Hair Restoration and Replacement

The hair restoration procedure has become a loose term that can mean any hair loss treatment program. This could be anything from vitamin therapy to drugs and natural supplements. Originally, the term hair restoration meant hair transplantation using hair grafts from one area of the patient’s scalp to the bald spot. This is the procedure I will explain here.

Most of the men who suffer from hair loss are in the process of feeling the results from a genetic condition known as Male Pattern Baldness also known by its medical term Androgenic Alopecia. Basically, when a man is born with the gene set that causes this condition his hair on the top, vertex, and front hair line has a tendency to fall out in mid life. The reason for this is fairly simple. The men have an enzyme in their body called 5alpha-reductase. This enzyme causes changes in the male hormone testosterone. The testosterone is converted into a metabolite called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. Also, when a man has the genes for this condition, the hair in the affected area has receptors on the base that allow the DHT to bond to the follicle. The DHT will then cause the hair follicles in these areas to slow down production of the hair shaft material keratin. It is thought the follicle has decreased growth cycles while this is occurring. As the follicles produce less and less hair shaft material the hair becomes thinner and thinner by cross section. Eventually keratin production stops all together and the hair follicles falls out. At this point the follicle is encased in fibrotic material and will not produce hair again forever.

Once the hair follicles stop producing hair the only option is hair restoration procedures. In particular, the hair restoration surgery is used to insert growing follicles back into the bald spot again. The hair restoration specialist goes through much training learning how to remove the follicles with the least amount of scarring and how to insert them into the scalp in the most natural position. A good surgeon can offer results that are almost absolutely unnoticeable.

To perform the procedure the hair restoration doctor will first remove hair from the donor site. This is usually the posterior, or rear, portion of the head. When a patient has male pattern baldness he does not usually lose hair in the rear of the head but only on the top and front. This leaves ample hair in the donation area to be transplanted to the balding area.

Once the hair follicles are removed and prepared they are then inserted into the scalp in the thinning hair location. The surgeon, as I noted above, inserts them in such a way as to match the directional growth of the surrounding hairs. This gives a very natural appearance. These hair implants will then continue to grow for years to come. There is probably a good hair restoration clinic in your area or near it so contact some and determine what the cost in your part of the country would be. I think you will find the hair restoration procedure is the best method for getting hair to grow in the bald spot.