How Does Hair Replacement Surgery Work

To add more hair to a thinning or balding area on your head, you undergo hair transplants. It’s done by taking hair from thicker parts of the scalp, or other parts of the body, and grafting it to the thinning or balding section of the scalp.
Worldwide, about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women, according to a trusted source, experience some form of hair loss. To address this, people often use over-the-counter products, including topical treatments like minoxidil (Rogaine).
Hair transplant is another restoration method. In 1939, a single scalp hair transplant took place in Japan. In the following decades, physicians developed the “plug” technique. The procedure involves transplanting large tufts of hair.
Like glowing health and youth, most of us take our locks for granted — that is, until they’re gone. For many people, a hair transplant can help bring back what looks like a full — or at least a fuller — head of hair.
In this article, we will discuss
- Is Hair Transplant Permanent
- Risks and Costs of Treatment a hair transplant
- What should I expect during my hair transplant recovery?
Risks and Costs of Treatment
The price of a hair transplant will depend largely on the amount of hair you’re moving, but it generally ranges from $4,000 to $15,000. Most insurance plans don’t cover it.
As with any kind of surgery, transplants have some risks, including bleeding and infection. There’s also the chance for scarring and unnatural-looking new hair growth.
Around the time new locks start to grow, some people have inflammation or an infection of the hair follicles, called folliculitis. Antibiotics and compresses can relieve the problem. It’s also possible to suddenly lose some of the original hair in the area where you got the new strands, called shock loss. But most of the time, it’s not permanent.
Talk with your doctor about these risks and how much improvement you’re likely to get from the surgery. They can help you decide if it’s a viable option for you.
Is Hair Transplant Permanent
You can resume your favorite activities five to seven days after treatment. Your transplanted hair is permanent and may be washed, cut and dyed.
When you think of “hair transplants,” you might envision the patchy, noticeable hair plugs of years past. But hair transplants have come a long way, particularly in the last decade.
Hair transplantation, also known as “hair restoration,” is an outpatient procedure that utilizes micrograft technology to transplant your hair follicles to areas of your scalp that are thinning.
The results of a hair transplant are observably long-lasting and are considered permanent. The procedure is also time-consuming and involves a healing and recovery process. For these reasons, individuals who have already experienced significant hair thinning on their scalp typically qualify for a hair transplant.

What should I expect during my hair transplant recovery?
The extent and complexity of the procedure will determine how you feel after surgery. Your physician can prescribe pain medication to control any aching, excessive tightness, or throbbing. Your physician will usually remove any bandages a day later. After the surgery, you have two days to gently wash your hair. Your surgeon will remove any stitches within a week to 10 days. Make sure to discuss the possibility of swelling, bruising, and drainage with your surgeon.
Because strenuous activity increases blood flow to the scalp and may cause your grafts or incisions to bleed, you may be instructed to avoid vigorous exercise and contact sports for at least three weeks. Some doctors also advise against engaging in sexual activities for at least 10 days after surgery.
Your doctor will likely want to see you several times during the first month after surgery to ensure proper healing of your incisions. You must carefully follow any advice you receive at these follow-up visits.
Conclusion
Hair transplantation involves removing small punch grafts from the hair-bearing scalp or a larger piece of this scalp from a donor area and cutting the remainder into smaller pieces to use as grafts. Then, relocate these grafts to a bald or thinning area of the scalp. The grafts created in this manner vary in size and shape. Round-shaped punched grafts usually contain about 10 to 15 hairs. The mini-graft typically contains two to four hairs, while the micro-graft typically contains one to two hairs. Slit grafts, which are inserted into slits created in the scalp, contain about four to 10 hairs each; strip grafts are long and thin and contain 30-40 hairs.