Thinning hair, widespread hair loss? These conditions can give us a complex, but they can be cured permanently with a hair transplant. Let us explain a bit more about this increasingly common aesthetic medicine procedure.
Stress, menopause, taking certain drugs, overly aggressive hair brushing, extensions, too tight hairstyles, or simply hereditary… There are many factors that contribute to hair loss.
While it is unpleasant for men, women often view hair loss as a real traumatic experience.
Who is a hair transplant for?
Hair transplants are for anyone whose skin is visible on certain parts of their head or who has thinning hair at the front – in other words, anyone experiencing hair loss.
In practice, during a hair transplant, the hair is removed with its follicle. The hair is self-sufficient and keeps all its characteristics: shape, volume, color, etc.
Please note, after chemotherapy, which destroys the hair bulb, a hair transplant is not possible for several years.
Follicular extraction (FUE)
This procedure is ideal for mild and moderate alopecia. It involves removing micro grafts with a diameter of around 1 mm from the scalp (or from anywhere on the body).
Lying on the stomach and under local anesthetic, the physician shaves the hair to a length of 1 mm in the donor area to see the hair growth and its placement.
Each graft can contain 1 to 3 hairs. Then, whilst sitting down, local anesthetic is administered in the area where the hair will be implanted, using a micro blade or a needle.
The session lasts from 3 to 5 hours maximum, depending on the number of hairs to transplant.
Advantages: no staples or sutures. Healing is quick and discreet.
After the procedure: A bandage is applied, then removed the following day, to prevent bleeding during the night. Very mild pain, which can be soothed with a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory. The patient can resume their normal activities from the next day.
After a hair transplant, be careful
You can wet your hair from the following day, taking care not to rub the grafts for three weeks. Gentle shampoo can be used after five days.
Remember to hydrate the grafts well to prevent scabs and accelerate healing.
Avoid intense exercise for around ten days and, of course, no hair dyes for one month. If you feel that you do need to dye your hair, it should be planned in advanced and dye can be applied up to 48 hours before the procedure.
