Hair Transplant and Surgical Follicle Renewal
John Frank, MD offers hair transplant and surgical follicle renewal in Columbus, OH & NYC.
Benefits | Limitations | Other Transplants
This is a minor but very technical procedure and not everyone may understand the process of surgically transferring and transplanting hair. Unlike a nose job (Rhinoplasty) or facelift (Rhytidectomy), Follicle Renewal (“Hair Transplant”) may be less commonly understood.
Hair Transplant and Surgical Follicle Renewal Overview
Follicle Renewal (“Hair Transplant”) is a procedure where hair is surgically removed and relocated, strand-by-strand, from one area of a person’s body to another. It was discovered over a half century ago that hair follicles may be extracted and then re-implanted to other areas and grown permanently. And because the hair from the sides and back of one’s scalp are strong and totally resistant to balding, those hairs can be useful in other, more visible places-areas which had previously lost hair.
After the hair is successfully transplanted, it retains the characteristics from where it came and is therefore resilient to most of the forces otherwise leading to hair loss-even in the new areas! The procedure is methodically performed by a physician and his assistants over the course of one day, using local anesthesia.
Typical hair transplants move thousands of hair follicles with the objective of re-creating the frontal hairline zone and follicles in other balding areas. After a brief healing period, the hair begins to fill in naturally at approximately 4-6 months.
Hair Transplant and Surgical Follicle Renewal: Who Can Benefit?
A follicle renewal procedure is performed for men and women who have lost hair in the front and top of the scalp secondary to Androgenetic Alopecia. People with thinning hair and damaged scalps from other causes such as Traction and Traumatic Alopecia may also benefit from the procedure. Besides the scalp, areas of the body which can be transplanted include the eyebrows and other areas of the face or the anywhere in the body where hair has been lost.
Hair Transplant and Surgical Follicle Renewal Limitations
Hundreds of thousands of people with Androgenetic Alopecia have benefited from having Follicle Renewal. However, hair loss is a progressive condition in most people and despite undergoing the procedure, the underlying thinning process may still continue. For someone to entertain having Follicle Renewal, they must consider or visualize what they may look like in the future considering future hair loss.
Fortunately, several medications and techniques have become available to slow down the thinning process. The implanted hair will always grow, however, the surrounding native hair may not, and this must be taken into consideration. This vision of the future is more difficult for somebody under the age of 25 and may therefore preclude younger individuals from surgical hair transfer.
Also, in order for hair to be appropriately transferred, the individual must have enough hair in the back and sides to donate to the front and top of the scalp or other areas of the body.
Eyebrow Transplant and Other Hair Transfers
At first glance (or after falling prey to many other websites) it may appear that Eyebrow Transplant is similar to the typical scalp hair transplant. Indeed, it is based upon the same concept of Donor Dominance where hair follicles removed from one area of the body may be transferred to other areas and grow normally.
However, that is where the similarities end. While the eyebrows occupy only a small surface area, they dramatically influence our appearance and countenance. The eyebrows serve as an anchor for the eyelids and eyebrow restoration should respect the dimensions and contours of the upper one-third of the face. Technically, they have well described directions, angles and distribution.
The arching pattern is very different between men and women and the hairs are also much finer than scalp hair. The utmost precision is required to recreate the unique architecture. Fortunately, a far fewer follicles are required to transplant eyebrows as opposed to scalp and most procedures may be performed over two to three hours.
