How Surgeons Hide Donor Scars during Hair Transplant Surgery

Hair transplant procedures leave scars. It is just a fact of life.

However, if the surgeries are handled in the proper manner, the scars are barely noticeable. They are thin to the point that they can barely be seen in most cases. Skilled doctors have ways of making the scars practically disappear.

First of all, the surgeon must be very skilled in choosing the site of the path where he harvests the donor tissue for the hair transplant. Its width should be no more than one centimeter in most instances. This allows the scalp to close completely when sutured back into place.

If the hair transplant procedure is done well, the scar will not be noticeable even if the patient likes to wear his hair in a short style. The scar will only become unsightly if the patient is genetically predisposed to keloid scarring.

People who have this kind of problem need special treatment. If a patient is known to suffer from keloid scarring, the first thing a reputable doctor will do before hair transplant surgery is to explain the possibility of unsightly scars.

This requires a very honest surgeon, since the patient may decide the procedure is not worth the scarring it will cause.

The next step with such a patient would be to discuss ways the keloid could be covered. It could be camouflaged by wearing the hair just a little longer.

Other patients have rubbery skin that stretches too much and so causes wide donor scars. These two groups add up to about 5% of the patients who have hair transplant surgery. The other 95% of patients have no problems with their tiny scars at all.

The hair transplant doctors are able to keep the donor strips very thin. They also use a double layer closure method to help the skin heal properly. As long as the surgeon knows what she is doing, the scars are a minor consideration.

Another aspect of scarring is when doctors go in for multiple hair transplant surgeries. A new strip of donor tissue has to be taken each time to supply the grafts for the new transplant.

It would seem that this would lead to a large number of scars on the back and sides of the head. Actually, there is a hair transplant procedure that keeps the scarring to one thin line.

It consists of cutting the new thin donor strip immediately above the original scar. In most cases, the old scar is removed at the same time. When the wound is stitched up, the entire area of both the old scar and the new cut are sewn into one line. If multiple surgeries are done, this procedure is used every time.

Hair transplant surgery leaves scars. That much is certain. If you are one of the unlucky few who scar easily, you might have scars big enough that you have to hide them. Yet, if you are like most people, you will not have scars that anyone will notice at all.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

What Are the Side Effects of Hair Transplant Surgery?

A person with balding problems can gain a great deal of confidence by having hair transplant surgery. The procedure is a fairly easy one for the patient.

However, there are some minor complications or side effects that sometimes come with the surgery:

1. Thinning.

If you have hair transplant surgery, you might be alarmed if you notice that the hair you already did have is getting thinner. This is a normal post-operative condition. The thickness comes back within a few months after surgery. It will be just as full as it ever was.

2. Bleeding.

The hair transplant surgery will likely cause some bleeding. If you put pressure on the area, the bleeding will usually stop. In rare situations, the bleeding does not stop this way. In that case, it might be necessary for the surgeon to do some extra stitching to close the wounds.

3. Pain.

There is actually very little pain with hair transplant surgery. About half of the people who have the procedure done will not need any pain relievers at all. Most others take a mild pain reliever such as Tylenol for a few days, and that seems to be enough for them.

4. Itching.

It is not unusual for itching to occur on areas affected by hair transplant surgery. Yet, it should not last more than a few days. If you use shampoo and wash the hair every day, it helps with the problem.

5. Swelling.

Almost everyone who has hair transplant surgery has swelling in the forehead and around the eyes. This lasts for only a few days, the worst being about the fourth day. Some people exhibit a black eye as a result.

6. Numbness.

A hair transplant patient will feel numbness for several weeks after the surgery. It is almost a given. However, it is usually only temporary.

7. Hiccups.

Interestingly enough, one side effect of hair transplant surgery is having the hiccups after the procedure. Only about 5% of the patients have this problem, but it can be troublesome if it lasts more than a few days. It can keep you from eating or sleeping properly. Doctors have medications they can prescribe to help with this.

