What is hair transplant surgery?

Hair transplant surgery replaces the hair in areas that may have gone bald or are beginning to thin. Hair for the implant is taken from the patient’s head where the hair grows thicker and won’t be noticeable.

Who can benefit from hair transplant surgery?

Although patients are usually men in their 40s or older, some women may feel they need hair transplant surgery if they are susceptible to thinning hair, or areas of baldness.

Procedure

Hair transplant surgery is performed under local anesthetic and may take more than one session to replace all the necessary hair follicles (the procedure may take several hours) depending on how large the area being covered is. Hair is transplanted from an area where the hair grows thickly and implanted as individual hairs (up to about three at a time) into the bald or thinning area, to create natural looking hair. These hair follicles will continue to grow as normal in their new place and the effects are permanent. The area where the original hair was harvested is then closed using dissolvable stitches.

Recovery period

Hair may remain undeveloped for a period of up to several months following the hair transplant, but will begin to grow normally after this time. You do not need to take any time off work although patients may prefer to take a few days off to allow the signs of surgery to fade.

Risks

Risks involved with hair transplant surgery are small, but there is a chance of infection, bleeding, numbness and visible scarring. Very occasionally the hair may not take root in the new area.

References

Department of Health
The Hospital Group
HairImplant.co.uk
The Hair Clinic
Implants.com