Increasing the amount of hair in bald spots with hair transplants is not technically re-growing hair because the hair is usually moved from one section of the head containing hair to the area with hair loss. This method is worth exploring since it has become a very popular method of hair restoration and re-growth. The hair replacement procedure for attacking male pattern baldness is not cheap but in recent years, with new hair transplant techniques being developed, the results are becoming very spectacular. In the battle to learn how to regrow hair this information can be an effective weapon.
Some of these methods were originally developed in Japan during the 1930’s. In this case, the surgeons were mostly concentrating on eye lash and eye brow replacement; baldness was not a big concern. The surgeons were using small grafts of hair and even follicular unit grafts which are the basis of the modern techniques used for hair implants. The research was mostly discontinued during World War II and it wasn’t until the 1950’s in the US that hair transplant therapies were utilized with any regularity.
Hair Plugs
At this time the “hair restoration” techniques were known as hair plugs. The reason was quite obvious. Unlike today where surgeons manipulate single follicle units of hair to achieve a more natural look, the emphasis during this phase was on removing donor grafts from one section of the scalp and reattaching the graft to the area with the hair loss. Although these grafts were fairly small they were still large enough to be noticeable to the eye. The result of these hair grafts or hair plugs was a doll head appearance with many groups of hairs surrounded with bald spots. This method did not give the results required and actually caused the recipient to draw more attention to his balding problem than if he had done nothing.
One very important realization at this time was that donor hair reacted like the hair from the donor area instead of like the hair which had been in the bald spot before it fell out. Many people feared that moving hair patches to the bald areas would cause the hair to fall out. This did not seem to be the case. Instead the healthy hair from the donor area continued to be healthy and grow after the hair grafts were implanted.
Follicular Unit Transplantation
Hair naturally grows in follicle groups of one to four hair shafts. In the 1990’s attention was on the use of these natural hair groups as a way to give a better appearance. In this technique a micro graft is removed from the person’s head and then follicular units are carefully removed from this graft portion and prepared for insertion in the balding area. The surgeon then makes microscopic incisions in the scalp with a very tine scalpel or needle and the hair follicles containing the hair shafts are inserted.
The really nice thing about this technique is ability of the surgeon the spread the transplanted hair groups out over the head in a natural fashion. The emphasis has been on placing more and more hair groupings into a given bald area. The current refined follicular unit hair transplantation methods result in up to 50 hair follicle grafts per square centimeter. Also in recent years the lateral slit technique has allowed surgeons to orient the hair follicles in natural directions within the balding area which allows for the hair to lay in a way that mimics the natural hair. This has again resulted much better results for the person seeking hair implants.
Hair Transplant Women
These techniques have been found to work as effectively on women as they have on men. Generally, though, women do not suffer from the same type of balding as men do. The pre-dominate form of balding in men is male pattern baldness which is complete hair loss over certain areas of the head. Women, on the other hand, tend to have hair thinning as opposed to patches of complete baldness. This method of hair transplanting requires a healthy section of full hair to remove the grafts from and if the woman’s hair is thin all over this is harder to find. Some women do suffer from bald spots and this method can be very effective for them.
The cost of hair transplants and hair implants varies depending on the location of the clinic and the expertise of the surgeon. Most hair implant clinics have been located in large US cities but like other medical procedures many other countries are now developing aggressive programs at reduced prices. Prices range from $3 to $7 a graft with 1500 to 4000 individual grafts the norm. This gives a total package cost of $4500 to $20,000 in the US for this hair transplant procedure.
In countries offering “Beauty Tourism Packages” this price can be drastically reduced. For example this entire procedure can often be done for less than $5000 including air fare and hotel accommodations. In India the hair follicular units can be transplanted for about $1.50 per unit. This can drastically lower the cost of returning your hair to a fuller natural appearance.
Hair implants and hair transplantation is not really considered regrowing hair because it does not rejuvenate the follicles that have become dormant. Instead this method involves removing hair shafts from one area of the head and surgically inserting them in the scalp at the balding area. This can result in a very natural looking head of hair but it is quite expensive. But if someone is looking for a method of how to regrow hair this may be a very effective tool for them.
