Hair is the crown of the head, so who doesn’t want to have a beautiful crown that adds to their look? But the hair has many problems, and the biggest of these problems is the problem of thinning hair and baldness, so come together to learn about the best treatment for this annoying problem, which is the hair transplant process.

In the following article, we will present all the information related to this process, from its definition and techniques to its cost and advice after performing it.

hair transplant process

In order to understand exactly what the hair transplant process is, we must first know some facts related to the hair itself, such as its composition and stages of growth.

What is hair made of?

Hair is protein cells that grow in the scalp and on the surface of the skin, and its density varies from one place to another in the body, and the scalp is the most dense area of the body with hair. The hair is divided into two main parts, a part that grows under the skin and is called the root and is covered by the follicle, which gives the hair the nutrition it needs, and the second part is what appears above the surface of the skin. The color and density of hair varies from one person to another according to several factors, most of which are genetic.

hair growth stages

Hair goes through three stages:

1. The first stage is the growth stage, which is the stage in which new hairs are formed and their length increases, and it is considered the longest stage as it lasts for a few years.
2. The second stage is the stage of regression, and it lasts for a few weeks only, during which the roots shrink and the length of the hair becomes stable, in preparation for its fall.
3. As for the third stage, it is the resting stage, which is the stage in which hair loss occurs, to give new hairs room to grow, so it is very normal to find some hairs falling daily from your scalp. What is not normal is that the hair loss rate is so great that it leaves voids in the scalp, which can lead to baldness.

What is the hair transplant process?

Hair transplantation is a cosmetic surgery performed under local anesthesia, in which natural hair follicles or artificial hair are transplanted.

In the first case, the follicles are taken in a previous step from an area in the person’s body, often the back of the scalp, and then re-implanted in the balding places.

In the second case, artificial hairs are implanted in hairless areas of the scalp.

The operation is performed to improve the aesthetic appearance of the person and not for medical purposes, but that does not mean that it is a luxury, as the person’s need to feel that his appearance is beautiful and acceptable is equivalent to his need for medical treatment.

Causes of hair loss leading to baldness

Hair loss is the primary sign of baldness, which, if detected and treated at an early stage, can be easily and easily avoided. Here are some of the most important causes of baldness:

• Genetic causes, one of the most important causes of hair loss and baldness.
• Stress and anxiety have become features of the modern era, and studies have proven that they have a strong relationship with hair loss.
• Pregnancy and childbirth and the resulting changes in hormones that can lead to hair loss.
• Some skin diseases such as alopecia areata, which affects separate patches of the scalp, and also some diseases related to thyroid dysfunction.
• Some drugs and drugs, most notably chemotherapy for cancer.
• Anemia and malnutrition, as not eating a healthy balanced diet negatively affects the health of the hair.
• Smoking and its bad effect by nicotine on the hair.
• Some fungi that infect the scalp and dandruff.
• Air and water pollution.

Before hair transplant

• Choosing a doctor: There are several things that must be resolved before you accept a hair transplant, and the first of these things is the doctor who will perform the surgery. Of course, this doctor must be highly qualified and experienced, and he must have performed many, many successful hair transplant operations. If you choose the right doctor who you can put your trust in, you have completed the most difficult step, all steps after that depend on this doctor.

• Consultation session: When you go to the doctor for the first time, in a visit known as a consultation session, he will examine your scalp well, to determine the causes of the problem you are experiencing, and he will ask you several questions related to cases of baldness in the family. After you give him the satisfactory answers about you and your problem, tell him you want to have a hair transplant, and ask about the possibility of doing it for you. If the doctor acknowledges the possibility of transplanting you, he will tell you the appropriate technique for you, whether the process is to transplant natural or artificial hair. In the case of natural hair transplantation, the doctor will examine the donor area, and initially determine the number of hairs to be transplanted.

• Required tests: The treating doctor will ask you for some simple tests and tests, which are necessary to be carried out, although most of them are not related to hair transplantation, yet they are important to check on your health and make sure that there are no contraindications to the transplant procedure. These analyzes include a complete blood picture and analysis of hepatitis viruses and blood fluidity, as well as blood sugar and pressure measurements, and if you suffer from any chronic diseases such as heart disease, you must tell your doctor immediately.

• The results you expect: In this session, you should tell the doctor about the results you want to get. In the case of natural hair transplantation, you will tell him about the density of hair you want, its shape and the location of the hair border on the front of the head. As for artificial hair transplantation, in addition to the previous details, you will determine the color, length and nature of the hair you want, whether it is straight or curly, because artificial hair cannot change one of its characteristics, and if you think about cutting it, it will not be long again.

