Hair transplantation is the most realistic and long-lasting method of giving patients with hair thinning extra hair. Hair transplantation is a procedure in which the patient’s own healthy hair is transplanted into regions of baldness. The location where the hairs are collected is one that is free of loss of hair. Hair transplants allow patients to reclaim their own hair forever, as if they had never lost it before. The goal of hair transplants is to offer the person a normal hair look while using advanced medical technologies in a safe approach.
Those who plan to have a hair transplantation process are curious about what is waiting for them.
Generally, hair transplantation entails extracting small punch transplants from the hair-bearing head or slicing a bigger section of the donor skin into small chunks for use as transplants. These implants are then transferred to a hairless or thinning scalp location. The grafts created in this manner come in a variety of dimensions and forms. Around 10-15 hairs are frequently present in round-shaped punch grafts. The micro-graft comprises one to two hairs, whereas the mini-graft has two to four hairs. Strip grafts comprise four to ten hairs each and are put into slits formed in the head; strip grafts are lengthy and thinner, and include 30-40 hairs.
The “donor site” will be cut short just before operation so that the patches may be readily retrieved and extracted. Punch grafts are performed with a unique tube-like tool composed of sharp carbon steel that knocks the spherical graft out of the donor area and replaces it in the zone to be addressed, which is usually the frontal hairline. Your surgeon will cut small parts of the hair-bearing scalp with a knife for other sorts of grafts, which will be separated into smaller chunks and implanted into small openings or fissures within the head. To ensure constant skin integrity after grafts, your surgeon may administer tiny volumes of saline solution into the head on a regular basis.
What are the stages of a hair transplant?
Hair transplantation techniques all follow the same general concept. These are the core principles:
- Hair follicle extraction
- Making the cuts
- Hair follicle transplantation
- Hair follicle extraction
This is a FUE characteristic that enables for the collection of hair follicles with an incredibly great stylistic rate of success. The hair follicles are extracted individually utilizing fine tips in the FUE procedure. The follicles can then be extracted with the least amount of deformation possible.
Based on the length of every follicular unit, needles with a width of 0,7mm to 0,9mm will be used, or needles with a width of 1,0 mm will be used if the follicular unit grafts comprise 3-4-5 hairs. The fineness of the needle, as well as the fact that they are used just once per patient, are important factors in the effectiveness of the operation. Other crucial consideration is extracting hair follicles with extreme precision to prevent follicular injury.
- Making the cuts
Steel blades are used to create receiver spots within the transplant region in the traditional FUE procedure. Today, sapphire blades are being used, which are significantly sharper and thinner. The use of sapphire blades enables determining the proper inclination and position of implantation simpler. When cutting holes in the target zone, it’s critical to pay attention to the position and inclination of the hair strands. Whenever sapphire blades are utilized, the recovery duration is greatly decreased. Only a differing few blade points will be required for each patient, depending on hair follicle density. The blades will only be employed on a particular person throughout a particular operation, to mention again.
- Hair follicle transplantation
The third procedure, which is hair follicle transplantation, entails transferring each follicle one by one time at an inclination of 40-45 degrees, with holes made in angles that allow for precise implantation.
Each of the three stages has its own set of details, with expertise being the most crucial of them all.
Besides these basic stages, a hair transplantation process can be explained in more details. Typically, below are the steps to be followed in a hair transplant journey:
Step 1: The first step is guidance. Your surgeon will assess your hair development and thinning during your first appointment, as well as your family background of baldness and whether you’ve undergone any prior hair transplantation operation. Your doctor will also make some talk regarding your habits and talk with you about your surgical goals and aspirations. During this step, the surgeon establishes the hairstyle pattern and prepares the patient’s surgical procedure.
Step 2: The second step is the time to prepare. During the time of the surgery, this encompasses the steps of sanitation and anesthesia in the patient’s operative location. Despite the fact that hair transplants require minimal intervention, numbing the head is required because such a large region can be worked on. The goal of anesthesia for hair transplants is to make the surgery as painless as feasible.
Many people are apprehensive that they will feel soreness during the procedure. You can rest confident, nevertheless, that the experts will do all possible to make your visit to the facility as pleasant as possible.
Step 3: The third step is removal. This is the procedure of collecting hair grafts from a patient’s donating zone on the scalp. In FUE, the surgeon will pluck follicles from the source area with a small punching device. While there will still be minimal scars after this operation, it will be less apparent, and sutures are not normally required. In FUT, a piece of tissue is taken from the scalp. That is, a slice of skin will be removed from the donor site and sutures will be used to seal the opening. They will next split the donor tissue into microscopic follicular units containing one or more hair follicles and inject these units into the appropriate location using microscopes.
Step 4: The fourth step is creating channels. This is the procedure of identifying the hair transplant border and creating holes in the spots that are appropriate for the biological hair growth pattern. The surgeon uses a blade or needles to cut small holes in the part of your head that will receive the hair transplantation.
Step 5: The fifth step is the transplantation itself. This is the procedure of putting implants at receiver locations at an inclination to the pattern of hair growth. The amount and sort of grafts you receive are determined by your type of hair, condition, pigment, and the thickness of the location where the transplant is being performed. The surgeon rinses and desensitizes the spot where the hairs will attach, and after cutting holes or slices with a scalpel or needle, he or she carefully implants each transplant in one of the openings after preparing the grafts.
Step 6: The sixth step includes some postoperative tasks. This stage includes wound-dressing for the grafted site as well as PRP Treatment to hasten the recovery of the surgical area.
Step 7: The last step involves hair cleaning and after care. This is usually a detailed rinsing regimen. Throughout this time, both the source and the implanted areas will be delicate, thus the cleaning routine must be done with caution. Itchiness and discomfort in the donor site are common in the first few days, and they can be relieved with a normal saline treatment. Additionally, a sterile lotion or aloe vera gels can be applied to the donor site.
Starting the fourth day following a hair transplantation, it is advisable to rinse the scalp with cool water. The easiest approach to do this is with light fingertips and gentle wiping with paper towels, rather than scratching. The first 15 days after hair transplants are the most difficult, as the area becomes pinker and you may have stinging and swelling. For the first week, tiny slices form and begin to fall spontaneously.
The follicles are separated from the implanted hair in between the third week and the two-month mark. Don’t worry, the whole hair will regrow without coming off. Also, It is only recommended to dry with a towel after the first month. After first month and continues when the person is able to shower or immerse himself or herself in a pool or swimming. The new hair begins to grow after the third month. Fresh hair regeneration develops around the sixth month, with healthier and lengthier hair.
One year following the procedure, the outcome is evident in most instances, with a fully genuine appearance that makes it impossible to tell the difference between hair from a transplanted follicle and hair from a non-implanted follicle.
All in all, a hair transplantation operation, regardless of the technique used, such as FUE or FUT, involves various steps that are equally important. Remember that just as the surgeon must be careful during the steps of the operation, you must be careful and competent in the post-operative care.
How long does it take for a hair transplant to look normal?
After hair transplant, the processes of flushing and crust, shell loss and shock loss occur. These processes are completely normal. All of the planted hair follicles comes out and your hair will look normal after 1 year.