What is the Success Rate of Hair Transplant?

As we get older, hair fibers get thinner and drop out more. Sometimes unusual hair fall can happen even in youth. Hair transplant surgery is more common in recent years. Technological developments have made this procedure safer and more efficient than before.

Hair transplant is a minimally invasive procedure for those who are losing hair and want to have thicker hair. In this procedure, hair follicles are taken from a thick part of the head like the back of the head, which is known as the donor area, and then they are transplanted to the bald or thin part of the head, known as the recipient area. When the hair grows back, it will create a natural-looking appearance.

Types of hair transplant

There are different methods for carrying out a hair transplant. Practicing each of the methods takes several hours depending on the number of follicles that the surgeon is going to implant and it needs local anesthesia. It does not require hospitalization and the patient can go home on the same day.  Below, we discuss each method briefly.

Follicular unit extraction (FUE):

the most common technique of hair transplant is follicular unit extraction (FUE). In this type, follicular units or grafts which contain around 1-4 hair are extracted from the donor area. Then the follicular units are inserted into the recipient area through small incisions (channels). The incisions often do not need stitches however the procedure may cause minor scars.

Direct hair implantation (DHI):

this method is a modification of the FUE technique. DHI does not require channel creation because of a special tool known as a Choi Implanter Pen that can do both channel making and implanting the follicles. In this method, the surgeon will extract hair follicles from the donor area (usually the back of the head) using a pen-shaped tool with a fine tip. Then the hair follicles that are loaded into the tool are implanted into the balding part of the head.

Follicular Unit Transplantation/ Follicular unit strip surgery (FUT or FUSS):

in this method, the surgeon removes a strip of skin usually from the back of your head. The size of the strip depends on the number of follicles that you need but they usually do not exceed 1 to 1.5 centimeters. Then the surgeon uses a microscope to remove the follicles from the strip and re-implant them into the bald part of the head.

Patients are awake during the surgery and the process is done under local anesthesia. Hair transplant surgery takes between 4 to 10 hours depending on the number of follicles that need to be implanted. FUT is usually quicker than the FUE method. All the hair transplant techniques are effective. FUE can make remarkable results; however, it requires more skills and takes more time compared to FUSS.

Hair Transplant Success Rate

Hair transplant surgery is considered an effective and successful procedure. Yet, a successful hair transplant is described as a way of lowering the hairline for somebody, while for the others it may mean the increase of hair density around the crown. Therefore, it is important to discuss your goals with your doctor before undergoing surgery in order to have a general perspective about the outcome of the procedure.

The graft survival rate of hair transplants is between 90-95%. A study in 2016 that evaluated patients after 3 years of their hair transplant showed an average satisfaction rate of 8.3 out of 10.

It is important to know that the final result of this surgery takes some time to appear. The ultimate outcome usually appears around 12-18 months.

Factors Affecting Hair Transplant Success Rates

There are a few factors affecting on hair transplant success rate. We will discuss the important parameters briefly in the following.

Type of hair transplant:

as we discussed before, there are different methods used for hair transplant surgery. FUE is considered the most common technique of hair transplant because it is minimally invasive and it will not leave visible scars. FUE also has a very high success rate. DHI sometimes is more effective than FUE because it does not require channel creation and they will be transplanted into the intended area directly; therefore, the risk of being lost or damaged is reduced.

Type of hair:

the characteristics of your hair have effects on how successful hair transplant procedures would be. Those who have thick and curly hair are more likely to achieve greater coverage through a smaller number of grafts.

Clinic and doctor:

hair transplant needs a qualified and well-trained doctor in order to be a success. Choosing an under-qualified doctor can lead to not getting the desired result and runs the risk of damaging your hair. With the help of TebMedTourism, you can find the most professional doctors and achieve the best results at unbelievably reasonable costs.

Post-treatment care:

after hair transplant treatment, you should know about essential points to heal better. It is important to take care of your implanted hair because they are still fragile and more care. There are a few tips for post-transplant hair care that will be mentioned briefly:

• • • Keep the newly grafted area moist
    • Wash Gently after 1-2 days with baby shampoo and low-pressure water
    • Sleep semi-upright and use a U-shaped pillow at least for 48 hours
    • Keep swelling and irritation to a minimum
    • Restrict vigorous exercise after hair transplant surgery
    • Try to have a softer hairstyle and avoid tight ponytails
    • Have a healthy nutritious diet
    • Don’t dye your hair after the procedure for at least 1 month
    • Get your vitamin and mineral levels checked
    • Avoid direct sun exposure for the first two weeks