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With August being Hair Loss Awareness month, a common question among many people who suffer from the condition is: do hair transplants work?

For most people, that answer is a clear yes. From Dr. Leland Deane‘s experience, most patients whose hair loss is not due to medication or stress can improve their appearance with a transplant procedure. If you have an adequate supply of active hair follicles in other areas of your body, hair transplants can provide a satisfying solution for many people.

How Can I Treat Hair Loss?

There are multiple ways to treat hair loss if your condition is due to genetics. The topical drug Minoxidil stimulates hair growth. Meanwhile, oral finasteride blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which prevents further hair loss in many patients and regrows some hair. However, these medications prove inadequate for some patients and if you are one of them, you may consider a surgical hair transplant.

Types of Hair Transplant Procedures

Patients who opt for a surgical solution to hair loss have multiple options available. Which method you choose will depend on the quantity of current hair loss and your desired outcome.

1. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

This procedure is the current gold standard for a natural-looking hair transplant result. The FUE procedure limits scarring and helps mimic natural hair growth patterns. To perform an FUE surgery, the surgeon takes the following steps:

1. Shave the back of your head
2. Carefully remove individual follicles from the scalp or other donor areas
3. Make small incisions in your scalp to graft the extracted follicles
4. Cover the surgical site with bandages

2. Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)

This procedure is also sometimes called follicular unit strip surgery. To perform a FUT procedure, your physician will follow these steps:

1. Remove a 6 to 10-inch strip of your scalp from the side or back of your head.
2. Close the wound with stitches.
3. Cut the strip into smaller pieces known as a follicular unit. These are the normal groupings that occur in scalp hair.
4. Make small incisions in your scalp to place the grafts.
5. Insert the grafts into the scalp incisions.
6. Cover the surgical site.

Other Surgical Options

Occasionally, hair transplant surgeons can use flap surgery, where the physician removes a large area of skin to cover extensive hair loss. Another technique involves cutting out the bald areas of the scalp and simply sewing the wound closed.

Schedule a Consultation

If you want to treat your hair loss, the first step is to consult a physician such as Dr. Leland Keane, who specializes in treating this condition. Dr. Keane can determine the cause of your hair loss and help you develop a treatment plan that fits your budget and desired outcome. Schedule a consultation by filling out our online contact form or give our office a call at 516-441-7427.