If the hair is slowly thinning, bald patches can be made to disappear by hair transplantation. Nevertheless, one should be aware that with a hair transplant one cannot restore the hair splendor of youth. A pronounced baldness surrounded by a smaller crown of hair can never be covered again with the hair density of an 18-year-old. In addition, a lot of patience is needed for a hair transplant, because the newly implanted hairs first fall out after a short time, before they then begin to grow back tentatively. In case of pathological hair loss, hair transplantation is not advisable because there are not enough well-developed donor hair roots. The transplantation method is successful especially in androgenetic alopecia.
How does hair transplantation work?
In hair transplantation, hair from the back of the head is transplanted into the bald areas, such as the corners of the receding hairline. Thus, only the existing hair from the back of the head region is used to replenish the hair stock in the thinning areas. The donor hair at the back of the head should also be very strong and thick and the hair loss should not be too extensive. Those who have naturally strong, healthy hair roots will get a fairly good result. It becomes more difficult if the donor hair quality is not so good, i.e. very thin and soft hair grows on the back of the head. If possible, healthy and strong hair roots are then isolated from the back of the neck and redistributed. By the way, hair from another person cannot be used for hair transplantation because it would be rejected by the immune system.
Different methods of hair transplantation
One method of hair transplantation is skin island transplantation: here, hairy skin islands are punched out in several treatment steps in the back of the head under local anesthesia and replanted into appropriately prepared recipient areas in the area of the hairless scalp. Often, however, tufted hair growth occurs on the transplanted hair islands, which looks unnatural. The most common form of hair transplantation is the mini- and micro-graft technique. A micro-graft contains one to two hairs with a diameter of 0.7-0.9 mm, while a mini-graft contains three to five hairs with a diameter of 1.0-1.2 mm. Up to 1,500 of these grafts are used per treatment. With these very small skin islands, it is possible to create a natural hairline in the forehead area, ensuring a slow, rather inconspicuous transition from hairless to hairy skin. Under local anesthesia, a large number of grafts can be placed in one session. Multiple treatment steps can be performed in succession at intervals to fill larger hairless regions.
Different techniques used in hair transplantation
Depending on the technique, hair transplantation involves cutting tiny slits in the skin or punching or drilling small holes, and in some cases a laser is used. While slits can push the implanted hairs back out as they grow together, punched holes have a larger wound area. With lasers, tissue can be damaged by the heat, which makes it more difficult for the hairs to grow in. On the other hand, less blood flows when a laser is used. The operation, which is usually performed on an outpatient basis, takes between two and four hours. After hair transplantation, it is completely normal for the transplanted hair to fall out again at first. However, new hair is produced after about three months. If there are no complications, after nine to twelve months the bald area will be covered.
Cost of hair transplantation
Before a hair transplant, the patient should be advised in detail. Above all, it must be clear what the limits and risks of hair transplantation are and what the cost of the operation is. In most cases, the patient has to bear the costs himself. There are exceptions in case of accident consequences – e.g. burn scars of the scalp, they are usually covered by the health insurance. The cost of hair transplantation is very difficult to estimate, as it varies from person to person. One graft costs between 1 and 3 EUR, depending on the doctor and clinic, so it can quickly add up to between 3,000 and 6,000 EUR or even more. Even for filling the corners of the receding hairline, one must calculate with about 2,000 EUR.
