What is the Process of a Hair Transplant?
We spend a significant portion of our lives getting hair cuts or other things done to our hair. Everything from coloring to curling. As we age and start noticing changes in our body, we also notice changes in our hair patterns and hair growth. It is just no longer the same. And for some, that change is so significant that there is balding. While it was once taboo for people to be open about having hair transplants, it is no longer that way. It is actually quite a common procedure.
Hair transplant is a life-changing invasive surgery, which allows you to graft donor hairs on the thin or bald areas of your scalp. These transplanted hairs then start to grow on their own, thus returning the texture of your hair and thickness of hair you once had. Just to note, much like changes when you age, the texture may not always come back the same after a hair transplant (even when successful). However, the success of this surgery might take months before you start experiencing the results. A lot depends on the procedure of the transplant, location of it, and the precautions taken after it.
What is the Process?
There are several steps involved with a hair transplant. If you are wondering how does a hair transplant work, here are the steps:
1. Initializing – First, the hair follicles are removed from the back of the head and relocated to the bald and thinned areas.
2. Trimming – Before beginning the transplant procedure, the donor region is trimmed to make sure that small hair is picked for grafting.
3. Preparing – The patient is then given anesthesia to prepare him/her for the process.
4. Suturing – The donor area is completely sutured by removing all the tissues in the bald patches.
5. Combing – These sutures are then made to hide by combing the hair over them.
6. Dissecting – The surgeons then view the donor tissue for dissecting and preparing follicle units for the purpose of grafting.
7. Receiving -The receiving area is prepared for the transplant. Unlike the donor area, there is no need to trim the recipient area.
8. Grafting – The follicle units prepared in the sixth step are now planted in areas requiring treatment.
9. Recuperating – After the surgery, the incisions start to heal themselves and the soreness and swelling goes away within a week or so.
What Happens After a Transplant?
Normally, a sedation medication is given before the operation, it is not that high. Therefore, you’re allowed to leave on the same day as the operation. You will need someone to drive you home and you will also have to take some days off of work to recover.
Immediately following the operation, you will experience swelling and itching in certain parts of your head (and potentially some headaches). The procedure will seriously make your headache. That is why you should avoid touching or rubbing your head and take the necessary pain medications.
How Long Does It Take To See Results?
A lot of people expect to see immediate results, however, this is not possible. Instead, you’ll experience some hair loss in the first month or so after the operation. This will be followed by a period of growth. The transplanted hairs will take 3-4 months before they start growing normally. The result of the procedure is entirely dependent on how well you took care of your scalp and hair after the transplant.
There are several steps to understanding the process of a hair transplant; however, it should be made clear that the process is not the procedure alone. Instead, the process of the transplant depends on everything you do before, during, and after the surgery. This means that the periods before and after the surgery is as crucial as the hair transplant.
