Hair loss can be a touchy subject. Often, it comes as an unwanted reminder of the aging process, especially when it happens suddenly and when we’re still young!
Some types of hair loss are only temporary, such as stress or damage from intense treatment, and these can usually be treated with remedies in both topical and supplement form. However, in general, permanent hair loss is very common.
If you suffer from permanent hair loss, you may be considering a hair transplant to restore your hairline to its former glory. But is one hair transplant really good enough to create the desired results?
The short answer is it depends on your needs.
Know Your Needs
To know if one hair transplant procedure is enough for you will depend entirely on why your hair has gone in the first place. For example, if your hair loss is self-contained to one non-spreading area, a single transplant may be more than enough to achieve optimal results. This can be said as well of areas that have concerns of thinning hair, not full baldness.
However, if your hair loss is one that continues to spread past the area of the initial transplant, then additional transplants may be necessary to treat the new problem area.
Another reason an additional treatment may be needed is if the initial procedure yields unsatisfactory results. While FUE hair transplants are successful a majority of the time, sometimes the follicles do not take them, and additionally, procedures may be necessary.
How is an FUE hair transplant performed?
During an FUE hair transplant, a digitally operated device individually takes healthy hair follicles from a discreet donor area on your body (typically this is the neck area) and transplants the hair into your designated area where hair loss occurs. The results are usually seamless, making it hard – or impossible, to tell where transplanted hair is versus original growth.
How Long Does Hair Transplant Last?
Hair transplants are permanent, often lasting a lifetime. After the transplant, the initially implanted follicles will shed within 2-4 weeks; this is not a point of concern, as, after this, the hair will begin to grow as normal after the initial shedding. After this, the hair performs exactly as normal hair does, growing and shedding in natural cycles over the course of a lifetime.
How Common is Hair Loss?
Hair loss is incredibly common, especially among men. The worst part is that hair loss can begin early. According to the American Hair Loss Association, roughly 25 percent of men begin to experience at least some form of hair loss before the young age of 21. By the age of only 35, this percentage more than doubles, with roughly 66% of men experiencing the signs of losing their hair. Finally, by age 50, well before the age one would even consider being a senior, approximately 85 percent of men reported having hair loss.
Hair loss among women is also incredibly common, affecting roughly half of women by 50. With women, hair loss is typically displayed by thinning “translucent” looking hair versus the pattern baldness that men experience.
