Hair transplant surgery is a technique to stimulate hair growth in places of the scalp where hair growth has been stunted or nonexistent. These treatment techniques work well for various hair loss conditions but do not prevent further hair loss. People require subsequent transplants to achieve long-lasting outcomes.
Hair loss and thinning are usual side effects of aging, but any medical issue or scalp damage can also cause hair loss. When experiencing hair loss, some people decide to get a hair transplant surgery for reconstructive or cosmetic purposes.
This article examines the success rates of several hair transplant procedures and their duration and potential adverse effects.
A best hair transplant surgeon generally uses the back of the head or another dense hair region as the donor area and extracts hair follicles from this location during a hair transplant. After that, the follicles are inserted into small openings on the scalp’s afflicted region.
Types of Hair Transplant Surgeries
The two primary hair transplant procedures are:
1. Follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS)
In this method, the best hair transplant surgeon usually cuts a piece of skin from the donor location, then patches up the wound. Once the donor skin has been divided into smaller follicular units containing one or more hair follicles using a microscope, he then implants these fragments into the appropriate location.
2. Follicular unit extraction (FUE)
The surgeon makes use of a small punch instrument in this technique to extract follicles from the donor region. The person won’t typically need sutures, and although this surgery may still leave some scarring, it might be less obvious.
Which one is more efficient?
Although both methods are efficient, their outcomes might vary under some circumstances. According to a paper published in 2019, it is stated that FUE can yield excellent results if the surgeon has a lot of expertise in the treatment. However, FUE needs high-quality skills, often lengthier than FUSS.
The back region or sides of the head are the most common donor regions for hair transplants. However, skin follicles can also be removed from areas such as a person’s chest region, chin, or back. Body hair can also be used successfully for hair transplant if a person lacks thick hair on the back side of the head.
A patient is given local anesthesia in case of both procedures. The treatment requires several hours to complete; the treatment duration depends on the number of implanted follicles. Patients are not hospitalized for long and can go home on the day of surgery.
Success rates
Hair transplant surgery is an efficient method for resuming hair growth caused due to a variety of hair loss reasons. Two significant elements define the success rates of surgery:
- The expertise and experience of the best hair transplant surgeon
- The thickness of the donor’s hair
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) claims that hair transplant can somewhat alter hair volume. There are no extensive studies that provide actual success rates for hair transplants. However, these methods’ efficacy is discussed in several minor research papers.
According to reliable sources, most patients treated with FUE utilizing scalp hair in addition to body or beard hair were pleased with the outcomes even after 2.9 years of follow-up. Overall satisfaction among the 79 participants was 8.3 out of 10.
According to another research study, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment used in conjunction with FUE improves the outcome of FUE hair transplants. 75% hair growth is observed in patients undergoing PRP treatment only in a short duration of 6 months. Hair volume is increased, and skin is quickly repaired for the PRP group compared to non-PRP patients.
