Common Questions When Considering a Hair Transplant
If you are thinking about having a hair transplant, there are probably a lot of questions you want answered. How do hair transplants work? What is the hair transplant success rate? How many treatment sessions will I need? How long is the hair transplant recovery? What is the cost of FUE hair transplant?
We’re using today’s post to answer all of your most common questions when considering a hair transplant to debunk any myths and increase transparency into the process. After all, how are you to know which treatment is best without all the facts?
How do Hair Transplants Work?
This depends on whether you are choosing the surgical or non-surgical route. A surgical route such as FUE involves taking individual follicular grafts from your donor area and re-inserting these into the parts of the head where you have baldness or thinning.
A popular and effective hair transplant alternative is scalp micropigmentation. With this procedure, the practitioner uses a variety of pigments to replicate your natural hair and create the illusion of a complete head of hair without any need for surgery or post-procedure downtime.
How many treatment sessions will I need?
Most FUE hair transplant patients will need just one session. Each session can last up to eight hours – if a large number of grafts are required then your surgeon may recommend two appointments on consecutive days. You will also need an initial assessment and one or more follow-up appointments to check on your recovery.
With scalp micropigmentation, you will need a series of three sessions to allow your practitioner to blend pigments over time for best results. In some cases, additional sessions may be recommended.
What is the cost of FUE hair transplant?
It depends entirely on how much hair loss you have had and the nature of your hair loss. This will determine the number of grafts required and whether it is a simple or more complex procedure. Costs are likely to be in the thousands once you consider all the pre- and post-op appointments and the aftercare process. A more simple procedure such as treating a receding hairline may cost around £5000 while complex cases of advanced hair loss could be in the region of £12,000. Scalp micro pigmentation is the ideal cost-effective alternative.
Is a hair transplant painful?
FUE procedures involve a certain level of discomfort with most surgeons recommending a local anaesthetic. Post-procedure, patients may experience soreness, numbness and mild discomfort in the local area for a few days but over-the-counter painkillers should remedy symptoms.
Scalp micropigmentation patients may experience mild pain during the process. If you are concerned about experiencing any discomfort, we recommend taking a painkiller one hour before the procedure.
What is the hair transplant success rate?
When it comes to FUE, you need a sufficient amount of donor hair to be eligible for treatment. Without enough donor hair, you may need to seek hair transplant alternatives. For those patients who have undergone FUE with a skilled surgeon, most will see regrowth with around 90% of transplanted follicles – the remaining 10% will remain in the resting phase.
With scalp micropigmentation, patients enjoy a 100% success rate.
Are the results permanent?
All the hair follicles transplanted during FUE will be genetically resistant to baldness so you will continue to see hair growth throughout your lifetime. However, there is still the chance that you will lose hair on different parts of your head for which another hair transplant or alternative treatment may be required.
With scalp micropigmentation, you may require top-up treatments a few years down the line to maintain your results, change hair colour or style. These are very straightforward with minimal costs involved.
How long before I see the results?
With FUE, you will begin to see real hair growth around three months after treatment and results will continue to improve for up to one year after your procedure in line with the hair’s natural growth cycle.
Full scalp micropigmentation results will be apparent within around four weeks of your final treatment. During this time, the pigments will soften, ultimately resulting in natural, blended and complete appearance.
What about hair transplant recovery and aftercare?
With FUE it is advised to take a week off work following your procedure, depending on the complexity of surgery. During this time, you should rest and avoid any strenuous activity to allow a full and speedy recovery. However, patients who have undergone a more basic procedure may find themselves back in their daily routine after just a few days.
Scalp micropigmentation is a non-surgical procedure with instant recovery. You can return to your normal activities immediately. There may be some redness around the scalp but this should subside within 48-72 hours.
We hope we’ve covered some of your most pressing questions in this post! If you have any more queries or would like to talk more about what scalp micropigmentation involves; drop us a line today.
Skalp® have clinics around the world. We have clinics in New York, Los Angeles, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin, Marbella, Milan and Amsterdam.
