6 Facts About Undergoing a Hair Transplant Procedure

Are you considering hair transplant surgery as a viable option to address your problem with baldness? Before you undergo this type of procedure, however, it's a good idea to have an idea of how your hair will look like after a hair transplant procedure.

While it isn't possible to know how your hair will exactly look like after since no two heads have the same kind of hair, there are some general facts available to help make sure you're well prepared before, during and after the procedure.

1. A hair transplant surgery involves hair grafts. Each hair graft consists of hair follicles. You want the transplanted hair to look natural after surgery so go with a hair transplant surgeon that does hair grafts consisting of just one to four hair follicles per graft. In the past, hair transplant looked awful and unnatural. This is because doctors back then had eight or more hair follicles per graft.

The smaller the hair grafts (also known as follicular unit grafts), the more natural looking they look. In addition, small hair grafts are ideal for receding hairline restoration. So if you're problem is a receding hair line, the hair transplant will look more natural if your surgeon uses follicular unit grafts.

2. How full your hair transplant site looks after the surgery depends on how dense your donor sites are. Your donor sites are those areas on your head where healthy hair follicles grow that can be transplanted to the area of your head that is balding. So if there is a high density of hair on your donor sites (which simply means a high number of hair per square centimeter), you can expect your hair transplant site to look fuller. This is because the more hair follicles per square centimeter you have on your scalp, the more hair grafts can be done on the balding area of your head.

3. Your scalp laxity, or simply your scalp's flexibility, also determines the fullness of the transplant site. The more loose your scalp, the more hair grafts can be done on the hair transplant site.

4. If you have coarse hair, your surgeon can use fewer hair follicles per graft to cover more area. While coarse hair gives more coverage, it looks less natural than finer hair.

5. Curly hair, like coarse hair, gives more coverage than straight hair. This is because curly hair stands up from and away from the scalp. Straight hair provides less coverage. So if your hair is naturally straight, your surgeon faces more of a challenge than if your hair is naturally curly.

6. The color of your hair in comparison to the color of your skin also affects how your hair transplant looks like. If your hair color is close to or similar to your skin color, count yourself lucky. If there happens to be areas on the transplant site that lacks hair coverage, it will be less noticeable. However, if your hair color and skin color are contrasting, hair follicles may be more noticeable, even when only the smallest lack of coverage is present. Think of a very dark-skinned person with very blond hair. Her hair follicles are going to stand out.

You can't ever really tell exactly how a hair transplant procedure, or any kind of procedure for that matter, is going to turn out. But to ensure the highest chances of success with your hair transplant surgery, go with a surgeon that is reputable, highly-skilled, has years of experience and can show evidence of his past successes in hair transplantation. He should also be able to answer your questions objectively and provide you with realistic expectations.