Hair Transplant Surgery Before and After

Hair transplant surgery works by transplanting follicles from areas with thick hair growth to those where there is less hair density, using several techniques available from healthcare providers. Best way to find an Eyebrow transplant.

Your doctor will numb the area where surgery will occur before performing it.

Natural-Looking Results

Hair transplant procedures performed during the 70s and 80s left visible scars and sections of unnatural-appearing “hair plugs” in the scalp; today’s surgeons use advanced techniques to achieve more natural-looking results. One essential improvement is transplanting individual healthy hairs instead of large clumps – these individual hairs have baby-fine textures which gradually thicken over time to give the appearance that they’re growing naturally over time; creating a hairline and placing the hairs also aid this goal.

After your transplant surgery, it is crucial not to touch the new follicles. Your surgeon should provide you with a spray bottle and instruct you on how to apply it multiple times daily so as to prevent scabbing and keep follicles moist while healing occurs. Some individuals may experience shock loss in the area where their transplant was performed – this is normal and usually resolves itself within a short timeframe.

Most patients can anticipate seeing fully grown hair around nine to 12 months following hair restoration surgery, depending on individual cases. If you have questions about what you should expect post-surgery, consult your physician or visit websites that offer before-and-after photos to gain an idea of the results you can anticipate.

Short Recovery Time

Hair transplant surgery typically requires minimal downtime, and most of your everyday activities should resume soon afterward. However, rigorous exercise for several weeks post-procedure may cause your scalp to bleed, potentially opening healed follicles or incisions again.

Care should also be taken not to rub or scratch the area, as this could damage new grafts and hinder their growth process. When washing hair, make sure you use gentle water pressure – this ensures no force of the water directly hits transplanted organs. Rinsing should also be kept to a minimum.

Numbness and tingling around a hair transplant site may temporarily occur but should fade within months as nerve endings re-grow. Hair coloring or camouflage products should be used sparingly for four weeks after your hair transplant, as these can interfere with healing processes.

After your procedure, it’s recommended to wear a hat to protect your scalp from direct sunlight, which could otherwise harm delicate grafts that still need time to settle down and grow stronger. After two or three days have passed, typically, bandages will be removed, and growth should start showing in transplanted areas around three months post-procedure; total natural growth usually takes around ten months (but every patient’s journey differs).

Fewer Side Effects

As opposed to other cosmetic surgery procedures, hair transplants typically cause only minimal side effects. The main issue with transplanted follicles is adjusting to their new environment and losing some hair temporarily. After some months, this natural growth will resume naturally again.

Before conducting the procedure, your surgeon will clean your scalp and inject medicine to numb it before choosing between follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) or follicular unit extraction (FUE). With FUSS, they remove a 6- to 10-inch strip from behind your head that contains hair-bearing grafts before implanting them onto your scalp. With FUE, they use small circular punch incisions that heal quickly for extraction of follicles from your scalp using circular punch incisions that heal soon as FUE extraction techniques are utilized instead.

As soon as your surgery has concluded, your surgeon will provide you with a care kit and aftercare regimen, including an aftercare spray bottle of saline solution to use multiple times daily on the recipient area to speed healing and avoid scabbing. Please follow all instructions precisely, as any touching or scratching could lead to infection and dislodging of the grafts from their new locations on your scalp.

Some transplanted follicles will experience shock loss, and new hair should begin growing back within three or four months – in time, you won’t be able to distinguish between natural and transplanted locks.

Long-Term Results

Many transplant recipients experience continued natural hair growth after transplant surgery; some even find they experience thicker locks than before their transplant surgery. Unfortunately, hair loss and thinning may continue, meaning multiple transplant sessions may be required to achieve the desired results.

Your dermatologist will start your hair transplant procedure by extracting a strip of healthy scalp tissue ranging in length from six to ten inches, which may stretch from ear to ear. He or she then uses a scalpel to divide this strip into individual “grafts,” each containing single hair follicles. For micro-grafts (one to three hair follicles) groupings, binocular stereomicroscopes will help the surgeon avoid damaging any hair follicles during surgery.

Follicular grafts are then carefully implanted into tiny holes or slits in your scalp that have become bald due to hair loss. As white and light-colored hair can be harder to identify, white-haired grafts require special dyes such as Methylene Blue before surgical dissection can take place. Finally, trichophytic closure will be employed by your surgeon as an innovative method for site closure.

The procedure can last four to eight hours and requires general anesthesia or sedation, and recovery may last several days; physical activity should be limited, and your doctor will most likely ask that you shower gently to prevent scabs from forming. They may also give you a spray to use in your hair to promote healing and growth.