Male pattern baldness affects most men and happens gradually over many years, usually culminating in baldness by late middle age. It can happen for a variety of reasons, with heredity playing a major part.
The treatments for this include wigs, medication and scalp surgery. One such form of scalp surgery is a hair transplant. This involves the surgeon removing one section of hair from a healthy area and transplanting it to the bald section. This process is repeated as and where necessary.
A hair transplant session is carried out under a local anaesthetic and can last up to 8 hours depending on the size of the area and number of hairs to be transplanted. The surgeon will numb the area designated for the harvesting of the healthy hair. He/she will remove a cluster of hair follicles from that area, and then will transfer it to the required area.
Depending on the size of the area for transplantation, this process is repeated several times until the required area is completed. The hair is placed in the direction in which it is meant to grow in order to ensure a natural look. Once this process is finished, the surgeon will then sew up the area from which the hair was taken from and cover it with a bandage.
Multiple sessions may be required in some cases.
As with all cosmetic procedures, you need to have realistic expectations. Most hair transplants are successful, with newly transplanted hairs growing 16 weeks after the procedure though it can take up to 9 months for the complete growth. It is important to note that the most successful transplants are those in which the patient started with thicker and substantial hair. If you do not have much hair to start with then this procedure will not result in a full head of hair, although it will improve on what you have got. Transplanted hair is subject to the ageing process in the same way as the existing hair in that there will be some slight reduction in density over time. |
