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Medical Hair Restoration Techniques - Surgical and Non-Surgical Procedures
By Julie-Ann Amos
Medical hair restoration techniques and hair transplantation have been the
subject of much research and attention. It is estimated that nearly 90% of all
men will experience some degree of male pattern baldness in their life, with
some variance based on genetic factors as well as medical factors. With the
problem of hair loss so widespread it is no wonder, then, that medical
restoration is generally divided into two categories of treatment – non-surgical
and surgical. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and may or may not
be right for an individual experiencing hair loss.
Non-Surgical Hair Restoration
Non-surgical treatments requiring no actual medical transplantation have long
been available in many forms, most of which are ineffective at restoring hair
and a waste of money at best. In recent years, though, two hair loss drugs have
emerged as both effective and affordable. In fact, they are the only two FDA
approved hair loss treatments available today.
Finasteride – This is a prescription-only medication for restoring hair
that is marketed under the brand name Propecia. It comes in the form of a pill
that is taken daily, leading to varying degrees of hair regrowth over the course
of several months. It carries a strong warning to women who are pregnant or
could become pregnant, as Propecia can cause birth defects in unborn children.
Women should not use Propecia or even handle the pills, as the medication can be
absorbed through the skin.
Minoxidil – This former prescription medication is now available over the
counter for use by both men and women, marketed under the brand name Rogaine. It
is a topical hair restoration treatment that is applied to the scalp daily to
promote hair regrowth. Results from Rogaine will vary, generally appearing
within several months of use.
Both Propecia and Rogaine are easy and convenient to use and have been found to
be effective to varying degrees. The biggest disadvantage of these non-surgical
hair restoration methods is that if they are ever discontinued, any hair
regrowth that has occurred will be lost. Over time, the cost of Propecia and
Rogaine medication can add up to quite a lot of money.
Surgical Hair Restoration
An increasingly popular and affordable form of hair replacement treatment
involves surgical techniques and procedures. From hair transplantation to scalp
reduction surgery, several options available provide a more long-lasting
solution to hair loss than do non-surgical treatments.
Hair Transplant Surgery
The most common form of surgical medical hair restoration is hair
transplantation. Hair transplant surgery is minimally invasive compared to other
options, and can produce extremely good results for many patients. Improvements
and innovations in techniques and equipment have led to hair transplantation
being easier and safer than ever before. An experienced surgeon can create
results that look very natural, not at all like the early days of hair
restoration when patients emerged with rows of "hair plugs" that looked almost
artificial in some cases.
Some of the most common hair transplantation techniques in use today include:
Follicular Unit Extraction – This medical restoration technique uses a
very small punch tool to extract single hair follicles from the donor area. The
punch tool is usually one millimeter or less in diameter.
Micrografting – This method of extracting hair from a donor area creates
a graft containing just one or two hairs that is then placed into the scalp
using a microneedle or a very small punch. The graft can be taken directly from
the donor location or sliced off a larger round donor graft.
Minigrafting/Multi-Unit Grafts – This hair transplantation method
extracts hair from the donor area in slightly larger configurations, generally
anywhere from three to six hairs each. It is common for these types of grafts to
be created by slicing sections off a larger round donor graft.
Round Grafts – The earliest hair transplantation and restoration
techniques used round grafts that contained twenty or more hairs per graft, and
were implanted whole into the scalp. It is much more common now for round grafts
to first be sliced into micro- or minigrafts before implantation.
Hairline Refinement – This method uses micro- and mini-grafting
techniques to place very small grafts in and around the hairline area to restore
the former look. This softens the look of the medical hair transplant
tremendously, making it look more natural and less like a row of "plugs"
implanted in the scalp.
Alopecia Reduction Surgery
Another method of medical restoration treatment is known as alopecia reduction
surgery. It is used primarily in male patients who have pronounced bald areas of
the scalp. There are three common variations of alopecia reduction surgery:
Scalp Reduction – This medical restoration technique involves removal of
bald scalp and moving the edges of hair-growing scalp closer together. It is
used primarily in patients with bald scalp areas on the crown area of the head.
Scalp Flap – This hair restoration method removes bald scalp areas and
then uses strips of hair-growing scalp to replace the removed scalp. The strips
are often rotated to fit the excised area of bald scalp more naturally.
Scalp Expansion – This medical restoration technique uses a temporary
balloon device to expand hair-growing areas of the scalp prior to scalp
reduction or scalp flap surgery. This transplant surgery involves placing the
expander under the scalp, usually along the sides, while gradually increasing
the size and stretching the skin over the course of two or three weeks. The
expanded areas can then be stretched or used as donor strips to replace balding
scalp.
Which Treatment is the Best?
There is no single medical hair restoration treatment – hair transplant surgery
or non-surgical – that is best for every patient. The decision of which
treatment to use should be based on a proper diagnosis of the hair loss cause
along with the amount of time, effort and money the patient wants to put into
the process.
Non-surgical treatments like Rogaine and Propecia are easier to apply and
somewhat more discreet than surgical treatments. The medications are readily
available either over the counter (in the case of Rogaine) or by prescription
(in the case of Propecia) and do produce results for many people. They are not
effective in restoring hair for everyone, though, and it does take several
months for any improvement to actually appear.
Surgical treatments like hair transplantation and alopecia reduction surgery are
more expensive than non-surgical treatments and require a bit more effort on the
patient's part. Recovery time will vary depending on the treatment used, and the
more invasive restorative procedures are difficult to hide or keep private in
the days immediately following this medical treatment. In some cases, patients
may choose to take time off from work in order to fully recover.
The only reliable way to decide on a medical hair transplantation or restoration
technique is to see a doctor. With a proper diagnosis of the cause of hair loss,
he or she can provide information and advice about treatment options as well as
referrals to hair restoration specialists in your area.
About the Author
Julie-Ann Amos is a freelance writer for Hair-Loss-Adviser.com, a consumer guide
to hair loss
products and solutions. She has done extensive research to find the
best hair loss treatment and
natural
hair loss remedy available.
Copyright 2006 Hair-Loss-Adviser.com
Permission is granted to publish this article on your site if the author's
byline is included and all links are hyperlinked
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