Hair Transplant Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Hair Transplant Permanent?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
One of the reasons why hair transplants are successful and long-lasting is the concept of donor dominance. If you observe people with the receding hairlines, for example, men with male pattern hair loss, you’ll notice that while they lose their hair in the front of the scalp, they do retain their hair in the back of the scalp (and the sides of the scalp almost in a horseshoe fashion). The reason for that is the hairs in the back of the scalp are not sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a hormone that causes male pattern hair loss and leads to loss of the hairs in the front of the scalp and the top of the scalp. I’m able to use the concept of donor dominance to my advantage in my hair transplants. When I transplant the hair from the back of the scalp to the recipient sites in the front of the scalp, those hairs retain the qualities as if they were in the back of the scalp, meaning they’re not sensitive to DHT. So as opposed to the other hairs, they don’t fall out. So that’s one of the reasons that hair transplants are so successful and long lasting!
Is a Hair Transplant Dangerous?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Generally, hair transplantation is a very safe and effective procedure. There are small risks, however. One of the small risks is potentially scarring in the donor area, which is rare. And another small risk is the risk of infection. Infection is uncommon because we use sterile and clean techniques during the procedure, and we also provide patients with antibiotics after the procedure. There’s also a small risk of forehead swelling after the procedure, and we give patients a short course of oral prednisone to prevent that from happening. There is also the possibility of patchy hair growth that can be corrected by doing a fill in procedure in which we transplant more hairs into the areas that are patchy. Occasionally, small ingrown hairs can form cysts at the site of the transplanted hairs. This can easily be managed with warm compresses at home or can be managed with injection of a steroid solution in the office.
Are Hair Transplants Painful?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Generally, hair transplantation is not a painful procedure. Our patients are kept very comfortable during the course of the procedure and after the procedure as well. We use numbing solutions during the course of the procedure. After the procedure, most patients say that they have minimal pain. The pain that they do have is usually managed with Tylenol or Ibuprofen. In certain patients in which they’re not able to manage their pain as easily, they do have the option of prescription pain medications. But almost all of our patients don’t take that option because they either have minimal pain or their pain is successfully managed with over the counter medications.
How Successful is a Hair Transplant?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Hair transplantation is a very safe, reliable, and successful procedure. One of the reasons is it’s a very straightforward procedure. We take hair from the back of the scalp and implant it into the front of the scalp at the recipient sites. Generally, most of that hair does grow — anywhere from 90 to 95%. That’s one of the reasons hair transplantation is really the gold standard for a permanent solution for hair loss.
Why Would You Choose an FUE Hair Transplant?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
An FUE (follicular unit extraction) is a good option for men who 1) tend to wear their hair short; 2) want to avoid having a strip scar; 3) want to avoid having stitches during the hair transplantation procedure. Also, an FUE is a good option in a rare circumstance if a patient has had a strip excision procedure in the past and their strip scars are wider than normal. An FUE can be done to actually transplant hairs into that strip scar to make it more camouflaged.
Why Would You Choose an FUT (Strip Excision) Hair Transplant?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT or strip excision) is one of the gold standards of hair transplantations. There are certain reasons individuals choose the strip excision over the FUE procedure. One of those reasons for men is if men want avoid shaving the back of their heads for the procedure. In doing a strip excision, we can shave a small portion of the posterior scalp, and after the strip excision is done, the overlying hair can easily camouflage that area. It’s for this reason that most women also prefer to get a strip excision over an FUE. Additionally, patients who have gotten FUE procedure in the past (and the donor area in the back of the scalp is sparse) may choose to undergo a strip excision. That’s because a strip excision moves the greatest amount of hairs from the most optimal area in the back of the scalp to give really good results.
How Long Does a Hair Transplant Take to Heal?
Transcript of Dr. Ratushny: Hi, I’m doctor Ratushny, and I treat patients at MassDerm Hair Transplant Institute in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Most patients are able to return to work anywhere from two days to a week after the operation, whether they choose a strip excision or the FUE procedure. If you choose the strip excision, you’ll have stitches in the back of the scalp and those stitches usually come out in two weeks. But they’re usually easily camouflaged with your overlying hair before they come out. If you choose the FUE procedure, the back of the head needs to be shaved. But usually the back of the head grows out and the hair is easily able to be camouflaged with the remaining hairs in about a week. The hairs that are actually transplanted are very small, so they are usually easily camouflaged among your existing hairs.