Hair transplants are some of the most effective treatments for male pattern baldness and hair loss. A hair transplant is a safe, cosmetic surgical procedure where the donor hair is taken from a healthy part of your scalp and then transplanted into the problem area to promote hair regrowth. The transplanted hair typically grows and behaves like the hair from where it was taken from.
The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia, and it takes several hours, depending on the size of the thinning area or the extent of the problem. Hair transplants are quite a popular solution for patients affected by a balding crown, receding hairline, or male pattern baldness. It can effectively restore growth with natural, seamless results.
If you’re considering getting a hair transplant, it’s important to know the types of modern procedures available, to have a good idea of your options.
Types of Modern Hair Transplant
There are several types of hair transplants available today. The main differences between them are usually down to how the hair is obtained and transplanted. Deciding the best option for you can be done during your clinic consultations with a reputable clinic such as ailesburyhairclinic.ie.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
This is one of the most popular hair transplant techniques. FUE is often regarded as the modern-day hair replacement technology procedure. There’s a good reason why Follicular Unit Extraction procedures are common. For one, it typically does not require extracting a strop of donor tissue from the donor area, which means it leaves no scarring.
During the procedure, each follicular unit is extracted one by one from the donor area on the scalp. This is repeated until there are enough follicles to cover the affected area. Generally speaking, the procedure has minimal discomfort for the patients. Most patients claim a pain-free post-surgery experience.
Benefits of FUE:
Less invasive than most other methods
Quick healing
Leaves no scars
Applicable to any part of the body
Little to no pain
Direct Hair Implantation (DHI)
This is a procedure that involves transplanting harvested grafts using a specialised pen known as a CHOI Pen or a DHI Implanter. During the DHI procedure, the CHOI Pen is used to control the depth, angle, and direction of each of the newly implanted follicles.
One key benefit of the DHI procedure is the ease at which the surgeon can increase the density of the hair by transplanting the grafts between existing hairs. Plus, there’s no need for doing canal openings, since the extracted grafts are usually directly implanted into the recipient area using the CHOI Pen.
Benefits of DHI
Great hair follicle survival rates
Grafts remain outside the body for a minimal time, resulting in strong, healthy grafts
Quick recover rates
Minimal bleeding
No need to shave the recipient site
Sapphire Hair Transplant
This is similar to the FUE technique, but with the Sapphire FUE technique, the blades are made from a precious stone that uses a different canal opening method for the recipient area. With the Sapphire FUE technique, the holes (canals) are opened using specialised blades with fine needles rather than slits, as done in the classic FUE.
In other words, the holes typically have a round shape instead of a lateral one, where each of the holes has the same size as the diameter of the hair follicles. This way, each hole is very small. With Sapphire FUE, the surgeon can open smaller holes with circular incisions, such that the recovery time is much shorter than with classic FUE.
The benefits of Sapphire FUE hair transplant include:
Precise and even incisions
The incisions made can be adjusted
Smoother micro-incisions
Reduced risk of germs attaching to the surface and causing an infection
Needle-Free Jet Injector Technique
Jet injectors or needle-free injectors essentially use high air pressure to inject special local anaesthesia into the skin. The air pressure helps ensure an ultra-fast penetration of the anaesthesia through the skin. This helps to decrease the pain by up to 70%, improving the level of comfort for patients who don’t like needle injections.
The device is used to numb both the implantation and extraction areas before the hair transplant procedure commences.
Benefits of the needle-free injector technique:
Reduced risk of developing an infection
No needles are used in the procedure
Pain-free
Quick hair transfers
Body Hair to Head Transplant
This procedure ideally expands the donor area to include almost the entire body. This makes it an ideal choice for those who don’t have an ample supply of hair.
According to hair transplant experts, the possibility depends on a few variables, such as the similarity between the hair on the body and the head, as well as the length of the body hair, and the size of the donor area. The growth cycle of body hair is quite different from scalp hair. Nonetheless, within a period of 12 to 18 months, the transplanted hair will mature and result in natural and permanent hair growth.
Benefits of body hair to head procedure:
Thicker hair density
More donor areas
Drawbacks:
Healing typically takes longer than other methods
At the end of the day, the choice of the suitable hair transplant method will be up to you and your physician. Your physician will help you make a solid decision best on the size of your thinning area, your hair loss classification, as well as the quantity and quality of the available donor hair.
No one technique is right for everyone. Hair transplant surgeons typically have extensive training in multiple techniques, and can therefore offer you unbiased opinions and advice on each of them.
