According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, approximately 35 million men in the US and 21 million women experience hair loss. Hair transplant surgery is a medical procedure used for treating hair loss, balding, and thinning. It has been performed in the US since the 1950s. The latest techniques have simplified the procedure.
The most commonly used hair transplant methods are follicular unit transplantation (FUT) or follicular unit extraction (FUE). However, some people wonder whether they risk going bald even after a hair transplant surgery. This blog is meant to answer that question.
Can I Go Bald after a Hair Transplant Surgery?
After hair transplant surgery, your body needs to get accustomed to the newly transplanted hair. This results in temporary hair loss around 2-8 weeks post-surgery because of shock. This type of hair loss is quite normal and usually subsides in 3 months post-surgery. You will see hair transplant results and new hair growth within 8-12 months post-surgery.
You will not go bald after a hair transplant surgery because of the nature of the hair follicles, which are transplanted and are taken from the back and sides of your head, making them less susceptible to balding. However, the transplanted hair may turn thin over time as hair follicles don’t last a lifetime. In these cases, an additional hair transplant surgery may be needed later to fill all the thinning areas of the scalp.
See Also: FUE vs. FUT: How Are These Hair Transplant Methods Different?
Transplant Surgery Options
When the patient agrees to move forward with a hair transplant surgery, the hair graft is prepared. Hair graft is a strip of skin taken from the healthy scalp containing 1-4 hairs, follicles, and skin tissue around the follicles, providing nourishment. The healthy and strong hair grafts are extracted from the donor area and then transplanted to the target balding area.
There are two hair transplant procedures:
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). While both the procedures follow the same implantation process, how hair grafts are retrieved varies. Your surgeon will usually choose the back of your head as the donor area for a
hair transplant procedure. That’s because this area is not vulnerable to the hair thinning hormone DHT (Dihydrotestosterone).
FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)
For FUE, the surgeon extracts the hair follicles individually from the donor area using minute incisions. The extracted hair follicles are then transplanted into the tiny incisions made on the scalp where there is baldness.
Some advantages of
FUE include:
- Minimal scarring
- No stitches required
- Short recovery time
FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation)
In FUT, a linear strip of the scalp is extracted from the donor area. Then this strip is further dissected into 500 – 2000 follicular units having 1-4 hair follicles. They are then implanted into tiny incisions on the bald area.
Some advantages of FUT include:
- Yields a larger number of hair grafts that can be harvested in one session
- The results can be fuller and more natural-looking
- Does not require the entire donor area to be shaved off
See Also: Understanding the Factors That Qualify You for a Hair Transplant
Hair transplant cost varies from patient to patient, depending on the amount of hair transplanted.
Are you looking for the
best hair transplant surgeon in Chevy Chase, MD?
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Douglas Burka at
Mane Center for Advanced Hair Restoration at your earliest. He has the experience and expertise to offer you the most appropriate treatment to achieve your hair restoration goals.
