For many people, their hair is their crowning glory. It’s a way to showcase our personality and style and serve as a means of self-expression. The hair on the head is a direct reflection of the body’s internal state, and unfortunately, for some people, the quantity of healthy, thick hair on the head begins to decrease with age (or other reasons). Hair transplant surgery can be a solution to your problems. Keep reading to see how it can help you turn your thinning hair around.
While there’s no exact point in life when the hair begins to thin and less of it grows since several influences impact overall hair growth, they are hard to ignore once changes can be seen. With less hair on the head, many people become self-conscious of their lack of hair and look for solutions to regain what they’ve lost. Hair supplements are always a good starting place, but when more than what a pill offers are in order, consider hair transplant surgery your saving grace.
Why Hair-Related Changes Happen
Thinning hair and hair loss can happen at any age and affect both men and women. While everyone experiences hair changes at different stages of life, some women first develop female pattern hair loss in their late 20s and beyond, while more tend to experience it after menopause. For men, the effects of hair loss can occur as early as their 20s and continue throughout life, and more than half of them will lose their hair as part of aging. It’s normal to shed anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs per day, but if you notice clumps of hair falling out, chances are your hair loss is being kicked into overdrive.
Various factors can influence how the hair grows as well as its health. Internal and external factors can affect the hair, including stress, illness, medications, hormonal fluctuations, an unhealthy scalp, a poor diet, a lack of essential vitamins, environmental damage, certain hairstyles, and autoimmune disorders. As the effects of hair loss become more prominent, it’s normal to see a wider part, sparse patches along the temples, less hair in the center of the crown, and a hairline that appears to be receding from the forehead. It’s also normal for some women to complain of a smaller or thinner ponytail than they once had.
What to Do About Thinning Hair
In the past, the only way to put back the hair that had been lost was with super invasive hair restoration procedures that left behind an unnatural, almost ‘plugged’ looking hairline. But noticeable hair transplants with visible scars and fake-looking hair are a thing of the past. In their place comes modern-day hair transplant procedures that give way to natural-looking results that will have everyone guessing how you got your hair back. Even patients with significant hair loss find hair transplant surgery an effective solution to permanently regain what they’ve lost.
The key to a natural result lies in the device used. Certain ones, like the Venus Concept NEOGraft 2.0, create natural-looking hair post-procedure without significant downtime or scarring. So, if you’re considering hair transplant surgery, here’s everything you need to know.
The Details
A hair transplant is a surgical procedure that selectively removes hair from the back of the scalp (or other areas), known as a donor site, and transplants them into bald spots and areas where hair has stopped growing to fill in those areas. Moving hair from one place on the head to another creates the illusion of more hair where it is sparse, helping it to regrow too.
Two types of hair transplant surgeries are commonly performed: follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit excisions (FUE). Both deliver dramatic results, but each has its pros and cons.
- FUT (also known as strip harvesting) removes a strip of skin from the back of the scalp, creating a large, long scar. Then, the follicles are removed from the donor strip and implanted into areas where the hair is sparse.
- FUE is a more modern technique that harvests individual hairs or small groups of hairs from the back of the scalp. Then, they are transplanted to an area where hair loss is noticeable. Most of today’s hair transplants use the FUE technique for its numerous advantages.
Most patients prefer FUE because of its easier recovery and shorter scar. The Venus Concept Neograft 2.0 Hair Transplant utilizes specialized hair restoration equipment for the most natural-looking result without the dead giveaway that a hair transplant was done. The procedure is unique because it relies on an automated device that physically does all the hair restoration work, like removing the follicles and implanting them.
The Venus Concept NEOGraft 2.0 hair transplant system is an automated FUE implantation technology to correct thinning and balding areas without linear scarring. The minimally-invasive procedure offers a relatively fast recovery that is far less painful than other technologies. The system was one of the first automated FUE devices in hair restoration, allowing for a smooth and easy transplant while addressing hair loss concerns that bother patients most.
The Venus Concept NEOGraft 2.0 system can harvest single or individual follicles and precisely place them into the scalp. Thanks to the device’s preciseness, the hairs themselves and the hairline look like the hair is naturally growing from the site since hundreds of tiny pinpoint scars are made at the donor site that heals exceptionally well and camouflages nicely into the natural hair.
How the Surgery Works
After selecting the appropriate donor site from where the hairs will be extracted, that area will be numbed with local anesthesia so that the hair follicles can be gently removed individually or in small groups via a unique device that uses pressure to remove the hairs for less of a ‘plugged’ look. The removal part of the procedure is precise, so it may take a bit longer than other hair restoration devices, but it’s worth the time and effort.
Once the hairs are extracted, they are transplanted into areas where hair loss is evident. You may feel pressure or discomfort as the hair follicles are moved around. A special dressing may be applied to the donor and implantation site to help manage additional bleeding and encourage healing.
The Venus Concept NEOGraft 2.0 hair transplant doesn’t involve using a scalpel, so the final result appears innate. Another plus to the scalpel-free device is that it creates a far more comfortable experience and faster recovery that’s less invasive than traditional hair transplants. Most patients return to normal activities in a few weeks, thanks to reduced trauma. In addition, by keeping the hair follicles intact during the extraction process, the transplanted hairs are more likely to ‘take’ and survive, which creates better scalp coverage and improved density.
Most patients only need to undergo the procedure once. But if one treatment session doesn’t provide the desired results, your provider may recommend a second one. Keep in mind that while the procedure is most beneficial for those with hair loss and some balding, those with severe hair loss may not garner the same result.
