What you need to know
Hairstyles bring personality to our faces. Losing hair carries a hard-emotional impact. Now, hair transplants and hair replacements are different treatments to solve baldness but applied by the wrong hands may turn into a nightmare.
A transplant gone wrong maybe the reason why Bill Maher to describes Trump’s hair as “Mr. Clean with a dead ferret stapled to his scalp.” An example of hair replacement gone wrong is described in a Jezebel.com article as: “…worse than flag a flag burning“.
Choosing between a hair transplant or hair replacement requires time for you to make a good research. At the end, finding the truth can avoid mistreating your self-esteem and saving you time and money.
¿What is a hair transplant and a hair replacement?
Hair transplant or restoration, is a surgical treatment that began in the 1950’s. It requires a medical evaluation and is an invasive procedure because it requires anesthesia to be injected into your scalp. There are two (2) methods for transplants:
- Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS) or
- Follicular unit extraction (FUE).
For the hair transplant procedure around six (6) to ten (10) inches of follicles are extracted from the back of your head. Then, the area is sutured and hidden with the rest of hair around it. The hair strands that were extracted are inserted into the closed follicles with a scalpel or needle to force hair regrowth.
Hair replacement or toupees, is a non-surgical treatment born in the 1980’s. It requieres a clinical capillary evaluation and is a non-invasive procedure because it does not requiere injections, surgery neither entails pain. There are two (2) types of hair replacement:
- Standard and
- Customized
The hair replacement is a thin membrane of human or synthetic hair sewn by hand and strand by strand. The standard replacement has generic size and no hair color or density variation. The custom replacements are fit to size, hair color, and density for each client. This membrane is adhered to the hair scalp with a long-lasting capillary glue that has no side effects.
¿How long does the procedures takes?
Hair transplant surgery may take from four (4) to eight (8) hours, but it varies according to each person. Some people will need more than one surgery. Your scalp will be bandaged by the surgeon, which must kept for at least a day or two and he may prescribe antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs. Most patients will be able to return to their daily routine between two (2) to five (5) days after surgery. More than 50% of patients will notice the new hair growth after six (6) months.
Hair replacements require a capillary evaluation to discuss treatment recommendations. This procedure usually takes up to one (1) hour. Hair replacement application may last up to three (3) hours or so. There will be no need for additional procedures. There is no pain or need to bandage the area. Neither you will need to take medications. The person may return to its daily routine the very same day. The results are seen immediately!
Risk and costs
Hair transplants costs varies from person to person. Generally, the cost fluctuates from $4,000 to $15,000 USD. Most health insurance companies do not cover this treatment.
The risks of bleeding and infections are inherent for this kind of surgery. Scars and unnatural hair growth appearance are possible, too. Robert Prince, may have reasons to conclude: “There’s more bad than good hair transplant surgeons“. He also ensured that there is no such thing as transplants without scars.
Hair replacement costs also fluctuate depending on each patient. The cost is generally less than $1,000 USD. Most of health insurance plans do not cover the procedure, and application materials do not present any secondary effects. There are no scars and the appearance is 100% natural and undetectable.
Regulations and compliance
There are no government or medical regulations in the hair transplant industry as found in the American Hair Loss Association. Any surgeon without training or certification may practice the procedure. On the other hand, hair replacement professionals are required continuous education and training even through the industry is not regulated.
At the end, each person is free to choose how to solve hair loss. There is no need to go through research to understand that hair replacements present a minimum probability to the membrane to roll back, nor there are life-risk procedure or pain four self-esteem.
