Hair transplantation is a surgical treatment, it works on the premise that follicles from the sides and the back of the head continue to grow hair even if they are shifted to another part of the body. So in hair transplantation the hair is removed from the sides and the back of the head and put where the hair is sparse.
Previously small plugs of skin containing around 100 hair follicles where transplanted. These are known as plug grafts and were not very successful, due to the fact that they looked unnatural, however they are still used sometimes when coverage is needed in the middle of large areas.
If you were to look at your scalp with a microscope you would see that hairs on the scalp are not places evenly. The hairs are in groups with two to four hairs, with single hairs in between. So nowadays surgeons transplant these tiny groups of hairs, so the resulting hair looks much more natural. The different sorts of graft used depend upon the type of balding, and potentially a mixture of these different grafts are required to get a natural look:
At an initial consultation, the surgeon will look at the patient's scalp and discuss preferences and expectations. For several days prior to the surgery the patient should stop using medicines, or alcohol, and pre-operative antibiotics are commonly prescribed to prevent infection. On the day of the surgery a local anaesthetic injection is given. Then a small piece of skin is removed from an area where there is still enough hair and it will not be noticed. The surgeon removes tiny grafts from this area, and then places them into small incisions in the area that is bald. The hole where the graft is to be placed is made with either a scalpel, a needle or a laser. The grafts are held in place using the clotting action of blood, thus both sites heal very rapidly. Generally someone will need 300 to 700 grafts, with about 100 grafts happening each session (taking approximately 3 hours). After only a few months it is often difficult to identify the original hair and the grafted hair.
Recently the cost of hair transplantation has become less, a total cost of approximately $6000- $15000 can be expected to be paid. Although the cost of this procedure can be discouraging, it is important to note that the cost can vary dramatically, and it does not necessarily correlate that hair transplants which cost more are more effective, most important is to find a doctor with a good reputation, as a good transplant requires a doctor with a good eye. For a specific single graft the hair transplant cost can be from as little as $3 to $10, this means that it is more than possible to see the hair transplantation as a gradual process and one which can be done with instalments. There are also other costs to consider, these include extra medication etc.
There are some possible side effects after having hair transplantation. Shock loss (hair thinning) directly after the transplantation is a common effect but it is usually temporary. Bald patches are also a common occurrence. Other side effects could be swelling of possible areas where the grafts occurred. Also the scalp may start to itch, but if so patients must be careful to not scratch as this will just worsen the problem and cause scabs to form,.
There have been advances in the care of wounds this allows for semi-permeable dressings. These are applied and changed daily. The area which was part of the hair transplantation should not be in sunlight, and shampooing should be started two days post surgery. Some doctors have this occur even sooner a day after surgery. Shampooing is vital as it stops scabbing from occurring which can mean that the hair transplant does not go so well, as these scabs stick to the hair shaft and heighten the risk of losing the hair follicles. This risk is greatest in the early stages post op of the first two week period, directly after the operation. Do not be alarm but virtually all of the transplanted hairs, fall out, this is names shock loss and is to be expected due to the relocation. Given about 2 or 3 months the hair should start to grow again.