8. Infections.

Infections are rare with hair transplant surgery, but they can happen. One reason they do not happen more is that antibiotics are given before and after the procedure to prevent infections from even starting.

9. Cysts.

Cysts can come up in the areas where the hair is being transplanted to, also called the recipient areas. The cysts do not usually last more than a few weeks and are rarely more than the size of small pimples.

10. Scarring.

If you have keloid scarring after hair transplant surgery, it is probably because you are genetically inclined to have it. Very infrequently, patients have scarring that takes the form of ridges.

The side effects of hair transplant surgery are not particularly difficult for the person who has them. They are more like minor inconveniences for most people. The most important thing about them is that nearly all of them will be gone in just a few weeks.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

What to Do About Bad Hair Transplants ?

If you had a hair transplant operation during past decades, you might not be happy with the result.

You may have the type of hair transplant called hair plugs. These make the hair stick up out of your head like the bristles of a toothbrush.

If you want to take advantage of modern methods, it is not too late to have more natural-looking hair.

The first thing you need to do is to find a hair transplant surgeon who has done many hair transplant repair surgeries. Fixing bad hair transplants is somewhat of a specialty for certain doctors. Your own primary care physician may know of a surgeon who is involved in this sort of work.

Otherwise, you can look for ads in the yellow pages to start your search. Contacting professional organizations is also a good idea. Once you have found a doctor or doctors to consider, make sure they let you see examples of their work.

It will not be enough to see what they can do with a virgin scalp. You need to see how successful they have been in dealing with problems such as the ones you have.

If you cannot see the patients directly, at least ask for a look at some photos. Talk to the surgeon about what can be done to fix your inferior hair transplant job.

If you have large hair plugs, ask if the doctor will be removing the plugs. The surgeon may want to take them out, break them up into smaller units, and reinsert them. If your plugs are smaller, he may just want to add some new donor hair to lessen the effect of the doll head look.

If cost is an issue with you, discuss it with your surgeon. Cost is a very real problem for many who want to have bad hair transplants fixed. It may be more expensive to do the correction than an original surgery would cost.

If you do not have the cash, your doctor can usually point you to several different financing methods. That way, you do not have to come up with the money all at once. Discuss healing with your hair transplant surgeon.

Because you may be having plugs removed, you have more healing to do than someone who is having a routine hair transplant. You need to let the plug sites heal as well as the new insertion sites and possible new donor sites.

It may take special post-operative care and longer down-time. Ask your doctor if she expects you to have more than one surgery session. You may need to have the plugs removed in one session and allow that to heal before going on to the next phase.

Your doctor may not know the answer to this until after she sees how your first surgery has gone.

In any case, it is wise to go in expecting that you probably will need more than one hair transplant surgery.

Getting a bad hair transplant result is difficult to live with for years as many have done. The fact that there are surgeries that can correct these problems is music to their ears. It is hope they may have never dreamed possible.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

How to Take Care after Hair Transplant Surgery ?

Once you have made the decision to have hair transplant surgery, you are probably jumping ahead to thinking about your post-op plans.

You most likely cannot wait to see the faces on your friends and acquaintances when they notice your new full head of hair.

In the meantime, you have to go through the surgery and take care so that your hair transplant will be successful.

Your hair transplant will not heal unless you keep the newly operated-on skin out of the sunlight. The surgery will make the skin especially sensitive. If you protect the skin on your scalp after getting a scalp hair transplant, you will help the wounds heal much faster.

You can start out by getting some kind of hat. It does not matter what kind of hat it is, as long as it is fairly loose-fitting so that it does not rub on your new hair transplant grafts.

You should not have to put up with this for long. After a couple of weeks, you can replace the cap with sunscreen. It should have an SPF of at least 30.

