Interest in hair replacement surgery has increased significantly during the past decade. It is no longer just men who desire more hair density and wish to restore the hairline of their youth. More women than ever are seeking surgical intervention to provide them with thicker hair and more overall confidence in their appearance. For women, hormonal changes including those that occur in menopause, are mainly responsible for female “pattern changes,” which include thinning and loss.
Hair loss affects two out of every three men, and one in five women. Some people begin to lose hair in their twenties. For men, heredity is the major factor in hair loss. Once men start to lose their hair, the process will continue throughout the life cycle unless an intervention occurs. Topical medications like Rogaine®, the liquid form of minoxidil, and the prescription oral medication Propecia® (finasteride) are available options for men who are starting to see hair loss. Rogaine® can help regrow some hair, and Propecia® stops the loss of hair, and in some patients regrows hair they have lost. When used in conjunction with surgery, these two medications can help to further the results of hair transplantation. To achieve the most natural looking results with hair transplantation, our practice employs the most technically advanced procedure of follicular unit graft hair transplants (FUT).
Hair naturally grows in groups of 1-4 individual follicles separated by skin and soft tissue. These groups of hairs are termed follicular units. Once the hair is taken from the donor site (usually from the back and sides of the scalp), the donor hair is then meticulously divided into follicular unit grafts. Days of “plugs” and “corn row” type hair transplants are in the past. Today, follicular unit grafts consisting of 1, 2, or 3 hairs are used. The grafts are individually placed into the balding areas to artfully craft a natural, restored hairline. This state-of-the-art technique using Follicular Unit Transplants (FUT) mimics the hair’s intrinsic growth pattern providing the most natural appearance possible.
Recovery time from a hair transplant is minimal. The patients typically leave the office on the day of surgery in a baseball cap. The sutures from the donor site are removed after one week. Some patients are able to return to work in as little as 3-4 days, provided you can comfortably cover the transplanted area with a baseball cap or adjacent hair. For additional information about our follicular unit graft hair transplants, to learn more about the prescription medication Propecia®, or to see if you are a surgical candidate, please call our office to set up an appointment for a consultation.
For additional information about our follicular unit graft hair transplants, to learn more about the prescription medication Propecia®, or to see if you are a surgical candidate, please call our office at (205) 930-9595 or fill out our online contact form to set up an appointment for a consultation.