Hair Transplant Surgery Information and Surgeons

Hair Transplant Surgery Overview

Hair transplant surgery is once again becoming an extremely prevalent procedure that allows for many who suffer from hair loss to regain their look from younger days and as a result their confidence and zest for life. Below you’ll find some brief facts surrounding hair transplant surgery, but for more specific answers to your individual questions, you need to contact an experienced medical professional for a full consultation.

Background of Hair Transplant Surgery
The background of hair transplant surgery dates back nearly 70 years, to the 1930’s. Japanese doctors were the first to pioneer the procedure, and after a few initial groundbreaking surgeries, the art was lost for a time, most likely due to the onset of World War II. In the 1950’s, American doctors began to advance this procedure and continued to advance it. There was much criticism of hair transplant surgeries for the next few decades, but in the 1990’s, techniques were formulated that allowed patients to walk away from surgery with a “natural” look.

Best Candidates for Hair Transplant Surgery
Generally speaking, the best candidates for this surgery are those patients who have suffered from male pattern baldness (MPB) for at least five years. The best candidates will also have a realistic level of expectations regarding the results of this procedure and will understand that immediate results are not always possible. Not all patients are those who suffer from MPB, however - some of the best candidates are those who have lost hair as a result of burns or other trauma.

Uncertainty and Risk of Hair Transplants
As is the case with any surgery, there is uncertainty and risk involved with hair transplant procedures. Although, statistically speaking, the uncertainty and risk is relatively remote, patients should be aware that these risks include the possibility of infections, scarring, swelling and other less common complications. Your doctor should prepare you fully for whatever risks you may encounter.

Planning for Hair Transplant Surgery
The most basic aspects of planning for surgery involve logistics and scheduling. Basically, this procedure is minimally invasive when compared to others, but you should be prepared to take at least a week off from work in order to fully recuperate from the procedure. You should also arrange for a ride home from the medical facility in order to ensure your safety.

Preparing for Surgery
Preparing for surgery involves a more specific set of instructions that you will receive from your doctor. These planning steps usually involve getting the proper amount of sleep, eating properly and the cessation of drinking and/or smoking for a period of time prior to and following your procedure.

Where Hair Transplant Surgery is Performed
Usually, where surgery is performed is a decision that’s left up to your doctor with your input included. Since this surgery is generally low-risk in nature, the surgery is usually performed in either an outpatient care facility or in the doctor’s office if it’s equipped to handle such procedures.

How Surgery is Performed
How surgery is performed really depends on the extent of baldness you’re attempting to repair. If your surgery only involves one bald patch, your “donor” hair that comes from another part of your body will be inserted into tiny slits the doctor places into your scalp. If you have a wide range of bald patches, you may need more than one surgery, depending on the particulars of your situation.

Anesthesia
Most of the time, the doctor will administer only local anesthesia, which means that your scalp will be insensitive to pain and that you’ll be acceptably comfortable during the procedure. However, you will feel some tugging, pulling and pressure on your scalp as the hair is transplanted to its new location.

Post-Op Considerations for Hair Transplant Surgery
The post-op considerations are usually individual in nature, but generally, patients can return to their normal routine within a week of the surgery. However, many patients will experience some sort of “new” hair loss after the surgery, but this is a normal condition - this “new” hair must fall out before new hair growth can begin.

Overall, if you’re looking for more individualized answers to your questions, please contact an experienced medical professional today.

Hair Transplant Surgery Candidacy

If you’re thinking of having hair transplant surgery done, you are no doubt encountering questions as you research the possibilities for yourself. Three of the most common questions patients have in this context include, “How can I tell if I’m a good candidate for Hair Restoration?”, “How will I be evaluated for Hair Restoration?” and “Will my insurance help offset the costs of surgery?” Each of these questions is answered below, but for a completely personalized set of answers to these or any other questions, contact a medical professional.

How can I tell if I’m a good candidate for Hair Restoration?
The best candidates for a hair transplant procedure generally have a combination of physical and psychological characteristics in place that tend to result in the best possible outcome. For instance, most recipients of this surgery have experienced baldness for at least five years and understand the nature of the procedure. It’s also important that these patients have realistic expectations regarding the results, including the fact that this is not a “miracle” procedure, but rather will provide a vastly improved look.

How will I be evaluated for Hair Restoration?
You’ll be evaluated for this procedure using a relatively standard set of criteria. Doctors will examine your scalp and pattern of baldness using the Norwood scale, which is a uniform term of measurement for baldness. If you score at least a “3” on this scale, and you are otherwise in good health and spirits, you should be seen as a positive candidate for this procedure.

Will my insurance help offset the costs of Hair Transplant surgery?
This is always a complicated question, and there is no hard-and-fast answer. Generally speaking, medical insurance companies will cover procedures that are viewed as “medically necessary,” but not those that are viewed as “elective.” Although this is not the standard answer, hair transplant surgeries are generally viewed as elective.