Having just the right amount of blood flow to the hair transplant sites will make a big difference in how fast they heal. For example, you need to make sure you get enough blood flow during the night. You can do this by sleeping on pillows to elevate your head. Your usual pillows can be used, or you can buy wedge-shaped pillows made for this purpose.

On the other hand, you do not want too much blood flow. You should get plenty of rest after your hair transplant surgery. For the first few weeks it is not wise to engage in any physically demanding activities. Then, the blood flow will be too much. Your transplants may start to bleed.

It is important to clean your hair just as your doctor recommends after hair transplant surgery. You will be given a special shampoo to use and specific instructions on how and when to use it. It is necessary to clean gently but thoroughly. At first, you may find yourself rinsing your hair many times a day. Just be sure that you do not bother the hair transplant site by scratching or rubbing it.

Your hair transplant doctor will want you to come in for a check of your transplants about a week after your surgery. Be sure to be at that appointment on time.

If you have any questions about how to care for your hair, bring them up at that time. Ask your doctor when you will be ready to use a comb on your new hair. You might be surprised at how soon you can use one.

Then, your doctor will schedule other check-ups, which you should also attend. At first it may seem as if you have to be very careful with your hair – and you do!

It does not make sense to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars having your hair transplant surgery and then not follow through with good care.

However, in no time at all, you will be treating this new hair just as you treated the hair you once had there.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

Planning for Your Hair Transplant Surgery

It takes courage to take the first steps in going through with hair transplant surgery.

Planning for the procedure is necessary before you even make the final decision to have it done. Once that step is completed, you will be ready to start the preparations for your surgery.

Before you are approved for a hair transplant procedure, the doctor will have to sign off on you. You must be deemed appropriate for the surgery. It may seem that everyone would be approved, but there are several reasons why you may not be.

The doctor will explore both the hair loss you have suffered, and the hair growth you still have. This is very important, because knowing where the donor hair for the hair transplant will come from is imperative.

The doctor will also want to know the patterns of baldness and hair growth in your family history. This will give an idea of whether there is hope for a good result that will last for a fair amount of time.

You will also need to reveal to the doctor if you have had any hair replacement surgery before.

To get an idea of how you will react to having a hair transplant procedure done, the doctor will ask many questions. He will want to know the basics of your lifestyle as they relate to your health and hair.

The doctor will also want to know what you think will change when you have your hair transplant. If your expectations are too high, you may be referred to counseling before a reputable doctor will perform a hair transplant. If you are positive yet realistic, you may be ready for the next step.

Next, the doctor will get all the facts on your health that are related with surgical procedures. Uncontrolled high blood pressure would be a problem.

If you are on anti-clotting medications such as Coumadin, you would have to stop taking them for awhile before having a hair transplant.

People who have a history of excessive scarring might want to think twice about getting a hair transplant. Scars are usually a part of the procedure because the donor hair is taken from the back and sides of the scalp. There, scars are formed when it is removed.

If you get this far into the plan and are approved for surgery, the doctor will begin to discuss the day of the hair transplant itself. You will be assessed and told exactly what hair transplant procedure will be done.

The doctor will discuss where this procedure is to take place. The doctor will give you information like how long it will take for you to treat you transplants like normal hair. He will also give you an idea how different you will look after the hair transplant.

Getting a hair transplant is a big step, but with good planning, you can be sure you are making the right decision. Any respectable doctor will work with your well-being in mind to make sure you are doing the right thing.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

Preparing for Hair Transplant Surgery

Hair transplant can make you look younger and more attractive.

Your doctor will need to prepare you for the surgery so that you will know exactly what to do to make the procedure go better. If you follow instructions, you will have a much better outcome.

When the doctor sees you a couple of weeks before surgery day, she will go over again exactly what procedure you are getting.

The surgery will be explained to you in detail so that it will be fresh in your mind before you make that final commitment. She will go over any problems she sees that might come up during the hair transplant procedure.

