With hair loss affecting so many individuals, hair transplant surgery is becoming more popular than ever. Hair transplant surgery involves removing hair follicles from the most resilient part of the scalp, typically the back of the scalp. We call this area the “donor site”. The grafts can be obtained through a couple different methods, follicular unit transplant (FUT) more commonly referred to as “the strip method” and follicular unit extraction (FUE) with Neograft. Once these hair follicles are carefully removed, they are transplanted to the balding or thinning areas of the scalp. Both techniques are very successful and are usually specific to each individual’s concerns.
What To Expect From a Consultation
During an individual hair restoration consultation your goals, concerns, and motivations for surgery are expressed. Our experienced surgeons will examine your hair as well as your scalp. During this time your health and family history along with your hair loss history will be discussed.
Once the thinning and/or balding area of concern is examined, they’ll determine the best route of action for your hair loss. If a hair transplant is the best path, they will determine the graft amount that will be needed to achieve your desired results. During this time your surgeon will know if one hair transplant is enough or if a second might be a possibility.
What if one hair transplant is not enough?
During your consultation if it is determined that more than 2,000 grafts are needed to achieve your desired aesthetic outcome, more than one surgery may be required. Sometimes a hair transplant needs to be done in two sessions. This can simply depend on the large number of grafts needed and hair quality. The second session does have to be scheduled for the future, once the patient has healed from their first hair transplant surgery.
Balding and Thinning Continues
If balding and thinning continues following a hair transplant surgery, another hair transplant may be recommended to fill in the areas of the new balding and thinning. There are only so many hair transplants that can be performed on the same individual which is why our surgeons recommend continuing oral and/or topical hair loss medications to help patients hang on to the hair they already have.
Combining FUT with FUE
In many cases if a patient does need more than one hair transplant surgery, combining FUT with FUE techniques may be necessary. For example, if a patient initially has the FUT procedure done, their second transplant may have to be performed using the FUE technique. This varies from patient to patient based on how much skin laxity they have on the back of their scalp. Since the FUT method requires removing a strip of hair, the amount of skin on the back of the scalp is limited.
Whether you need one or two hair transplants, both hair transplant techniques look completely natural once healed. Patients are also so impressed by their long-lasting results.
To learn more about hair restoration visit utahhairmd.com, or please contact our office at 801-776-2220. UFP Hair restoration offers some of the best hair supplements and products, visit our online shop to view products.