Hair graft (hair transplant): procedure, risks and price

In countries such as Germany or Spain, more than 40% of the population suffers from baldness, the typical affected patient being a middle-aged man. Hair, beyond a protective barrier, also represents a important aesthetic value in our society current, and therefore, it is normal that many people with baldness do not want to give it up.

We are facing a delicate issue for many people, since androgenetic baldness is, in many cases, a relatively preventable pathology with a solution. The fact is that, due to self-imposed ideologies or old thoughts, there are still people who believe that "settling" with the image they have had is the only possible reality.

Of course, from here we advocate for self-acceptance and that the individual love himself as he is, but it is also necessary to take into account that there are other options beyond "it is so. It is for this reason that, in this space, we tell you everything you need to know about hair grafting.

We recommend you read: "16 celebrities with hair transplantation (photos with the result)"

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Baldness in the world

If you are reading these lines with fear that someone will suspect your intention or judge you, stay with us, because of course you are not the only one interested in the subject. Here are some statistics that show that baldness is an extremely common event:

In Europe, 40% of men are bald.
Androgenetic alopecia, caused by heredity, hormones and aging, is the cause of 90% of hair loss cases.
Half of those surveyed in various sociological studies admit that baldness makes them feel more exposed and helpless.
Less than 30% of men who avoid a hair transplant do so because they think of it as "unnatural."

Nor do we believe that an excessive weight should be placed on physical appearance, since some of those surveyed in studies such as the ones we have exposed to you they assure that "they would be more successful if they had more hair" or that they would prefer to regain their hair if this meant losing certain friends to it. road. Do not go crazy, because the hair graft can be an excellent aesthetic option, but remember that security and trust work from within.

If you consider the hair graft as an aesthetic accessory and not as a solution to all your problems of self-esteem, we encourage you to continue reading, as we fully enter this process in the following lines.

Who should undergo this process?

Despite popular beliefs, there is no specific age to perform a transplant, as it is a mere aesthetic value applicable to any age group, ethnicity and gender. The question is not who, but when and how. It is the patient who must be comfortable with the procedure, after the pertinent information and reservations provided by the professionals in the field. While anyone who suffers from baldness can be a potential client, most procedures are performed to people between 30 and 40 years of age.

Now, when is an important factor. The patient must take into account that his hair appearance will not “normalize” until two weeks after the intervention, and that for a month you should limit certain activities (sports, sun exposure or the use of helmets, for example). For this reason, finding the time of year where the hair evolution is most positive is essential before considering the procedure.

Surgical techniques for hair grafting

Hair grafting is a type of clean surgery that does not require specific conditions in the operating room (it is an outpatient dermatological process). It usually lasts 4-6 hours and, usually, an anxiolytic to achieve maximum comfort in the patient throughout the event is more than enough to start. We summarize the process in 3 steps.

1. Removal of the donor area

The donor area is the place from which the follicular units (FU) to be transplanted are extracted. In androgenetic alopecia, it should be about 5 centimeters wide by 25 centimeters long. In any case, the donor area to be removed will depend, in its entirety, on the follicular units that are needed. This evaluation is carried out by a specialist.

Even so, this area is usually removed from the “back” of the patient's head, where the capillary density is much higher than that of the exposed area. All this procedure is performed using local anesthesia, which is why the patient does not experience pain.

2. Preparation of follicular units

Once extracted, the follicular units are placed in a suitable storage solution to maintain their vitality and physiological characteristics. They all separate and are carefully stored.

3. Implantation of follicular units

Individual incisions are made in the receiving area, and the follicular units they are inserted, one by one, in the place where the new hair will develop. The professional defines the depth, angulation, and direction of hair growth when implanting each follicular unit. It is the most tedious and delicate part of the process, undoubtedly the most difficult step for professionals. In any case, when performed under local anesthesia, the patient does not experience any type of pain.

Post-surgery

As we have seen, this is a relatively simple procedure: a strip of skin with hair is removed from the patient, each of the follicular units is isolated and then placed in the desired location to cover the area without hair. Simple, right?

Unfortunately, the recovery of the transplanted area is slow, and the patient may not notice drastic changes. up to one year after transplant. From the eighth day the follicular units are fixed, so the patient, after 15 days, can lead a completely normal life.

Despite this, the transplanted hairs fall out after the third week of treatment (something normal). No need to worry then the follicle, which is what interests us, stays. Hair growth is slow, and as we have said, up to a year after grafting the hair will not grow completely naturally.

Risks and price

It is normal for the patient to experience relatively intense itching and swelling in the transplanted area after the operation, among other events such as possible sporadic folliculitis. Even so, undoubtedly, as in most surgical procedures, the greatest risk is the development of an intraepidermal infection.

In these cases, it is necessary to contact the dermatological center as soon as possible, which will prescribe antibiotics and guide the patient during the accident. No excessive bacterial growth should be left unattended, as infections can spread with some ease, depending on the causative agent and the affected area.

As far as prices are concerned, it is calculated that a hair graft costs, approximately, about 2,200 euros ($ 2,600) until transplantation of 2,000 follicular units. If the patient needs more, the price can quickly rise to more than $ 3,000.

As you can see, it is a rather expensive process for a superficial surgery, but you must take into account one thing: transplanted follicular units do not have a genetic predisposition to hair loss, which is why the transplant lasts for life of the patient.

Resume

As you may have learned in these lines, you are facing a procedure that should not instill fear in those consider it, as it is minimally invasive, requires minimal surgical intervention and does not generate any pain. Despite this, the recovery time is relatively slow and, in addition, the patient will not reach a total capillary normality until one year after the intervention. It is necessary to take all this into account, since of course, the results are not immediate, but they are certain.

The decision lies within each one, but as we have said before, a hair graft should never be seen as the possible solution to all problems of self-esteem or safety of the individual. It is necessary to work on personal confidence on a mental and emotional level, and only having mastered these fronts, value hair transplantation as a mere aesthetic value that will make the patient feel better about their image external.

Bibliographic references

What is the best age to wear hair? fuemedicalcenter.com. Picked up on October 27 in https://www.fuemedicalcenter.com/cual-es-la-mejor-edad-para-hacerse-un-trasplante-capilar/#:~:text=Aunque%20el%20injerto%20de%20pelo, 30% 20y% 20los% 2040% 20a% C3% B1os.
How many bald men are there in the world? Actuallynotes.com. Picked up on October 27 in https://www.actuallynotes.com/cuantos-calvos-hay-en-el-mundo/
Bouhanna, P., & Pala, G. P. (2005). Hair and hair micrograft: its multiple indications. Ibero-Latin-American Cutaneous Medicine, 33 (1), 35-40.
Jiménez-Acosta, F., & Ponce, I. (2010). Current technique of follicular unit hair transplantation. Actas Dermo-Sifiliográfica, 101 (4), 291-306.
Baldness in Figures, capilclinic.com. Picked up on October 27 in https://www.capilclinic.es/la-calvicie-en-cifras/#:~:text=Se%20conoce%20que%20a%20nivel, than% 20un% 2036% 25% 20in% 20women.
Tapia, A. G. (2010). Hair transplantation: what, when, how, for whom. More dermatology, (11), 19-24.