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Q: How long does a hair transplant procedure take?
A: Approximately 5 hours. Q: Am I awake during the procedure?
A: Yes. A local anesthetic is used to numb the scalp. This way, you are able to read, listen to music, watch television or sleep. Q: Is a hair transplant painful?
A: There is minimal discomfort involved. It can be compared to a trip to the dentist. Q: Do the transplanted hairs grow?
A: Yes, they continue to grow as if they were still in the back of the scalp. Q: I was told the newly transplanted hairs would fall out. Is this true?
A: Yes, within 10 days to 2 weeks following the procedure, the newly transplanted hairs fall out. It is only the piece of hair though and the tissue with the growth information remains. Q: What do the new hairs look like?
A: They will look like your normal hair as they grow in. Q: How long are the transplanted hairs immediately after surgery?
A: They do not contribute any coverage immediately after the procedure. Q: Is there an immediate result from the transplant?
A: No. It takes approximately 6 months for the final result. Q: How long does it take for the "new" hairs to grow?
A: In approximately 6-8 weeks the new hair begins to grow, but the full result takes 6 months. Q: What do I look like after the surgery? Can I go to work the next day?
A: After surgery, we bandage the scalp with a gauze wrap and compression bandage for the first 24 hours. After the bandage is removed, the scalp will have some redness and scabbing on the areas where the grafts were transplanted. These should heal within 4-5 days.
Most patients who have a procedure on Thursday or Friday, return to work by Tuesday the following week. Q: What are some alternatives to hair transplantation?
A: There are several non-surgical hair replacement options. These include: hairpieces, cosmetics for the scalp, the topical solution minoxidil and Propecia, an oral medication for hair loss. Q: What causes hair loss?
A: It is caused by genetics attributed to the mother or father; and hormones, specifically testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Q: What are the most common complications from a hair transplant?
A: The side effect we see most, although not often is folliculitis. This occurs after a transplant begins to grow and presents itself as ingrown hairs. It is accompanied by redness and bumps that resemble pimples.
Occassionally we also get reports of nausea from pain medication and swelling around the forehead region. Q: How much does a transplant cost?
A: We price our procedures based on the number of grafts transplanted in a surgery. The amount varies from patient to patient depending on the specific characteristics of the individuals hair and amount of loss.
The most important thing about the price of a transplant is to remember the most expensive is not always the best and the cheapest is usually no deal. Research the physician and choose the most experienced surgeon with the most experienced staff. Q: I had a hair transplant 20 years ago. I have large grafts containing 8-12 hairs. Is there any way I can get a more natural appearance?
A: Dr. Stough devotes much of his practice to repairing older graft procedures. Many times the larger, "pluggy" grafts can be removed, dissected into single follicle grafts and re-transplanted for a more natural result. Q: If transplants are so natural looking now- why doesn't everyone losing hair get a transplant?
A: Many reasons. For one, the general population is largely unaware of the advancements in the field and do not realize the coverage and natural appearance possible.
Another reason is that many people are not great candidates for the procedure. This may be due to several factors, including extensive loss, not enough loss, and even unrealistic expectations. Q: What is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)?
A: Follicular Unit Extraction is a technique in which hair follicles are extracted from the donor area using a surgical instrument such as a biopsy "punch". These punches come in sizes ranging from to . The skin along with the hair follicle is removed with no staples or stitches closing the wound. It is a very tedious procedure that can take up to 4 hours to perform 300 FUE grafts. Q: What is a follicular unit?
A: A piece of tissue removed from the donor area containing one follicle of hair. Some follicles contain only one hair shaft while others may contain 2 or more. Q: Where are follicular units placed?
A: All follicular unit grafts containing one hair are placed in the frontal hairline, while grafts containing 2 or more hairs are transplanted into the mid-scalp. Q: Can I wear a hairpiece following a transplant to cover the area during healing?
A: The density of a hairpiece will always be greater than the density of a natural looking hair transplant. If a patient wants to stop wearing a hairpiece and transition into a hair transplant, it will not be a seamless transformation. We encourage our patients to discontinue wearing their hair piece prior to surgery. This way they can become more accepting of their hair loss and have realistic expectations of their final result.
We also discourage wearing a hair system following the procedure, because scalp infections as well as yeast can grow under the hair piece. Q: Why is hair volume so important?
A: Hair volume or the "body" your hair possesses is important because the greater the volume the more scalp coverage we can achieve. Someone with fine, limp hair will achieve a satisfactory result from a hair transplant. Someone with full large caliber curly hair will receive an excellent result. This can be compared to the ground coverage by an oak tree versus that of a pine tree. Q: Which hair restoration technique is best?
A: Today's technique is much different from transplant procedures of the past. Most physician's employ a similiar technique: a strip of tissue is removed, cut into follicular unit grafts or 1-3 hair grafts cut to size and transplanted into the area of loss. The most important aspect then becomes the surgeons philosophy on hair transplantation and the technicians training.
Trained technicians are invaluabe to the transplant surgery. Continued training and consistent work on restoration surgeries keep their skills honed.
A physician should always perform surgery expecting future hair loss. Your result should look natural and aesthetically pleasing 20 + years after the initial transplant. Always check the background, credentials and principles of the surgeon you choose. You both should agree on a plan, which you find mutually acceptable.
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