Hair transplant surgery is a technique used for moving individual hair follicles from a specific part of the body to bald or balding parts of the head. The various hair grafts with the hair follicles, genetically resistant to balding, are transplanted to the bald scalp.
As it is a surgical procedure, patients should choose a surgeon with expertise in hair transplants. Once the transplant is done, the hair that is transplanted can begin to grow naturally. This hair may also be styled and trimmed naturally. Donor hair may be taken from the back and sides of the scalp as these areas are usually bald resistant.
The procedure for transplant is the use of follicular unit transplantation with microscopic dissection. This is a state-of-art technique in hair transplantation surgery and the finest method to give the lowest hair transection combined with lower Trichophytic closure and retention sutures to help minimize donor scar. This is the standard for all hair transplant specialists.
Following the procedure, the growth rate success of surgery is approximately 95%, although it is virtually impossible to count transplanted hair and compare their numbers to what was moved. For new bald patients, this percentage may fall as they have no scaring yet. Scaring is a contributing factor for a low percentage of hair growth as this typically means decreased blood flow which can transplant into lower graft survival rates.
Transplant surgeries are done on an outpatient basis under mild sedation and injected local anesthesia. The procedure lasts about six hours.
Receiving a hair graft may help the patient improve their appearance and self-confidence. Here are the best candidates for hair transplants
Hair Transplants / Hair Restoration Procedures are not for:
Generally, patients are advised to stop smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages before the surgery to avoid complications or adverse reaction.
Before the surgeon begins hair transplant surgery, the patient’s scalp will be thoroughly cleaned.
When the scalp is clean, the surgeon will use a small needle to numb the donor area and recipient sites with local anaesthesia.
There are two techniques used for hair transplant in the medical field.
In follicular unit extraction, a person’s hair follicles are cut out from the back of the head. However, each hair follicle is cut out using hundreds to thousands of tiny punch incisions
Follicular Unit Extraction and transplantation can take a minimum of four hours to complete. Typically, the stitches will be removed after the healing process, which could take up to 10 days after the surgery.
For most hair grafts, surgeons take three to four sessions to achieve the full head of hair that patients desire. Hair grafts can occur several months apart to account for the recovery time needed between the medical treatments.
Some minor and temporary side effects of the procedure can include headaches from the manipulation and pulling of the scalp during the surgery. A minor amount of bleeding is also normal as is numbness or scalp tenderness. While it is less common there can also be potential swelling in the forehead and eye area.
Patients should do regular shampooing and use of saline to moisturize the grafts and help prevent side effects while promoting growth.
Following the surgery, the patient may need to take pain medications. The surgeon will also likely advise the patient to wear bandages over their scalp for at least two days.
Most patients can return to work five days after the hair grafts.
Within two weeks after surgery, the patient may notice the transplanted hair fall out. This is completely normal. Once the hair grafts fall out, the patient should be able to notice their own hair growing within six to nine months.
Many doctors also prescribe hair growth medical treatments to help slow or stop any hair thinning or hair loss in the future.
Here at Transgender Thailand, we do not give patients the actual cost of any surgery. This is done because not all patients are the same, and not all surgeries follow the same procedure.
Some patients have medical conditions that may make hair graft or hair transplant procedure more complicated or require additional medical treatment and hospital stay following hair transplantation. The total cost would also depend on whether the doctor performing the hair transplant procedure is a seasoned professional. Typically, highly experienced surgeons charge more but have accumulated the self-confidence needed to ensure the hair transplantation or hair restoration procedure goes as smoothly as possible.
Having said that, we do provide estimates on how much hair transplant cost. The list of cost is posted on our website’s Fees page.
Receiving a hair graft may help the patient improve their appearance and self-confidence. Here are the best candidates for hair transplants