However, there are exceptions to this situation, and the first thing you should do is consult with your doctor to determine the answer to this question. You should also communicate with your insurance carrier prior to moving forward with the surgery in order to be sure that you’ve been provided with a clear and unambiguous answer to your request for coverage. Make sure to document any and all communication between you and your carrier in order to eliminate any confusion and resulting stress after the surgery is complete.

Overall, three of the most common questions asked by patients considering their candidacy for hair transplant surgery include, “How can I tell if I’m a good candidate for Hair Restoration?”, “How will I be evaluated for Hair Restoration?” and “Will my insurance help offset the costs of surgery?” If you’d like to find out how your individual situation fits into the candidacy question, contact a medical professional for a full consultation to get the answers you need.

Hair Transplant Surgery Specifics

As you continue your research regarding hair transplant surgery and whether it’s right for you, the best thing you can do is find out all you can in regards to this surgery and how it’s performed. As such, you’re surely formulating questions, and that’s quite common. In fact, three of the most common questions asked in regards to hair transplant surgery are, “Where are incisions placed for hair loss surgery?”, “What are some variations to the common hair restoration method?” and “What are some of the risks associated with hair restoration?” Each of these questions is answered below, but for specific information, contact a medical professional.

Where are incisions placed for hair loss surgery?
There really is no one or central “incision” placed on the patient during this surgery. Instead, the doctor cuts several tiny slits into the patient’s scalp in order to provide a space to implant the transplanted hair onto the scalp. As a result, this surgery is relatively non-invasive and carries a low degree of risk. (see below)

What are some variations to the common hair restoration method?
There are several variations to the surgical method used, and that depends on the extent of hair replacement the patient wants or needs. Examples of transplant techniques include punch grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit grafts and strip grafts. For those who are looking for a dramatic change to their overall look, flaps, tissue-expansion and scalp-reduction are procedures that are usually more appropriate.

What are some of the risks associated with hair restoration?
As is the case with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved, and they need to be kept in mind. Although these risks are extremely minimal in a statistical sense, they can include such issues as infection to the surgical area and the risk that some of the transplanted follicles will not “take” and therefore will not remain in the scalp. Swelling can also occur, but this is usually temporary in nature.

Overall, three of the most common questions involving the particulars of hair transplant surgery include, “Where are incisions placed for hair loss surgery?”, “What are some variations to the common hair restoration method?” and “What are some of the risks associated with hair restoration?” If you are looking for more specific answers to these questions, the best way to proceed is to contact a medical professional and to schedule a full consultation as soon as possible.

Preperation and Recovery - Hair Transplant Surgery

Two of the most important aspects of research into any type of surgery involve the specifics regarding preparation and recovery. Several questions tend to arise in conjunction with these issues, and the most common are, “What steps should I take to prepare for surgery?”, “What can I expect the day of surgery to be like?”, “How will I look and feel immediately following the surgery?”, “When can I pursue my normal activities again?” and “How long can I expect results to last?”

What steps should I take to prepare for surgery?
The preparations for your surgery almost always come from your doctor, who will instruct you as to how to best approach the procedure so that your recovery time is minimized. These steps generally involve making sure that there are no allergies to watch for, whether or not your diet or alcohol intake needs to be adjusted, and whether or not your smoking habit should cease before and after surgery.

What can I expect the day of surgery to be like?
The day of your surgery will be a physical and emotional whirlwind. You’ll feel a combination of stress, anxiety, fear, excitement and anticipation, and this is all completely normal. You’ll arrive at the medical facility for your procedure, and the procedure itself will go by quickly. You’ll also be able to go home afterwards.

How will I look and feel immediately following the Hair Transplant surgery??
You’ll feel somewhat groggy immediately after surgery, and if your procedure is extensive, you’ll need to keep the bandages on your head for at least a day. You may also feel tightness and/or soreness to the affected area for a period of time afterwards, but that is usually managed and controlled with medication.

When can I pursue my normal activities again?
The answer to this question depends on your personal definition of “normal activities.” If you’re someone who is extremely active, you may need to stay away from strenuous exercise for a few weeks, as any physical stress increased blood flow to the scalp, which can cause your incisions to bleed. Other than physical activity, you should be back up and around and on your feet within a few days.

How long can I expect results to last?
Although there is no set timetable for lasting results, patients are generally quite satisfied with the results. Generally, patients will need a follow-up or “touch-up” procedure after the incisions have healed just to give a patient a more natural look. Things can shift as swelling subsides, and your doctor will make sure that you maintain a natural look.

Overall, the most common questions involving preparation for and recovery from hair transplant surgery include, “What steps should I take to prepare for surgery?”, “What can I expect the day of surgery to be like?”, “How will I look and feel immediately following the surgery?”, “When can I pursue my normal activities again?” and “How long can I expect results to last?” Should you desire personalized answers to these or any other questions, please contact a medical professional for a consultation.