| Hair Replacement Surgery What
causes hair loss?
Hair loss is believed to be primarily caused by a combination of:
- aging
- change in hormones
- illness
- family history of baldness
- burns
- trauma
Generally, the earlier hair loss begins, the more severe the baldness will become.
Hair loss is not caused by:
- poor circulation to the scalp
- vitamin deficiencies
- dandruff
- excessive hat-wearing
- a gene passed on from an individual's maternal grandfather
What is hair replacement surgery?
The interest in hair replacement has significantly increased over the past
ten years. Two out of every three men and one in five women suffer from hair loss. For
men, the main cause of a diminishing hairline is heredity. Hormonal changes such as
menopause can cause both thinning and hair loss in women.
There are a number of hair replacement techniques that are available, although hair
replacement surgery can not help those who suffer from total baldness. Candidates for hair
replacement must have a healthy growth of hair at the back and sides of the head. The hair
on the back and sides of the head will serve as hair donor areas where grafts and flaps
will be taken.
There are four primary different types of hair replacement methods, including:
- hair transplantation - during hair transplantation the surgeon removes small
pieces of hair-bearing scalp grafts from the back or sides of the head. These grafts are
then relocated to a bald or thinning area.
- tissue expansion - in this procedure, a device called a tissue expander is placed
underneath a hair-bearing area that is located next to a bald area. After several weeks,
the tissue expander causes the skin to grow new skin cells. Another operation is then
required placing the newly expanded skin over the adjacent bald spot.
- flap surgery - flap surgery is ideal for covering large balding areas. During
this procedure a portion of the bald area is removed and a flap of the hair-bearing skin
is placed on to the bald area while still attached at one end to its original blood
supply.
- scalp reduction - scalp reduction is done in order to cover the bald areas at the
top and back of the head. This technique involves the removal of the bald scalp with
sections of the hair-bearing scalp pulled together filling in the bald area.
Possible complications associated with hair transplantation procedures:
patchy hair growth
Sometimes the growth of newly placed hair has a patchy look especially if it is placed
next to a thinning area. This can often be corrected by additional surgery.
- bleeding and/or wide scars
Tension on the scalp from some of the scalp reduction techniques can result in wide scars
and/or bleeding.
- grafts not taking
Occasionally there is a chance that the graft may not "take". If this is the
case, surgery must be repeated.
- infection
As in any surgical procedure there is the risk of infection.
About the procedure:
- Location options
include:
surgeon's office-based surgical facility
outpatient surgery center
hospital outpatient
hospital inpatient
- Anesthetic options include:
- general anesthesia
- local anesthesia, combined with a sedative (allows
the patient to remain awake but relaxed) for adults
- Probable length of procedure: Several
surgical sessions are usually needed to achieve satisfactory fullness, with a healing
interval of several months recommended between each session. It may take up to two years
before seeing the final result with a full transplant series.
- Recovery period:
Plugged or grafted hair falls out within a month or two after surgery, which is
normal and almost always temporary. After hair falls out, it generally takes another month
or more before hair growth resumes. A surgical touch-up procedure may be needed to create
more natural-looking results after the initial incisions have healed. This may involve blending,
a filling-in of the hairline using a combination of mini-grafts, micro-grafts, or slit
grafts.
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