The procedure is also time-consuming and involves a healing and recovery process. People who have already experienced significant hair thinning on their scalp are usually the best candidates for a hair transplant. Within two to three weeks after surgery, the transplanted hair will fall out, but you will start to notice new growth within a few months. Most people will see 60% of their new hair grow after six to nine months.
Some surgeons prescribe the hair growth drug minoxidil (Rogaine) to improve hair growth after transplantation, but it's unclear how well it works. Hair transplant surgery usually lasts between four and eight hours. The surgery begins with the removal of healthy hair by the dermatologist. For natural-looking results, a dermatologist can remove healthy hair by cutting a strip of skin with healthy hair from the scalp or by removing individual hair.
When done correctly, a hair transplant should last a lifetime. The good news is that in the vast majority of men's cases, their hair loss is caused by male-pattern baldness. Even after being implanted in the bald areas of the scalp, the transplanted hair follicles retain the characteristics of their origin and continue to grow for life. After the hair follicles are grafted to areas where the hair is thinning, it takes time for the skin to heal.
The permanent area from which the hair follicles are extracted earned its name because the hair is genetically programmed so that it does not fall out. Therefore, if a patient is younger than 30, you should assume that they may need another hair transplant if they want to maintain their current appearance between the ages of 50 and 60. This is because there are many factors that can prevent a hair transplant from lasting forever, so no clinic can responsibly guarantee permanent results. In addition, the medical community has not rigorously studied in the long term the immunological and physiological changes that occur in transplanted hair for extended periods of time.
However, that doesn't mean how your hair transplant is taken care of after it heals is how it will look for the rest of your life. Follicular Unit Extraction (FEU) uses small punctures to transplant follicles all over the head to areas where the hair is thinned or bald. For optimal results from a hair transplant, your dermatologist may recommend a medication to treat hair loss. As a result, it is sometimes necessary for patients to undergo more than one hair transplant over their lifetime.
One of the main challenges is that there is a limited supply of donor hair on the back and sides of the head, so it is rarely possible to replace all the hair lost in life. Other candidates are satisfied with the results after their first hair transplant has healed and, later, decide to try to fill in additional thinning areas on the head. This means that with the right surgeon and proper aftercare, a FUT or FUE hair transplant can last a lifetime.
