Are You A Candidate For A Hair Transplant?
Hair transplantation has become a very popular and safe procedure to help people get back their hairlines. It is a confident booster and allows people to look and feel the way they want.
Statistics report that by the time two-thirds of males in the United States reach the age of 35, they will experience variant degrees of hair loss. It has also been found that by the time men reach the age of 50, approximately 85% of them have very noticeable hair thinning or hair loss.
Although having hair restoration surgery seems like a great solution, the fact is that not all patients are advised to have the hair replacement surgery done because they don’t meet the required prerequisites in order to achieve safe and effective results. Having hair loss is not the only factor required by the patient. There are several considerations patients have to keep in mind to ensure they are receiving a treatment that is right for them.
One of the most common questions we hear frequently at MAXIM Hair Restoration is “Am I a good candidate for hair transplant surgery?” Well, there are definitely a number of factors that help determine a patient’s candidacy. These important considerations include the patient’s overall health, their hair and scalp color, their number of healthy hair follicles, the shape, texture, and thickness of your hair, and even the flexibility of your scalp. All are important factors to take into account before embarking on hair restoration surgery.
Unfortunately, none of us as humans are perfect, and we tend to take our youth and health for granted sometimes, especially when we are young. Most of us often assume that we are invincible, that we would never get sick or suffer injuries, that we will always be full of vitality and good health. And, as in this case, we think that we will never lose our hair. Even those of us that now enjoy a thick full head of hair think it will stay that way for the rest of our lives without much change.
This is far from the truth and we must prepare ourselves for the fact that our health will gradually deteriorate and that there is a possibility we will eventually experience hair loss. We must take the necessary steps now to increase our probability of staying as healthy as we can. Sometimes hair loss is due to nutritional or environmental factors. However, sometimes hair loss is genetic and there isn’t much we can do to avoid this problem.
Who Can Be a Good Candidate for a Hair Transplant?
The truth of the matter is that many people will experience hair loss due to a variety of factors, whether from genetics, aging, hormones, or other lifestyle factors, during their lifetime. Research shows that an estimated 30 million women and as many as 50 million men will experience hair loss. For men, it typically presents as androgenetic alopecia, known more commonly as male-patterned baldness (MPB). Women can also experience patterned baldness, but it is more common among men. It is a definitive challenge for either sex, but hair loss has a more severe impact on females as they are more difficult to treat due to an unpredictable patterns of loss.
Fortunately, we are always looking towards new state-of-the-art technological and scientific advances in the medical field, including both hair loss and hair restoration. These medical advancements provide hope to people that suffer from severe hair loss, or a form of alopecia, to put it in medical terms. This is especially true for those whose hair loss is due to androgenetic alopecia.
Thanks to hair transplant procedures, people can have a second chance at having a full set of hair once again and restoring their appearance to what it once was. Hair transplant surgery has transformed the lives of many patients and continues to be an effective method for dealing with the problem.
Hair transplant surgery or FUE hair restoration/transplant restores lost hair, which allows people to regain their youthful appearance, confidence, and not feel embarrassed or ashamed to show who they truly are.
Donor hair density is one of the important factors a hair transplant doctor will examine and consider when making their decision as to if you are a good hair transplant candidate. The density is measured by how many follicular units (FU´s) there are per cm². FU´s are natural groupings of hairs, typically presenting in groups of 1-6 hairs.
Performing a scalp examination is needed for the hair transplant physician or clinician to determine if you are a good candidate for hair transplant surgery. Using magnified images of a patient’s donor hair, a hair restoration physician can determine the number of fine and miniaturized donor hairs available. Patients with 25 percent or more of their donor hair in the miniaturized form are great candidates for hair transplantation.
Therefore, the higher the number of miniaturized hairs presents in the donor area, the more a person is a candidate for a hair transplant. As well, the less contrast there is between hair and scalp color, the better a candidate you will be for a hair transplant, as there will be increased potential for better coverage, which improves the potential for success from a transplant.
Are You Looking for a Hair Transplant Surgeon?
To find out if hair transplant surgery is right for you, there are a number of factors that influence your candidacy. You and your hair replacement physician will set up an initial consultation to examine your hair. The physician will be able to determine the best options for you to consider.
Your hair transplant doctor will thoroughly explain the pros and cons of the different types of treatment options available to you. At that time, you will be able to ask as many questions as you want, in order to gain a clear understanding of the hair transplant procedure and the implications that it may have. This first step will help you and your consulting hair restoration surgeon make the appropriate determination of what is best for your specific situation, as everyone is different. A unique plan for your case will be outlined in order for you to know exactly what to expect every step of the way, from the time you begin your initial consultation to far out into the future well after your final treatment.
During the hair transplant consultation, the doctor will determine if you are a candidate for the hair transplant procedure. This is done by checking the thickness of your hair (density), specifically of the donor hair. The softness (laxity) of the scalp will also be examined. In the case where an individual has high donor density, the hair follicles where the hair comes out from also called follicular units, signify that it usually contains multiple hairs, which is a very good sign. Low donor density means that your follicular units usually contain only one hair and this is not a good case for using it for transplanting.
If it turns out that the individual has a very loose or soft scalp, if they are a good candidate for the transplant procedure, a larger donor strip of hair can be removed. However, in the case where the patient has a tighter scalp, this means only a thin donor strip will be possible to remove.
If it is determined that you are a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure, a plan is constructed with the goal of achieving the best possible hair restoration for you, taking into account balding patterns, how much donor hair is available, etc. The plan may call for one or several hair transplant surgeries, as everyone is different.
Hair transplantation surgery has been around for over 60 years. It has helped people that suffer from hair loss to regain confidence and self-esteem. Traditional hair transplantation, also known as Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT), involves removing a narrow strip of hair from another area of the head called a donor site, commonly the back of the head. It is followed by the transplantation of these hair follicles onto the areas where the hair is balding or thinning. In a way, you can think of it as planting seeds on a field where nothing is growing.
The hormone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is responsible for why people progressively lose their hair. During a hair transplant, the hair follicles taken from the donor site are resistant to the DHT hormone, and therefore, when transplanted into the desired area, these follicles will continue to grow naturally, and not fall out.
The hair transplant procedure or FUE hair restoration/transplant is typically performed under local anesthesia. This makes the procedure a fairly simple outpatient treatment and a much safer alternative. You will be able to go home the same day and you don’t have to run the risk of being under general anesthesia.
Depending on the extent of your hair loss, and the number of grafts that were transplanted, the procedure can take anywhere from four to eight hours. Some patients may experience various degrees of swelling and bleeding after the procedure, which is completely normal. In addition, some patients may experience inflammation around the new hair follicles growing in, which can be controlled with medication and cold compresses. Overall, the procedure has very little downtime or complications. If you’re good about keeping up with the recommended aftercare, you’ll hardly notice you had the procedure done.
MAXIM operates hair transplant clinics in New York City (NYC); Long Island (NY); Paramus, New Jersey; Northern Virginia (Washington D.C. and Maryland area); Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas; Costa Mesa, Los Angeles metro area in Orange County, Southern California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Sarasota, Florida; Manila and Cebu, Philippines; Dubai, U.A.E.; Istanbul, Turkey; and Wroclaw, Poland. Future centers are planned in Austin, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; and other markets.
To learn if you are a candidate for a hair transplant, Contact MAXIM today for a complimentary consultation.
