Hair transplants are done to feature more hair to a locality on your head which will be thinning or balding. It’s done by taking hair from thicker parts of the scalp, or other parts of the body, and grafting it to the thinning or balding section of the scalp.

Worldwide, about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of womenTrusted Source

experience some sort of hair loss. to deal with this, people often use over-the-counter products, including topical treatments like minoxidil (Rogaine).

Hair transplant is another restoration method. the primary transplant was performed in 1939 in Japan with single scalp hairs. within the following decades, physicians developed the “plug” technique. This involves transplanting large tufts of hair.

Over time, surgeons began using mini- and micro-grafts to reduce the looks of transplanted hair on the scalp.

Do hair transplants work?

Hair transplants are typically more successful than over-the-counter hair restoration products. But there are some factors to consider:

Anywhere from 10 to 80 percent of transplanted hairTrusted Source

will fully grow back in an estimated three to four months.

Like regular hair, transplanted hair will thin over time.

People with dormant hair follicles (sacs that typically contain hair beneath the skin but now not grow hair) may have less effective transplants, but a 2016 studyTrusted Source

suggests that plasma therapy can help up to 75 percent or more of the transplanted hairs fully grow back.

Hair transplants don’t work for everybody. They’re mainly accustomed restore hair if you’re balding or thinning naturally or have lost hair thanks to an injury.

Most transplants are finished your existing hair, so they’re not as effective for treating people with:

• widespread thinning and baldness
• hair loss thanks to chemotherapy or other medications
• thick scalp scars from injuries
• How much do hair transplants cost?
• Hair transplants can range from about $4,000 to $15,000 per session.

How much do hair transplants cost?

Final costs may rely upon the:

• extent of the transplant procedure
• availability of surgeons in your area
• experience of the surgeon
• surgical technique chosen

Because hair transplants are cosmetic procedures, insurance won’t buy the procedure.

Aftercare medications may augment the ultimate cost.

How does a hair transplant work?

Simply put, a hair transplant takes hair you've got and transfers it to a district where you don’t have hair. It’s typically taken from the rear of your head, but may also be taken from other parts of your body.

Before starting a transplant, your surgeon sterilizes the world where the hair are going to be removed and numbs it with a neighborhood anesthetic. you'll also request sedation so as to remain asleep for the procedure.

Your surgeon then performs one among two transplant methods: FUT or FUE.

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT)

FUT is usually called follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS). To perform a FUT procedure, your surgeon follows these steps:

Using a scalpel, the surgeon removes a chunk of your scalp, usually from the rear of your head. The strip size is usually about 6 to 10 inches long but can stretch from ear to ear.

• They close the world where the scalp was removed with stitches.
• Your surgeon and their assistants separate the scalp strip into smaller pieces with a scalpel. they will split the piece up into as many as 2,000 smaller fragments, called grafts. a number of these grafts may contain just one hair each.
• Using a needle or blade, the surgeon makes small holes in your scalp where hair are going to be transplanted.
• The surgeon inserts hairs from the removed piece of scalp into the puncture holes. This step is named grafting.
• They then cover the surgical sites with bandages or gauze.

The specific number of grafts you receive depends on the:

type of hair you've got

• size of transplant site
• quality (including thickness) of hair
• hair color

Follicular unit extraction (FUE)

To perform a FUE procedure, your surgeon takes these steps:

1. They shave off hair on the rear of your head.
2. The surgeon then takes individual follicles out of the scalp skin. You’ll see tiny marks where each follicle was removed.
3. As with the FUT procedure, the surgeon makes small holes in your scalp and grafts hair follicles into the holes.
4. They then cover the surgical site with bandages or gauze.

Recovery

FUT and FUE may each take several hours to many days to finish. In part, this relies on the quantity of labor performed by the surgeon. you'll get back the identical day of the procedure.

Once the surgery is completed, your surgeon carefully removes any bandages. the realm could also be swollen, so your surgeon might inject triamcinolone into the world to stay the swelling down.

You’ll likely feel pain or soreness at the transplant site still as within the area where hair was taken from. For the following few days, your surgeon may prescribe:

• pain medications, like ibuprofen (Advil)
• antibiotics to stop infections
• anti-inflammatories, like an oral steroid, to alleviate swelling
• medications like finasteride (Propecia) or minoxidil (Rogaine) to assist stimulate hair growth
• Here are some aftercare tips for hair transplant surgery:

Wait some days after the surgery to scrub your hair. Only use mild shampoos for the primary few weeks.

• You should be ready to return to figure or normal activities in about 3 days.
• Don’t press a brush or comb down over the new grafts for about 3 weeks.
• Don’t wear any hats or pullover shirts and jackets until your doctor say it’s OK.
• Don’t exercise for a couple of week.

Don’t worry if some hairs fall out. this is often a part of the method. Transplanted hair might not grow much or seamlessly match the hair around it for some months.

Hair transplant side effects

The most common side effect is scarring, and this cannot be avoided with any procedure.

Other potential side effects include:

• infections
• crust or pus drainage around the surgical sites
• scalp pain, itching, and swelling
• inflammation of hair follicles (folliculitis)
• bleeding
• losing sensation around the surgical sites
• visible areas of hair that don’t match the surrounding hair or are noticeably thinner
• continuing to lose hair if your hair is still balding

Minoxidil and Propecia can also have side effects, such as:

• irritated scalp
• dizziness
• chest pain
• headaches
• irregular heart rate
• hand, foot, or breast swelling
• sexual dysfunction

Find a surgeon

Visit the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons website for a regard to surgeons near you who perform hair transplants.

Here are some tips for when you’re trying to find a hair transplant surgeon:

• Select only a licensed, certified surgeon.
• Confirm a record of successful transplant procedures — ask to see a portfolio.
• Read reviews about them.

The takeaway

Talk to your doctor or a transplant surgeon before you choose to induce either hair transplant procedure.

Understand that neither procedure is bound to achieve success but that scarring may be a risk. you'll also not be eligible for either procedure supported your hair volume or quality.

What is PRP therapy?

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy for hair loss could be a three-step medical treatment within which a person’s blood is drawn, processed, so injected into the scalp.

Some within the medical profession think that PRP injections trigger natural hair growth and maintain it by increasing blood supply to the follicle and increasing the thickness of the hair shaft. Sometimes this approach is combined with other hair loss procedures or medications.

There hasn’t been enough research to prove if PRP is an efficient hair loss treatment. However, PRP therapy has been in use since the 1980s. It’s been used for problems like healing injured tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

PRP therapy process

PRP therapy is a three-step process. Most PRP therapy requires three treatments 4–6 weeks apart.

Maintenance treatments are required every 4–6 months.