How to Transplant Hair

Hair loss effects millions of men and women. As the body ages, the hair follicles become smaller, forcing the hair to become thinner, until eventually the follicle dies and hair can no longer be grown. Hair loss is mostly genetic, and although previously believed to only be handed down from the mother's side, it can come from the father's side as well. Most hair treatments, such as Rogaine, need to be used continuously to maintain results; as soon as you stop using the product, the regrown hair will fall out. The only permanent treatment for hair loss is a hair transplant.

Things You'll Need

• Epinephrine anesthetic
• Carl Zeiss 5x300 optical loupe
• Zeiss Opml 25 operating microscope
• Scalpel
• Saline solution
• Needle
• Tweezers

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Instructions

• 1

  Remove the donor hair follicles. Donor hair generally comes from the back of your head, where the hair is thickest and the follicles will not be missed. The removal will leave a small scar, but it will be covered by other hair.

• 2

  Divide the donor hair into smaller sections. Typically, hair is removed in one section or strip. This strip is then separated into smaller sections that each contain several individual hair follicles. The fewer hair follicles in each section, the better the transplant will look. Many people have a negative impression of "hair plugs." A hair plug is a transplant using large groups of hair follicles.

• 3

  Prepare the transplant site by injecting a small amount of anesthetic. Once this has been done, make tiny incisions in the scalp.

• 4

  Insert the hair follicle grafts into the incisions one at a time. Eventually the new hair follicles will begin to grow again. After the procedure, there is a likelihood that additional hair will fall out because of the stress of the operation; this is temporary and the hair will grow back shortly.