Then, you will be given instructions to make your hair transplant surgery go better. Some of the items on the list might seem like the doctor is interfering with your life, but they are truly necessary if you are to get the best outcome.

You will be told to quit smoking, at least until after you have healed from the surgery, if you are a smoker before the hair transplant procedure. This is important because smoking makes you heal slower by inhibiting blood from flowing to your skin. It may be hard to do, but if you quit smoking just for the surgery, it might not be so hard.

Then, once you have done that, you may find that you want to stay off the cigarettes or cigars even after the hair transplant have healed. If not, then at least you will have allowed your skin to heal.

You may be given specific guidelines for eating in the weeks leading up to the hair transplant surgery. Excessive drinking may be a problem due to anesthesia and medications you have to take in the course of having your hair transplant done, so you may be asked to refrain from drinking until your head has healed. You may even be told whether or not to take certain vitamins and medications.

The doctor will discuss where your hair transplant procedure will take place. She may even have a nurse or helper give you a tour of the facility. It will most likely be a doctor’s clinic or an outpatient surgery center. You will be made to feel as comfortable as possible.

Unless you are one of a very tiny group, you will not have to stay in the hospital overnight.

You will have time to discuss anesthesia with the doctor. She will probably tell you that you will be sedated and given a local anesthesia. This will be enough to help you relax and keep pain from being a part of the hair transplant procedure. You will only feel pressure on your scalp.

Finally, you will be told to make arrangement to be taken home on the day of the hair transplant surgery. You will not be fit to drive because of the sedation; at least, it would not be wise to do so.

Since you probably need to take it easy the first day or two, you might want to ask someone to stay with you, although that is purely optional.

If you follow all your doctor’s recommendations, you will be thoroughly prepared for you hair transplant surgery when the day comes. It is a big deal to you, so you might as well treat it with the seriousness it deserves.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

Why Some People Do Not Want To Have Hair Transplant Surgery

Hair transplant surgery is not for everyone.

In fact, some people have been so disappointed and even angered about their results that they have filed class action lawsuits against hair transplant surgeons and clinics. There are several reasons they give for their dissatisfaction:

1. Underestimating Procedures.

Certain surgeons and clinics underestimate the number of procedures necessary to achieve the desired effect. This leads people to have a false hope of having a full head of hair in a very short time. When this does not happen, they are understandably angry. They did not get what they were promised.

2. Underestimating Price.

Surgeons usually do give some sort of estimate of the cost of the entire procedure of a hair transplant. A reputable surgeon will emphasize that it is only an estimate and that things may change once the procedures are started. Also, she will give an honest accounting of what she expects the procedure to cost. An unscrupulous surgeon, on the other hand, will distort the facts about his hair transplant procedures. He will try to get the patient started by stating that the price will be very low. He will know all along that the procedures will cost much more, but he will lowball the price anyway just to get the patient started so that they have to finish.

3. Creating Scars.

All hair transplant surgery will create small scars. Some people find them unacceptable. They want to wear their hair short, and they see the scar peeking out from under their hair, even if no one else does. Of course, there are also physicians with poor skills who create large scars and people who are prone to scarring. Hair transplant scars are a sore subject for man people.

4. Uneven hairlines.

Some people who have hair transplant surgery end up with uneven hairlines. This is caused by the oversight of negligent doctors. If a person gets to work with a reputable surgeon, things like this just do not happen. However, if someone has seen a person with this problem, it will likely turn them off to hair transplant surgery for good.

5. Old-Fashioned Plugs.

People with the large plugs that look like doll’s hair or toothbrush bristles are still around. While this type of hair transplant is rarely done anymore, the effects are still evident among people of a certain age. If someone who knows one of these people has a balding problem, they are not likely to think of hair transplants. The only way they would is if they have some other, good, experience with them.