• Artificial hair test: When choosing an artificial hair transplant technique, the doctor will ask you to perform a small test to transplant a number of artificial hairs, no more than a hundred hairs, and the purpose of this test is to ensure that this technique is suitable for you or not and whether your scalp will accept artificial hair or not.

How is hair transplantation done?

• Preparing for the operation

Preparing the person for the transplant process begins by shaving his hair, then the doctor draws the hairline on the front of the head with a pen.

• Anesthesia

The doctor first applies a topical cream to the scalp, then a strong anesthetic is injected into the scalp, and the person remains conscious throughout the process.

• Operation steps

The process is divided into two main stages:

The first stage: It is the stage of taking the slice or follicles, which is the surgical part of the operation, where the doctor uses the scalpel to take a slice from the back area of ​​the scalp using the slide technique, or take entire follicles using medical needles in the technique of FUE.

Then the doctor sews the part from which the slide was taken with cosmetic stitches, but that does not hide the effect of that scar at all, but the doctor depends on that the hair will cover that part of the head so that that scar does not appear, however, some people do not prefer this technique, and resort to for pick-up technique.

After completing the first stage, the slice is cleaned well and divided into several very small slices, each containing a number of follicles ready for transplantation and growth in another area of ​​the head.

As for the extraction technique, the follicles are cleaned well and prepared for implantation in the areas to be treated.

The second stage: It is the transplantation stage, in which the doctor gradually implants the slices or follicles in the frontal area of ​​the scalp up to the front hair line. This process takes several hours until all the follicles or slices to be transplanted are completed.

After the hair transplant operation

You may wonder about the side effects of the operation, when the results will appear, how to care for hair after transplantation, and several other things, and below you will find information about everything you might think about after hair transplantation.

Other non-disturbing side effects include:

• Feeling pain, which is a normal symptom, is surgery first and foremost.
• Swelling and inflammation of the scalp will go away with the use of the drugs prescribed by the doctor within a few days.
• Natural transplanted hair loss which is normal is nothing to worry about, and your doctor will tell you about it.
• The presence of dandruff in the hair and removed by using a medical shampoo.

The stage of results after the natural hair transplant

You may find it strange when you know that after the natural hair transplant procedure, all the transplanted hair will fall out, but do not worry, this is normal, and after several weeks new hair will begin to grow.

It takes two to six months for the final results to appear, for the new hair to grow completely. These results are permanent, and the person often does not need to re-implant, but this does not prevent the loss of some hairs at normal rates.

Post hair transplant instructions

• The doctor will prescribe some medical drugs for you, such as an antibiotic, to speed up the healing of wounds and to prevent infection. He will also prescribe a painkiller to overcome the pain resulting from the operation, and you should take care of taking these drugs on time to avoid any complications.
• The doctor will also tell you the best way to care for hair after the procedure, which includes not touching the scalp for at least three days after the procedure, and using the appropriate shampoo and medical conditioner for your hair.
• You should completely refrain from scratching the scalp, exposing it to the sun, or using creams not prescribed by the doctor.
• It is preferable to stay away from smoking and alcohol and follow a healthy healthy regime to make your hair have a healthy appearance.
• If you have had an artificial hair transplant, it should not be cut, dyed, straightened or permed.

Misinformation surrounding hair transplantation

Unfortunately, obtaining medical information from unreliable sources leads to exposure to a number of myths and misinformation that may exacerbate your fears and deter you from seeking an easy and guaranteed medical procedure capable of changing your life, and the most famous of these myths are:

1. That the hair after transplantation looks artificial or fake, and this may have been true in the past, but with the progress of medicine and the development of different methods and techniques of hair transplantation, we are able to plant natural follicles and artificial hair in a way that cannot be distinguished from any other natural hair
2. Hair transplantation prevents future hair loss, which is not true because hair transplantation is more like a topical treatment for the problem, which is hair loss from a specific place or partial or total baldness, but it is not possible to guarantee that this will change in the future and the transplanted hair will be lost again.
3. The results of hair transplant operations are instant, and it is the biggest lie in this field. Hence, people panic when the transplanted hair falls out shortly after the operation, and they think that the transplantation has failed, but the truth is that the transplanted hair is weaker than continuing and falls so that the hair follicle implanted in the scalp is ready for new hair to germinate. Over the course of several months
4. Finally, hair transplantation is not limited to men only, but also women, especially those who suffer from severe hair loss that causes empty areas in the head, and is not limited to the elderly or young people, but is suitable for all ages.