Hair Transplants
Get essential information about hair transplants.
The Science
What Are Hair Transplants?
A hair transplant moves hair from the back and sides of the head to the top of the scalp. By doing this, bald areas are restored with healthy hair that is resistant to androgenic alopecia.
This means that once the hair has been transplanted it should not fall out again.
Hair transplants are suitable for people with advanced baldness or with thinning hair. They are a permanent method of treating male pattern baldness.
Although the transplanted hair is resistant, non-immune hair around on the top of the scalp may continue to fall out. In practice, this means that further ‘touch up’ transplants may be needed to move more hair from the donor sites to the thinning areas.
For people without an abundance of hair at the front and back of the scalp, hair can also be transplanted from the chest and other body regions.
What Happens When Hair Is Transplanted?
There are two types of hair transplant techniques.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a newer method. It involves removing individual hair follicles from the sides and back of the head and transplanting them to bald areas. The main advantage of this technique is that it avoids significant scarring to the donor sites. Once the transplant has been completed and hair has grown, it can be difficult to detect if a hair transplant has taken place.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is an older transplant procedure. A strip ‘section’ of hair is removed from the back of the head. The hairs are then individually placed on the top of the scalp. This technique leaves a visible and often noticeable scar that can only be covered up by medium to longer hair styles.
Hair Transplant Results
With a good hair transplant surgeon, the results of hair transplants can be impressive:
- 820 male patients with advanced baldness had FUE hair transplants. At 12 months after surgery, 94% of patients were satisfied with the results.(1)
- In a study focusing on FUT, the mean survival rate of transplanted hairs was 90.4% at 12 months after transplantation.(5)
- Hair transplantation significantly elevated the self‐esteem level of patients with androgenetic alopecia.(2)
- In an analysis of two hair transplant clinics, 49 out of 52 men were satisfied with their hair after FUE surgery.(3)
- A review of studies found that both FUE and FUT are equally effective in generating high-quality hair grafts.(4)
FUE is regarded as a more skilled and time consuming type of hair transplantation surgery. Seeking out an experienced surgeon is important to get a good outcome.
Weight Of Science
FUT has been performed since the 1980’s, so there is a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages. FUE is a newer technique, but only differs in how the donor hair is removed.
Side Effects
Side effects from both types of hair transplant surgery are similar. The only main difference being the type of scarring.
Scars
With FUT, there will be a permanent, visible linear scar at the back of the head. FUE produces individual tiny scars around each removed hair follicle. These are also permanent but much harder to see, even with shorter hair styles.
Folliculitis
Infection could develop around transplanted hair follicles and appear as small red bumps (folliculitis). These usually disappear within a few weeks.
Pain
Any invasive surgery involves the risk of pain, swelling, and bleeding. With adequate post operative medication this should be minimal.
Shock Loss
The shock of surgery and inflammation can cause hair to be lost from both the donor and recipient transplant areas. This is usually a temporary problem and the hair returns within 3-6 months.
What Does It Cost?
The cost of a hair transplant can vary widely, depending on the type of procedure you choose, the complexity of your case, and the experience and reputation of the surgeon you select.
Expect to pay between £3000 to £15,000.
Clinics offering transplants for less than this range should be a cause for alarm. If a large number of hair grafts are needed, then the cost is likely to be in five figures.
Where To Get A Hair Transplant
It’s easy to get a free consultation with a hair transplant clinic online.
As always, be guided by customer reviews and the experience/qualifications of the surgeon.
Any respectable surgeon should be happy to tell you their qualifications and provide photos of previous clients. NEVER choose a Dr or clinic based on the cheapest price. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Also beware of going for less expensive surgery in another country. If things go wrong you may not be able to retrieve your money.
The best surgeons often charge more for their knowledge and experience. However, in the long term it may prove more cost efficient as you are more likely to be satisfied with the results and avoid additional sessions to repair a poor outcome from an inferior clinic.
Are There Alternatives To A Hair Transplant?
For people who prefer to have a shaven head look, scalp micropigmentation is a decent option.
It involves tattooing tiny pigments of ink onto the scalp, giving the look of a full head of hair ‘shaven by choice’. The advantage is that no surgery or drugs are necessary. The downside is that you can only ever have the appearance of a shaven head.
Drugs such as finasteride or minoxidil may regrow hair without surgery but using these medications on a daily basis for life is necessary. Otherwise hair loss will resume. The side effects can also be significant and troubling.
Our full list of proven hair loss solutions, including natural options, can be found here.
References
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6967160/
(2) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.12839
(3) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377123719301261
(5) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1524-4725.2001.01029.x