6. Doctors Who Put Money above the Patients’ Interest.

Any doctors who make decisions that are not based on the welfare of his patient are following their Hippocratic Oath in its intentions. Doctors are held to a high standard and when a surgeon tries to convince a patient to get hair transplant surgery when it is not best for him, he is not really acting as a doctor should. The horror stories are out there and many people are aware of them. There is a higher rate of suicide following hair transplant and other cosmetic surgeries. This is partly because the patients are disappointed that their lives do not miraculously change overnight.

However, other reasons for their despair are poor results and unscrupulous doctors. People who are afraid of this misery are likely to bow out.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

Styling Secrets of Hair Transplant

If you are getting a hair transplant, you probably want to know all about styling methods.

From the days before your surgery to the years afterwards, it is good to know all you can about how to care for your hair. If you did not want your hair to look good, you would not have had the hair transplant in the first place.

When you are having your consultation with the surgeon, explain the kind of hair style you would like to have. This gives him an idea of how best to create the design of the hair transplant receptor sites on your scalp. It might make a difference in the angle of the hair or the direction of the hair.

The doctor will show you before and after pictures of his past hair transplant patients. Do not be discouraged if they all seem to have the same plain haircut in the after pictures. This is often the case when the doctor is trying to be truthful.

He will have the patients pose with their hair sans hair styling products like mousse or gel. This is to prevent you from getting a false impression of what a hair transplant can do. Yet, if you use your imagination, you can see how the right style would make the hair transplant look great.

Before you go in for your hair transplant surgery, your surgeon will give you some facts about how to care for your hair before the surgery and after. He will emphasize that the hair on your crown should be at least 2cm long. This is so that the donor site scar will be adequately covered up until the sutures heal.

Also, the doctor will not tell you to get a haircut. In fact, when getting a hair transplant, the longer your hair is, the better it often works. It hides the sutures and eventually hides any scars you might have.

You will be told to use your normal shampoo before the hair transplant surgery. No special scalp treatment will be needed. Do not worry about any scraggly hair on top of your head. The doctor will blend it in with the grafts as he goes.

It may seem odd, but once the grafted hairs are set, they are just as strong as the rest of your hair. You can cut them, comb and brush them, and even dye them in time.

New hairs start to grow within three months. You will find you need haircuts more often, as your hair will grow about one or two centimeters per month.

As for intense styling, your hairdresser can help you with that in about 20 days after your hair transplant surgery. Your grafted hairs are the same as old hairs but they are balding resistant. However, they need special care at first.

Your hairdresser should know about hair transplants and understand just what you need to avoid. After a few short weeks, you can treat your hair transplant grafts just like you did your old hair before you lost it. You can style it however you want. You can comb it and use hair care products on it. Do not forget: this is really your own hair.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

What Is Hair Transplant Micro Grafting?

Hair transplant procedures have changed in the decades since they were first done. The earlier methods of using hair plugs were not satisfactory. People looked like they had doll’s heads, with hair sticking out of their hair in clumps.

Now hair transplants are more natural looking because of a procedure called micro grafting. Most hair transplant surgeries today involve micro grafting to some degree.

Micro grafts hold about three or four hair follicles. Older style hair grafts often held more like a dozen hair roots. These new micro grafts are only possible because skilled surgeons have refined the methods of extracting them.

Micro grafts are useful in hair transplant surgery because they can give the hair a quite natural appearance. The hair emerges from the scalp in the most natural way, with the same number of hairs that nature intended. If the procedure is done correctly, no one can tell the difference.

Natural looking hairlines have been difficult to achieve with hair transplant surgery. Micro grafts make it possible for a brand-new hairline to be attained that does not call attention to itself in the least. This is quite an accomplishment after the stares that many people endured in the past because of bad hair plugs.

However unnoticeable and natural micro grafts appear, they do not give you a full, thick head of hair. For that, many hair transplant surgeons will use micro grafts for the hairline and the front and edges of the hair. Then, they will use mini grafts farther back on the scalp.

These mini grafts used in hair transplant surgery contain three to eight shafts of hair. They give the hair fullness in areas where they will not stand out as looking fake.

