How Does a Hair Transplant Work?

Thanks for the question. The first stage consists of the extraction of hair follicles by a plastic surgeon. This stage takes an average of 1-2 hours.
The second stage consists of planning and incising the hair canals. This procedure -also performed by a plastic surgeon- takes 30-45 minutes.
During the third stage, hair follicles are inserted inside the canals opened. And the hair transplant operation is completed with a proper dressing. This takes 2-3 hours.

It is basically harvesting hair follicles from one part of the body and relocating to any part of the body that needs hair.

Hair transplantation is really about relocating (transplanting) the bald resistant hair follicles from the back of the head to the balding areas on the top of the head.

This process works for a lifetime because the hair follicles taken from the back of the head are genetically resistant to baldness, regardless of where they are relocated to.

Prior to surgery (procedure is don under local anesthesia) , the hair in donor area that will be surgically removed is trimmed. 

No trimming or shaving of hair is needed in the top recipient area. Tiny incisions are made in the recipient areas in irregular patterns that mimic nature. The follicular unit grafts will then be placed carefully into these tiny incisions. The tiny graft incisions heal rapidly. The redness and scabbing in the recipient area normally clears up within about one week.
Most patients are surprised by how little discomfort, if any, they experience during and after ARTAS  or NeoGraft surgery.
By choosing a FUE procedure you are avoiding big linear scar in the back of your head since FUE technique is minimally invasive.

That depends on the type of hair transplant you are getting. If you opt for follicular unit extraction (FUE), these are the steps involved, in a nutshell:


Patient lies face-down on operating table

Local anesthesia delivered to donor site; possibly intramuscular hypnotics ingested orally for the purpose of relaxation

Extraction of donor hairs in individual follicular units; micropunching tool, needle devices and magnification used (grafts preserved in a holding solution while awaiting implantation)

Patient turns to lie face-up on operating table

Local anesthesia delivered to recipient site

Microscopic slits made for implantation; customary blades used for incision

No staples, stitches or bandages needed

Patient receives detailed care instructions, mild pain killers, topical medication, and antibiotics


 

First and foremost, one must eliminate any medical causes for hair loss. If medical causes have been eliminated then evaluation of the pattern of hair loss and the quality of the donor hair from the back of the scalp. Depending on how much scalp needs coverage transplants may need to occur over a couple of sessions.
The hair line is outlined in a pattern that will produce a natural result. A donor strip of hair is obtained from the back of the scalp and given to hair techs that divide the hair into micro grafts (1-2 hairs) and mini grafts (2-3 hairs).
The donor site is carefully closed to produce a fine line closure to allow hair to grow through. Recipient sites of the hair line and scalp are created and the grafts are placed subsequently. This procedure is performed as an in-office procedure under local anesthesia. The hair transplants will initially be lost over 3-4 months but after that time new hairs will start to grow. Final hair growth is usually seen over the next 3-4 months.

Adults have two basic types of hair: terminal hair and vellus hair. Terminal Hair grows on the scalp and varies greatly among different people in color, curliness and texture. Vellus Hair is the short, fine, light-colored hair that grows on most places of the body, including the face, back and armpit.
Prior to any hair loss, the average person has about 100,000 scalp hairs. Each of these hairs grows from a follicle within the skin. These hair follicles are naturally bundled together by collagen fibers into follicular units, each containing from one to four follicles. Individual follicular units are transplanted to create a very natural appearance using Follicular Unit Transplantation, today's gold standard for hair transplants.
Hairs are shed daily and replaced by new hairs as part of the normal cycle of human hair growth. At any given time, about 90% of hair follicles are in the Anagen Phase, or growing phase. Follicles may remain in the growing phase for 2 to 6 years, during which terminal hairs on the scalp usually grow about 1/2 inch per month. Next, hair follicles enter the Catagen Phase (transition phase) for 2 to 4 weeks before entering the Telogen Phase (resting phase) for 2 to 4 months. Hair shed during the resting phase — the hair you may see on your brush or in the shower — is naturally replaced by new anagen hair.
The majority of both men and women who lose hair beyond what is naturally shed do so because of an inherited condition called Androgenetic Alopecia. Genetic hair loss usually occurs between 20 and 45 years of age, but can appear in younger people and continue thoughout one's lifetime. Hair transplants performed by the Birmingham, Alabama hair transplant surgeons at Alabama Hair Transplant are a proven and effective way to "turn back the clock" for people with balding or thinning hair.

During a hair transplant, a strip of skin is taken from the donor region over the ears which extends to the central back of the scalp. Then, if a follicular unit technique is used, the physician surgically separates individual follicular unit grafts from this tissue with the use of a sophisticated binocular microscope. The grafts are then transplanted into tiny custom-sized incisions in bald or thinning areas of the scalp.

The single-haired grafts are used to recreate a frontal hairline, while the two and three, four -haired grafts are placed behind the singles, and so on. Because the hair is kept in its natural follicular units, it grows in the recipient areas in the most natural way possible. These individual follicular units provide a soft, natural look.  During the follicular unit extraction session there is no strip but the individual follicles are extracted one by one.

Step 1:  Harvest donor hair from the back of the head .  Step 2:  Insert into new recipient site.  This may sound simple but it takes a highly skilled staff with years of experience to accomplish this well. 

The most important step in the procedure is actually not the procedure... it's the consultation. See an experienced hair transplant surgeon to determine if your actually a good candidate for hair restoration surgery. This is dependent upon age, speed and extent of hair loss, donor availability, expectations, etc. If you're a good candidate, basically the surgeon will determine how many grafts will be necessary, where the grafts will be placed, what is the shape and location of the hairline, etc. All of this is going to be determined in the consultation. So, in my opinion the most important step in the hair transplant procedure is seeing a surgeon with training and experience in hair restoration surgery.

The procedure of moving hairs from the back of the scalp to the front has undergone a number of transformations over the years. It began with the removal of oversized, 10-20 hair 'punch grafts' which were moved as a group to the front of the scalp. However, the long-term cosmetic results were far from optimal.
Now, modern techniques involve the harvesting of hairs as a strip from the back of the scalp, followed by division of hairs into their natural follicular units of 1-4 hairs. With proper orientation and placement, they grow in a natural distribution that is undetectable to others. It takes about 6-12 months for the hairs to grow in fully, and the results can often be complemented with the use of medications such as Propecia (oral finasteride) or Rogaine (topical minoxidil).