Hair Transplants – The Basics

If you are thinking about having hair transplantation surgery, it is important to have all the facts at your disposal. When it comes to medical care, knowledge truly does lead to power—power to make informed choices about your options. Generally speaking, you can’t know for sure whether hair transplantation is the best option for your situation until you consult with a reputable clinic that performs this procedure. Scheduling a consultation in a risk-free setting will allow you to ask any and all questions that you may have about this process.

What Exactly Is Hair Transplantation?

A hair transplant is a restoration process wherein hair from one area of your head is relocated to areas of your scalp that are balding or thinning. It is important to understand that hair transplantation has come a long way from when noticeable “plugs” were the only option available. There are now methods in widespread use wherein single hair follicles are relocated. This is how meticulous the process has become.

It is also important to understand that hair transplantation is not necessarily a standalone process. As an experienced hair transplant specialist – including Dr. Robin Unger – can confirm, complementary processes, such as the injection of a patient’s own platelet-rich plasma into their scalp, can help to ensure that transplantation and regrowth efforts are as successful as they can possibly be.

How Successful Are Hair Transplants?

It is important to understand that while the success rates of hair transplantation are high, transplanted hair does tend to thin over time, just as ordinary hair growth does. As a result, it is a good idea to ask your specialist about what you can expect from your results. For many patients, hair transplantation is unquestionably worth their time and effort. However, not every hair loss patient is an excellent candidate for this procedure. If you aren’t an excellent candidate, you may want to explore alternative procedures as opposed to committing to a plan of action that may not work for you uniquely. With that said, if you are an excellent candidate for this procedure, you may find your hair restoration to be highly successful, even beyond your initial expectations.  

Do Patients Need to Take Off Work?

As there is some degree of sedation involved in hair transplant procedures, patients need to take between 24-72 hours off of work to accommodate for surgery and post-op care.