A quick Internet search for ‘hair replacement’ will dreg up so many different forms of hair transplant therapies and hair restoration options, it can be difficult to divine the fact from the fantasy. Certainly the cost of a hair transplant weighs into the decision of whether or not to seek treatment, but patients also want to be sure the treatment will work for their specific needs.
Increasingly, Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE is becoming the hair transplant surgery of choice. A closer look at hair loss myths will reveal why the FUE hair transplant method has become so popular.
- MYTH: Only the unlucky men lose hair
FALSE: Actually, most men experience some aspects of androgenetic alopecia, otherwise known as male pattern baldness. By age fifty, about 85% of men will have significantly thinning hair, and many men notice the effects of hair loss as early as their thirties.
While an individual’s genetics may put off the effects of hair loss, very few will be able to avoid this common sign of aging. That’s precisely why hair transplant and replacement therapies have grown popular. As men measure the benefits and the cost of a hair transplant, they should know they aren’t alone. The reason there are so many forms of hair replacement therapy available is because of the high demand for these services.
MYTH: All hair restoration therapies take several rounds of treatment to produce results.
FALSE: Hair restoration surgeries can be completed in a single day. For instance, a FUE treatment can usually be completed in eight hours. Additionally, FUE patients experience minimal side effects. In contrast to other methods, such as the Follicular Unit Strip Surgery, or FUSS, the FUE treatment does not require an incision in the balding area and leaves no scarring.
The FUE procedure is minimally invasive and does not require stitches. This means that donor area and treatment area become less irritated and can recover quickly. The cost of a hair transplant can also be calculated in time, and FUE patients can expect to be back to their life as usual the next day. Most men will start to see growth within a month.
MYTH: FUE hair is hard to maintain
FALSE: Once hair transplant surgery is complete, patients can expect their hair to grow as it normally does. The results are permanent and patients can return to getting haircuts or shaving as they would normally. While FUSS patients may experience some scarring and tenderness, FUE patients experience fewer complications and find their new hair grows very naturally.
MYTH: FUE hair looks natural
TRUE: Your FUE transplant hair looks natural because it is your real, natural hair. Hair loss specialists harvest small grafts of one to four hair follicles from a healthy area of hair growth and transplant those follicles to the treatment area.
As a result, the donor area continues to grow healthy hair and the treatment area will begin to grow hair as well. Some patients experience some redness and irritation as the grafts heal, but even this minor discomfort is gone within a few days. After that, patients are no longer patients–they’re just men–and the follicular restoration is just their hair.
Both the ease and success of FUE hair restoration have helped this treatment gain in popularity. The cost of a hair transplant will vary depending on each individual patient and the area being treated. Patients should consult a professional at a hair transplant clinic to discuss treatment options and pricing. Men should feel reassured that hair loss is common, and modern hair restoration is safe. The results are so successful; you may already know someone who is a FUE success story, and not even have realized they received treatment.