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New Hair Replacement Procedures

Hair loss is a combination of many factors such as genetics, aging loss of nutritive vitamins in the hair. The average life span of a strand of hair is about three months. In most people, hair regenerates naturally. If it does not, hair loss occurs. According to American Family Physicians, in the United States hair loss affects two out of three men and one in five women. Fortunately, for those suffering from hair loss, treatment options are available.

  1. Surgery

    • Surgery is one of the more popular methods of hair replacement. This method has come a long way from the painful process it used to be. Hair transplantation is much less complicated, painful and invasive than it was originally. Despite these advances, hair transplantation surgery still has potential side effects which include bleeding, patchy hair growth after the procedure, a repeated need for surgery if the first graft is not accepted and infection.

      Hair transplantation surgery is most effective when performed when the first signs of balding appear. In both men and women (unless balding is for medical reasons), the first sign is usually thinning of the crown area of the head.

    New Surgical Procedure

    • As of 2009, the newest method of hair replacement takes hair-bearing scalp grafts from a donor site and places them on bald areas. The grafts can vary from two strands to 10 or 15 strands at a time. Hairs can be of different size and width so the grafts must be matched to ensure even hair growth. A full transplant may take up to two years to ensure that all grafts are properly selected and applied and to achieve a full head of hair. The important advantage of this surgery is that the transplanted hair does not lose its texture, or fall. This means that once a transplant is successful, the hair that you get should stay for life.

    Tissue Expansion

    • Tissue expansion is another innovative method of hair replacement. In this method, a tissue expander is placed surgically underneath the hair-bearing area, just adjacent to the bald area. In a few weeks, this device stretches the tissues of the hair-bearing area to the areas of baldness. The hair grows since the skull has new hair-bearing tissue to encourage growth. The surgical process is complete with the placement of new skin over the bald spot.

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