In life, the more you know, typically the better off you are. This is especially true regarding one’s health and planned or required procedures.
Long gone are the days when people willingly or otherwise were kept in the dark about their bodies, conditions, and treatments. In fact, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff rely on their patients to provide them with a detailed and thorough medical history to facilitate the best possible care.
So, with that in mind, we offer the following Q & A to help you better understand hair transplant surgery.
Q: Whose hair will be transplanted onto my head?
A: You are your own donor. The hair is taken from your “donor site” so that your body accepts the transplanted hair. Should the hair come from someone else, your body would reject it in the absence of immune-suppressant medication.
Q: How is my “donor site” selected?
A: Men, you may notice that while hair thins in the front and on top, the sides and back remain relatively unaffected. These are the areas most often selected as donor sites.
Q: Once extracted, where does my donor hair go?
A: The donated hair, follicles, surrounding tissue, and skin (called grafts) are transplanted into tiny slits in the balding parts of your scalp. The front and top of your head receives the transplanted hair first, as these are the areas that make the most impact on one’s appearance. If needed, the crown is usually the last area to receive hair, unless it’s the only one that’s balding.
Q: Does the thickness of my hair play a role in how successful a hair transplant will be?
A: The number of hair follicles one has per square centimeter of scalp is called hair density. The looseness and flexibility of a scalp refers to its laxity. Therefore, the higher the density and laxity of a scalp, the more grafts of hair that can be transplanted.
Q: How many procedures will I need?
A: The number of procedures a patient will need can vary. The extent of hair loss, projected hair loss rate, amount of donor hair available, and other considerations play an important role in determining how many sessions are needed for the best and most natural looking results.
Q: What will my consultation with a hair transplant surgeon entail?
A: During your first consultation, your doctor will take a detailed medical history and thoroughly examine your head. He or she will measure the density of your hair and evaluate the type of hair loss you are experiencing as well as what the future pattern will look like over time. Your doctor will then determine the best course of action, offer an estimated timeline for any procedures, and explain the entire procedure including potential risks.
We hope you found this exercise to both informative and reassuring. To discover what wonders we can work with your hair and scalp, contact DiStefano Hair Restoration Center today for a free consultation.