding, scarring, and infection may be serious problems that occur rarely.

Although, hair restoration is an appealing solution to those who experience hair loss or baldness, keep in mind, that it is part of life. Studies show that baldness or hair loss may develop due to change in hormones and the aging process.

1 comment:

Matt Powell said...

Important step in hair restoration surgery must be precise in order to gain the best yield from your donor area. These precious grafts are placed in a cold, tissue storage and kept as such until they are meticulously placed in the recipient sites.