Hair Surgery

 

Hair surgery restores appearance and confidence

More options than ever before are available for hair restoration for men suffering from male pattern baldness, or alopecia. In addition to new medications and hair replacements such as hairpieces, some men benefit from hair surgery to transplant growing follicles into bald areas.

In a majority of men, hair loss is caused by the condition known as androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness, which is inherited from one or both parents. The sooner the condition is treated, the more likely it is to be slowed or stopped. For many men, hair surgery is a promising option.

When considering a procedure, it's important to start by consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has been performing the procedure for many years. An experienced surgeon can answer any questions you may have regarding surgery.

Successful hair surgery will use existing hair transplant. That's why there are several different types of surgical techniques to use the existing hair most effectively. It's also important to recognize that hair procedures can't restore the kind of hair coverage that existed prior to hair loss. However, surgery can camouflage thin areas and provide fuller hair.

Good candidates for successful surgery should have healthy hair on the sides and back of the head. These places will be donor sites from which flaps and grafts will be taken. The condition of the hair in the donor sites will affect the excpected result.

It's not unusual for a patient to need two or more techniques to achieve the best results. Techniques for hair transplants include micro-grafts, mini-grafts, punch grafts, strip grafts and slit grafts. These surgery techniques are typically performed on patients who simply need to fill in thinning areas. Other kinds of procedures such as flaps, scalp-reduction and tissue-expansion result in more dramatic changes.

Mini-grafts are the preferred surgery to fill thinning areas. Dense hair growth on the back of the head is necessary for this technique to be successful. Hair harvested from the dense area will be replanted in thinning areas. As the hair grows in its new location, a fuller look will result.

These types of surgery usually are usualy  performed in a doctor's office or clinic, and is usually quite safe when performed by a qualified cosmetic surgeon. However, each individual is different, and surgery is among the most individualized procedures available. People vary in their ability to heal, so the ultimate outcome is rarely predictable.

Go into hair surgery with lots of education, a qualified doctor and appropriate expectations, and you'll likely to be happier with the eventual results.