| Dr. Mark D. Baxa is a member of the International Society of Hair Restorations. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Hair transplant.
Q. Who would be a good candidate for hair transplant surgery?
A male or female with thinning hair and bald areas or even an accident victim would be a good candidate for hair transplant surgery. Patient must have ample donor hair in order to have sufficient grafting to the desired area.
Q. How does hair transplantation work?
Tissue/hair is surgically removed from the back of the scalp where it is most dense, and bissected (divided) into micro grafts (follicular transplanted units) where they are then inserted into tiny incisions made in the top, hairline or crown of scalp. Making the incisions for the new transplanted grafts/follicles is probably the most important aspect of the surgery, because that is when precision and an "artists’ eye" is absolutely essential.
Q. What can be done for people dissatisfied with previous mini/micrograft procedures?
I have corrected many previous procedures from surgeries that did not look natural. It is necessary to correct the "perfect" line many surgeons make to a patient’s hairline, and to correct the large, "pluggy" grafts many still use. No hairline is perfectly straight and my job is to make my patient’s hair so natural that it is unnoticeable by anyone else. The most common comments my patients get after surgery is, "you look younger, what have you done - facelift, weight loss?".
Q. What are the possible harmful effects of Propecia and Rogaine?
Both are FDA approved for treatment for hair loss. However, Propecia (active ingredient- Finasteride) is only approved for men and taken orally in a pill form. Finasteride works by blocking DHT, a hormone which can literally choke a hair follicle preventing it from getting necessary nutrients to grow a normal terminal hair. The side effect for men taking Propecia is a loss of libido affecting less than 2% men and is temporary. Rogaine is used by both men and women and is used as a topical agent placed directly on the scalp. Biggest complaint for Rogaine users is, it can be messy and can irritate the scalp. Both products may result in initial "shedding" of hair, but that can be a good sign: vellous hair is being pushed out of the way to make room for the new terminal hair.
Q. How many grafts/hairs are needed for hair transplant surgery?
Each graft will contain from 1-3, even 4 hairs depending on the groupings. I have transplanted as few as 100 grafts, and as many as 3000+ grafts in one procedure. The hair is surgically removed from the back of the scalp where hair is the thickest and moved to another area of the scalp. You still have the same amount of hairs you started with, however your hair appears thicker, and has increased density because the hairs transplanted to the top/hairline are thicker and healthier than the hairs that were already growing there.
Q. What are the advanced hair transplant techniques?
Today all good Transplant Physicians utilize FTU’s = Follicular Transplant Units. Please see PILC.com Website for specific information.
Q. What are the new hair restoration treatments available for men and women:
The most recent FDA approval for hair growth is Laser Hair Therapy. It is a cold laser and works by stimulating the follicles to grow thicker terminal hair. It is safe, with no occurrence of radiation contamination. This painless treatment only takes 20 minutes. |
