Hair transplant surgery is a cosmetic procedure that involves taking donor hairs from one or more areas of your body—most commonly the back or sides of your scalp, or even your beard, back, or chest—and moving them to an area where you've had hair loss.
The healthy hair follicles are transplanted as “grafts” that each contain one, two, or three hairs.
Hair grafting was once done almost exclusively on the scalp, and that’s still the most common procedure. However, hair restoration surgeons are now doing beard transplants, eyebrow transplants, and even eyelash transplants, according to Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, a facial plastic and hair restoration surgeon in Miami.Â
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 80 million men and women experience hair loss. It’s normal to lose 50–100 hairs a day, but bald spots, a thinning part, and a receding hairline may indicate a bigger issue that warrants hair transplants.
For most people, the causes of hair loss are genetic. Androgenic alopecia, also called female or male pattern baldness, commonly begins in men as a receding hairline or thinning in the crown, while women usually experience recession near the temples and a widening part.
Some people also develop an autoimmune disorder called alopecia areata, which can lead to patchy hair loss anywhere on the body.
If your hair loss hasn't progressed too far, and any underlying medical conditions can be successfully treated, a hair transplant can usually restore most of what you’ve lost—and deliver a boost to your self-confidence.