It is a common circumstance to have the mini grafts in the central and crown of the scalp and micro grafts at the hairline and around the edges.

If a person had this arrangement after a hair transplant and then shaved the micro grafts, the mini grafts would look decidedly unnatural. However, with the micro grafts on the leading edges, they blend in and give the hair fullness.

They serve an important function. Previously, when hair plugs were used, doctors did the hair transplant surgeries much differently. They used an instrument called a trephine to cut circular grafts from 2mm to 5mm in diameter. These plugs were inserted into the balding area.

Now, a multi-bladed knife can be used to cut long thin strips of donor tissue. The strip of scalp will be about an inch wide and five inches long. Then, the hair transplant doctor pulls the skin together where this was taken out, and stitches it together. Finally, the micro grafts will be finished by being divided into individual grafts by using a stereomicroscope.

The surgical team will make a variety of grafts from eight-shaft mini grafts to one or two shaft micro grafts. These will be moved during hair transplant to the recipient sites so that the hair will have a natural hairline with fullness on top.

Hair transplant today would not be the same without the use of micro grafts. They make for more natural-looking results. Also, the pain factor goes down with the use of the smaller grafts. They have proven to be an excellent discovery.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

Hair Cloning Research for Hair Transplant Procedures

The future of hair transplant procedures is in the laboratories at this very time.

Scientists are working together to find a way to make the surgery work for more people. They also want to see it work better for the types of people who have hair transplants today.

One area of research is hair cloning.

Hair cloning promises to be a revolutionary procedure that would give people with little hair a chance to have hair transplant surgeries. It would do this by multiplying the hair a patient already has rather than using up the good hair that still exists on the patient’s head.

Hair cloning is done by taking stem cells, or dermal papilla cell, and cloning them in a laboratory setting. They are then multiplied and combined. The end result is an increase in the number of hairs available for hair transplant.

Not only is hair cloning possible, it has been proven in many scientific studies. Recently one group of researchers did a culture whereby they multiplied the number of dermal papilla cells.

With this being possible, hair cloning is a single step away. Hair transplant procedures that use cloned hair are farther off, though. The research cannot be done as to whether these hairs can safely and effectively be transplanted onto a person’s scalp yet.

First, they cloning process will have to be completely perfected. Only then can the hair transplant trials begin. More research needs to be done to find out which hair cells can be used for hair cloning and then hair transplant procedures.

Some of the available cells go through several stages before ending in cell death in a very short time. These cells would not be adequate for use with hair transplant surgery.

There seem to be other cells which last longer and would work for this application. A scientist named Dr. Gho has done some work and acquired a Dutch patent on his work with hair multiplication. It is unclear whether this is much like hair cloning or not.

That is because Dr. Gho neglects to submit his findings to be published in medical journals. Without review by other doctors, Gho’s theories cannot be tried and evaluated.

Certain types of auto-immune diseases, such as alopecia areata can now be treated by means of hair transplant techniques by using the donor strip method.

Yet, in the future, hair cloning will make hair transplant easier for these people who often have very little hair to use for grafts. Some people believe that hair transplant grafts using cloned hair would be about the same cost as the usual hair transplants that are available today.

Other experts believe that the price will be much higher – perhaps three or four times per graft higher – because of the specialized methods required to do the work.

Hair cloning is probably not as far away as one might think. It might be ready for use with hair transplant procedures as soon as five years from now, or even sooner. If you are considering getting a hair transplant but you want to wait awhile, hair cloning is something to think about.

More information @ Hair Transplant Network

Other Resources

• Hair Transplant Los Angeles Technology – Giving Solutions to Hair Loss Problems Efficiently and Discreetly | Newsreel Network .com
• Getting Ready For Hair Transplant Surgery | How To Treat Hemorrhoids
• Ten-fold rise in weight-loss ops | Medical Business Cafe

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