Hair Restoration Procedure

By Charles Browwn

Hair restoration is the surgical procedure aimed at permanently correcting male pattern baldness. It is a generic term to define a number of methods used to restore hair to balding areas. Hair restoration methods involve topical, oral and surgical treatments.

Various methods of hair restoration surgery

There are various methods of hair restoration surgery for you to choose from. The two chief methods that you can opt for are – a.) Scalp Flap Surgery and b.) Scalp Reduction Surgery.

A. Scalp flap surgery – It entails moving a flap of skin and underlying tissues from one scalp area to the other. The surgeon first cuts out a section of the scalp where there is no hair growth He then replaces it by a flap of hair-bearing scalp. The size and placement of the flap will depend on your requirements. You do not need to worry about the scar. It will be covered by the relocated hair.

The objective of this hair restoration method is used to rectify a non-traumatic cosmetic defect. It is also used to repair a traumatic injury site and restore its functionality and cosmetic appearance. Another use of scalp flap surgery is repairing a skin defect caused by congenital malformation. The advantages of this hair restoration surgery procedure include natural frontal hairline, proper hair placement in temporal areas, hair pattern distortion avoidance, etc. However, it runs the risk of certain side effects. They include permanent hair loss at donor sites, scarring at donor or recipient sites, blood supply failure to the flap, etc.

B. Scalp Reduction Surgery – Scalp reduction surgery is the hair restoration procedure usually meant for people with posterior baldness. It is into removing bald scalp and bringing the half-bearing scalp closer to it to fill in the bald area in the scalp. In this hair restoration surgery the surgeon reduces the baldness by cutting out a segment of the bald scalp skin. The hair restoration process in scalp reduction surgery has two parts. The first part includes the surgical removal of the bald portion of the scalp. The other part entails hair-bearing scalp being upwardly stretched to replace the bald scalp that has been removed. You many need the scalp reduction surgery to be conducted in combination with the surgical procedure called brow lifting. This procedure removes the frown lines from the forehead and crow’s feet from around the eyes. In your case this surgical procedure can be carried out through scalp extension or scalp expansion device. In this technique the hair-bearing scalp skin is stretched causing better coverage to bald areas of the scalp. This hair restoration surgery is often combined with hair transplantation. What’s the objective? Well, one possible objective is to “fine tune” hair restoration in your anesthetically sensitive areas. One example of such an area is your frontal hairline.

The scalp reduction surgery can be conducted before, during or after hair transplantation. The appropriate time will be identified mainly on the basis of your need. How to decide which scalp reduction technique is correct for you? That depends on various factors like your hair loss degree, laxity of the scalp, donor hair amount, etc. The possible complications and side effects that you may face include scarring at the suture lines, scalp skin “stretch back” at the excised bald area and central midline scar called slot deformity.

C. Recent advances in hair transplantation – The emergence of some relatively recent advances in hair transplantation techniques offer better surgery outcomes for pattern baldness. These new hair restoration techniques are less complicated and painful.

Follicular Unit Transplantation – At present it is considered to be the most reliable hair transplant technique. Its success rate is almost 10 per cent. A follicular unit is a physiological unit that needs to be extracted and transplanted as an intact unit. Its advantages include natural looking hair, more effective surgery due to the use of stereoscopic microscopes for dissection, avoidance of damage to the follicular unit, etc. However, it is a time consuming procedure.

Direct Hair Implant (DHI) – The minimally invasive hair transplant procedure for follicular hair transplant, DHI is free from the use of scalpel, stitches and a donor strip. The technique is based on the transportation technique named Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUE exemplifies the latest extraction procedure for follicular unit transplants procedure. FUE includes the use of custom-made, precise micro-surgical tools. There is direct extraction of follicular units one by one, instead of dissection. One main advantage of FUE is possibility of quality control during the transplantation procedure. Besides, it is a simple and painless procedure.

Choosing the right clinic

Be very careful while choosing your hair restoration clinic. A standard clinic will successfully help you realize your hair restoration dream. On the other hand the selection of a wrong clinic will lead to a faulty service. The various factors that determine the credibility of a clinic include the feedback of former patients, legal status (i.e. whether any lawsuits are pending against the clinic), the professional kills of the surgeon, etc.

Charles Browwn has been studying the hair restoration process for a number of years. He is associated with a number of clinics as counselor. Besides, she regularly writes columns on http://www.hairrestoration.info/follicle-unit-preservation.shtml Hair Restoration Surgery in various magazines and newspapers.