During Surgery
During Hair Loss Surgery
Before undergoing any surgical procedure it is vital that you have a thorough consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon. The consultation is your opportunity to discuss your reasons for wanting hair restoration surgery with your specialist and ask any questions you may have. The cosmetic surgeon will explain the hair loss surgery procedure to you in detail and make sure you are a suitable candidate by taking a medical history. You will also be asked to sign a consent form to make sure you fully understand the pros and cons of treatment. Make sure you read this and any associated material your surgeon gives you very carefully.
How your surgery is done will depend on the type of hair loss surgery you are having.
Hair transplant
There are a variety of techniques used for hair transplant surgery but they all involve taking hairs from one part of your head where they are still growing and transplanting them into areas where the scalp is bald of the hair is thinning. Hair loss treatments are usually performed under local anaesthetic so you will be awake during the procedure. In some cases your surgeon may offer you a mild sedative to further minimise your discomfort.
A donor strip will be harvested. This involves the surgeon making an incision in the scalp in order to remove a strip of donor hair. Before making the incision the surgeon will inject a solution under the skin in order to raise it and make it more easily removable. Surgical staples or sutures will then be used to close the wound. The grafts will then be prepared so that they can be transplanted back onto your head. There are many different grafting techniques, which dictate how many hairs will be grafted and how they are grafted. This ranges from micro-grafting where between one and two hairs are grafted into needle holes to standard round or square grafting where between 10 and 20 hairs can be grafted. The follicular unit graft is the most advanced technique. This uses multiple numbers of small grafts that contain between one and four hairs to enable the surgeon to place a large number of follicular units into a given area and devote more attention to the angle and orientation of the transplanted grafts. This means that the transplanted hair will lie better on the scalp and provide better coverage to bald areas.
When the grafts are ready to be transplanted the surgeon will anaethetise your scalp and place them into tiny incisions in the skin. This involves a lot of skill on the surgeon’s part and can be a timely process.
The surgery usually takes between two and six hours.
Scalp Reduction Surgery
Before the surgery starts your surgeon will administer a local anaesthetic. They may also give you a mild tranquiliser or sedative to help you relax. This procedure is usually done over a number of sessions as too much scalp cannot be removed at one time. Small sections of scalp are removed and then reattached to areas where the hair has been lost. The scalp is then stitched back up.
Sometimes a technique known as scalp expansion is used to loosen and stretch the skin. A tissue expander is implanted under the skin and filled over a number of weeks to achieve this. This makes the procedure easier for the surgeon as the skin has already been stretched.
Another technique known as scalp extension is also sometimes used. A surgical device made of hooks and elastic bands is placed under the scalp. As the device is tightened the tension helps loosen and stretch the skin and again makes the surgery easier.
Scalp Flap Surgery
Scalp flap surgery can be done under local or general anaesthetic. The procedure involves a strip of scalp being removed and reattached at the donor site. This technique is often combined with scalp expansion. The surgeon will first make an incision where the upper part of the flap is going to be. An expansion balloon is then placed underneath the scalp tissue and the incision site is stitched up. Over three or four weeks the balloon is gradually filled with a saline solution to stretch the scalp. After this has been achieved you will go back to the surgeon who often then performs what is known as a ‘delay procedure’. Further incisions are made in the scalp to create the upper two thirds of the flaps. These are then sutured back in place to induce collateral circulation. The same procedure is then performed to create the lower part of the flap. Finally the strip of hair bearing scalp can be repositioned to the bald area on the head.
Choosing a Hair Loss Clinic or Surgeon in the U.K
It is important to pick a reputable, experienced cosmetic surgeon for a hair loss procedure. We have a number of Hair loss clinics throughout the U.K.
