Hair loss is just one of the many health conditions that people suffer from, especially as they age. Both men and women deal with aging and they suffer from the consequences that come with it. However, more men are prone to hair loss or hair thinning than women, and some of them even start experiencing this problem in their 30s and 40s. This issue is quite prevalent that many people have resorted to hair transplant to treat the problem.
The Basic Procedure
Fundamentally, hair transplant is a surgical procedure to treat hair loss or hair thinning. Some parts of the head or scalp are extracted with healthy hair and then transplanted to problematic areas. Mostly, the sides and the back of the head are extracted with hair since such areas have healthier and thicker hair. The restoration process usually comes out successful, giving you a “fuller” head with evenly growing hair for a more youthful look.
Compatibility
Hair transplant is often restricted around the head area but in some cases, especially when severe baldness needs to be treated, surgeons opt for Body Hair Transplant (BHT). When the head lacks healthy scalp and hair, the next best thing to do is to extract hair follicles from other parts of your body. But such procedure is more crucial because of the scalp’s compatibility with the body hair, specifically the hair color and texture. Difficulty in hair transplant can occur when scalp hair is naturally straight while body hair is otherwise. There are several things to consider mainly on the differences between body hair and scalp hair, and these are:
- Skin type
- Orientation of hair follicular units
- Depth of hair follicle under the skin
- Hair thickness and texture
Getting Expert Advice
Prior to undergoing a body hair transplant, it is always best to seek for opinions from various hair experts. Patients who would resort to a hair transplant procedure can even opt for a minor graft surgery so that possible developments or growth yield of the patient’s hair can be evaluated. If the scalp significantly responds to the minor body hair grafts, then the patient may push through with a full hair transplant.
How to Ensure a Successful Body Hair Transplant
Surgeons prefer scalp to scalp transplant but in severe cases, body hair transplant is needed in order to immediately treat hair thinning or baldness. Though it could be the last resort, there are patients who respond quickly to it. In any case, here are some tips to help you get good results from a body hair transplant:
- You should not solely rely on mere testimonials. You can opt to undergo minor BHT grafts first and if you and your doctor are both happy with the outcome only then should you decide to push through with the surgery.
- Test patch can be done by getting sample extractions from specific areas of the body. The tiny sample can help the doctor assess the healing ability of both the scalp and the skin. Patients who are in doubt can try a test patch before surgery.