Hair transplant is a surgical procedure where the hair roots or follicles are removed from a healthy part of the scalp, referred to as a donor area (usually at the sides or back of the head), and transplanted to the balding area. Once transplanted, the hair will grow throughout the person’s lifetime. To date, it is the best procedure to address thinning hair, arrest a receding hairline and cover bald spots.
Research has shown that there are more and more people getting hair transplants over the past few years. In the US, 71 percent of those who underwent hair transplants were men. This is attributed to easier, painless and more effective new technologies. However, there are still a couple of myths about the procedure that deter men from exploring the possibility of hair transplants. Let us debunk some of them.
Common Hair Loss and Hair Transplant Myths
Myth #1: Getting a hair transplant means you will never go bald again
Fact:
Getting a hair transplant would mean that the spot on your head that once was bald will never ever be bald again. The transplanted hair is permanent and will continue to grow – provided of course that the procedure was successful and that you followed all the steps in maintaining and taking care of the transplanted hair.
However, a hair transplant in one area of the head will not mean that you will never go bald. The other parts of your head with thinning hair, but which were not transplanted, may also go bald in time. So before this happens, it is important to undergo medical management or undergo another transplant, this time, for those areas that were untouched during the first surgery.
Myth #2: The younger you get a transplant, the better
Fact:
Generally, older patients have greater chances of successful hair transplant results, because hair loss at its early stage still has an unpredictable patte, creating a greater possibility of more extensive hair loss in the future. The younger a person starts to lose his hair, the higher the chances of extensive hair loss, which would mean that there is not enough suitable donor hair that can cover the bald areas. One example is prominent bald actor Patrick Stewart (X-Men’s Professor X and Star Trek’s Capt. Jean-Luc Picard) who lost all of his hair before age 20 because of genetic alopecia.
Surgical hair restoration is also challenging to perform for those younger than 25 because it is hard to determine if the donor area (on the back and sides of the scalp where the follicles are immune to the dihydrotestosterone or DHT hormone) is going to be stable over time. A stable donor zone is a prerequisite to a successful transplant because if the procedure the donor area is found to be unstable after the procedure, the transplanted hair will eventually disappear as well.
DHT, which is a byproduct of testosterone, causes hair follicles to shrink and eventually disappear. During a transplant procedure, these shrinking follicles are replaced by DHT-resistant ones taken from the donor area. Time is the ultimate test that will determine whether a possible donor area can withstand the years and remain DHT-resistant, at which point it can be deemed a suitable donor area.
In short, getting a hair transplant when you are young would be a rushed decision that you may only regret in the future because if the donor area is unstable, the hair in the area will thin out and reveal the donor scars. Whereas, if the donor area is stable, it will have relatively thick hair and the donor scars would not be very visible. So it is ultimately better to wait for a balding pattern to develop so that the surgeon can determine which areas would be suitable donors.
Myth #3: You are too old to get a hair transplant
Fact:
As long as you still have healthy hair growing on your head, then you are not too old for a hair transplant. One of the goals of hair transplant surgery is to predict further future hair loss, as well as to make sure that the new transplant hair will blend with your existing hair. So if you still have hair on the sides and back of your head, then regardless of your biological age, you can still get the procedure.
Men over 50 years old can still expect excellent results from first time transplants. However, here are a couple of points you may have to discuss with your surgeon if you are over 50 and are planning to get a hair transplant:
- The transplant should create a hair loss correction appropriate for your age.
- The amount of donor hair on your scalp will be a major consideration in figuring out what type of restoration is achievable. Fewer amount of suitable donor hair will mean a smaller number of hair grafts that can be transplanted to the balding areas.
- Most older men prefer a restoration of the frontal hairline, as well as grafts behind the hairline for an appearance of fullness.
Myth #4: Someone else’s hair will be placed on your head when you get a hair transplant
Fact:
Only hair from your own body can be used to replace the hair on your head. A hair transplant surgery is not like using a wig or a hair extension. In a hair transplant procedure, only the hairs from your own body can be transplanted and used to replace balding spots on your head because foreign hair – whether hair from another person or artificial hair – would be rejected by your body. Remember, hair would be surgically grafted onto your scalp, so forcing foreign hair might lead to undesirable consequences.
Aside from your head, hair can also be extracted from your legs and body. However, most surgeons prefer scalp hair as it has several hairs that is produced out of each follicle, while leg and body hairs only have one hair for every follicle. Moreover, leg and body hairs are usually very fine compared with scalp hair, and when you’re getting a hair transplant, you might as well prefer thicker hair than thin, as fine hair which would only look limp.
Myth #5: Hair transplant can completely replace you hair and make you look exactly the way you did before
Fact:
All surgical hair restoration procedures merely transplant or move hair; hair cannot be created artificially. So do not expect to look exactly the way you did prior to any signs of hair loss. If the hair loss is extensive, there is usually not enough suitable donor areas to transplant into the parts that have lost hair. However, hair transplant can make you look many times better than you did before the procedure. Just look at the incredible hair transplant results of Australian actor and singer Jason Donovan and Australian international cricket star Shane Warne.
Myth #6: Hair transplant can destroy remaining hair follicles in a thinning area of your head
Fact:
While hair transplant surgery may cause a temporary “shock” loss of hair, it will not lead to loss of hair follicles in the balding area which will be transplanted with hair. The hair shedding that occurs is merely a physiological response of the scalp to the slight trauma caused by the transplant procedure. Healthy hair will regrow in around 6 months post-surgery, but hair that is near its end may not. But as long as the transplant is made properly and at the right time, shock hair loss is not going to be a major issue.
Now that we have debunked these hair transplant myths, you can finally have an informed decision when you have your consultation at the Australian Institute of Hair Restoration. Dr. Andrew Kim will provide you with the real facts on baldness and how to bring back the glory to your hair. Call us now or simply fill-out our inquiry to get started in feeling good about yourself again!
