Most people are concerned with their appearance and hair plays an important factor in how we look. About 50% of men will suffer from male pattern baldness. Up to about 40% of all women can suffer from female pattern hair loss or thinning during their lifetime. Of course, individuals can suffer different amounts of hair loss. Dramatic hair loss is now being remedied by an increasing number of follicular hair transplant procedures. Follicular hair transplant is a process where hair follicles from an area on the head, usually the back or sides, are transplanted to a bald area on the scalp. Follicular hair transplant has been available since the 1960s. In the mid 1990s the process of hair transplantation changed. In the past, individual hair follicles were transplanted. Now follicular groups of hair are being transplanted. This gives the transplanted hair a natural appearance instead of the appearance of hair plugs. When men and women get follicular hair transplant procedures done now they are much happier with the results. Now, entire follicular unit grafts are transplanted.
Follicular hair transplant is considered to be the most effective hair restoration method available today. This process involves a group of hair follicles being removed together in one unit and then relocated to the area where there is balding. The group of hair follicles to be transplanted is called the donor strip. The donor strip is really a follicular unit of hair that is growing together. They have discovered that each follicular unit has oil glands, a small muscle and a band of collagen. The unit is surrounded by one or two fine vellus hairs. Vellus hairs are fine peach fuzz like hair that has very little pigmentation. The follicular unit can be identified as a well defined structure if you look at it under a microscope. By removing the hair follicles as a unit, there is less likely a chance for damage to the hair follicles.
Nowadays when a follicular hair transplant is done the surgeon scans the area to be removed under a microscope and identifies the follicular units. A stereomicroscopic dissection is done to remove the follicular units. The hair is then transplanted by individual units to the balding area on the scalp. This type of hair transplant procedure allows for a more natural look to the hair. Several follicular hair transplant units can be done together or they can be split up and then transplanted. This procedure should not be confused with minigrafting or micrografting. Follicular hair transplants are done differently than these other procedures. With the micro and mini grafting, the hair follicle graft sizes are determined by the surgeon. With the follicular hair transplant, the hair follicle units determine the size of the graft. The hair follicle units are kept intact and preserved rather than arbitrarily cut, which can damage the hair follicles that are being transplanted.
A person of any skin color and hair type can be a candidate for follicular hair transplant procedure. The one requirement is that you have a good hair density in the back or sides of the scalp, which is called the donor area. A good donor hair density is 60 to 85 hair follicles per follicular unit. The higher the donor site density the more transplants can be done and the more transplants done means more balding area can be transplanted. The area of the size of the donor strip will determine the size of the recipient area. This type of surgery should be done by an experienced follicular hair transplantation surgeon. People who are taking blood thinners should not have this procedure done. Those who have other medical conditions should get a clearance from their medical doctor before undergoing follicular hair transplant procedures.
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