How Really Successful is Hair Transplant Surgery? Then Decide

What Is The Success Rate Of Hair Transplant?

Before discussing the success rate of hair transplantation, it is mandatory to define what the term ‘success’ refers to in this regard. The results depend basically on the client’s opinion which ultimately matters. A reputable physician should take the time to develop a comprehensive plan and determine a strategy based on the customized needs of his patients.

Most hair transplant surgeons consider 90 percent to be the lowest acceptable threshold. But the ideal range is between 95-98 percent. Other factors such as the doctor’s skill and his experience with the technology play a vital role in determining the success rate.

Since surgical hair restoration is considered a permanent solution, patients want to ensure that they get dense natural hair. Let’s see what factors should be considered for a real hair transplant success.

Overview

Patients repetitively enquire about the real success rate of hair transplants in India. This is one of the most important questions from the patient’s point of view. Since this procedure involves both financial and emotional investment, it’s mandatory to know the achievement of hair restoration.

• You can judge the success rate of hair restoration by the appearance of hair after the complete growth of the transplant.
• Several factors such as the surgeon’s skills, experience, and modernized technology can influence the success rate of hair restoration.
• Moreover, the major objective of reputed surgeons is to meet the patient’s realistic expectations.
• They should develop a personalized recovery strategy based on each patient’s requirements. That’s when they can achieve a hundred percent success rate.
• Not just the success rate, but our patients ask many other common questions regarding hair fall and pre-operative.

Hence, our Care Well Medical Center team has answered all those questions with substantial evidence. Let’s go through them in detail.

Selection of Hair Transplant Procedure

Another factor to decide the success rate of hair transplantation surgery is the donor harvesting technique utilized by the doctor during the procedure.

The patient must understand the different methods of transplantation and select the one that’s more comfortable. One can go for expert guidance to choose the best technique that fits your preferences.

For a FUT method, the surgeon should achieve a success rate between 95 and 98 percent. In some cases, even a 100 percent result is expected due to the transfer of follicular grafts into the recipient site. In the case of the FUE method, the yield rate is comparatively lower.

Multiple sessions are required to achieve success since individual follicular units are transplanted into the recipient site to get a more natural look comparatively.

Graft Survival

Studies have revealed that approximately 85-95% of all the implanted hairs will grow in the transplanted area, which determines the success of hair restoration surgery. Several patients fear graft rejection. In the case of an FUE hair transplant, the hair follicles or donor site is transferred from your own body, so they won’t be rejected.

What is a Good Age to Get a Hair Transplant?

Men and women of all age groups around the world experience hair loss at one time or another. According to the American Hair Loss Association, approximately two-thirds of men begin to go through a state of hair loss before the age of 35. About 85 percent of men have the problem of hair thinning by the time they reach the age of 50. In a few cases, hair loss can affect those in their early 20s.

Usually, age is not a barrier to hair transplantation. However, the surgeon should evaluate the pros and cons, especially in younger patients. Hence, several experts prefer not to recommend FUE hair transplantation for patients in their early 20s.

This is because the surgeons may not be able to make out the cause of hair loss. Between 20 to 30 years, patients usually experience a stable pattern of hair loss. That’s when the surgeons can evaluate the cause of hair fall, pattern, quality of donor’s hair, and the balding area size. Hence, the right age for a hair transplant should be 25+ years.

Can Hair Transplant Go Wrong? Are There Any Side Effects?

If performed properly by a reputed cosmetic surgeon, hair transplantation can positively transform the overall look of the patients. There won’t be any major complications. Patients may come across only minor side effects, that too rarely. What if performed improperly?

Dr. Ricardo Meija, chair of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS)’s unlicensed practice of medicine committee, said “The marketing tactics are deceptive as it appears like a team of professional doctors with excellent testimonials.

However, the reality is your surgery may be done by someone with no medical training. The demand for hair transplants is so high, reports are that taxi cab drivers and Syrian refugees do the surgery in some overseas countries.” He further added, “There are growing numbers of people being left scarred by transplants gone wrong.”

When it comes to the FUE procedure, there can be many factors that contribute to the formation of subdermal cysts, which include:

• Lack of due diligence during the extraction step
• Tumescence of the donor area
• Usage of blunt punches
• Deep coring through the dermis

General side effects may arise if a transplant goes wrong by an inexperienced surgeon. They are listed below:

• Pain
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Itching
• Edema
• Numbness
• Necrosis

To know more in detail, you can refer to the journal article titled, ‘Complications in hair transplantation’ published in the year 2018.

Why Does Hair Transplant Fail?

Have you ever wondered what causes a hair transplant to fail? Since this is a simple clinical procedure, many doctors from different backgrounds tempt to try it, certainly with little preparation and precautions. However, patients should pay careful attention.

The following five reasons for hair transplant failure give a better understanding. Because it is mandatory to choose a reputed and licensed clinic. Here are the major five failures reasons:

1. Availability of inexperienced or unqualified surgeons
2. Unlicensed and unprofessional clinic with failure rates
3. Selection of unsuitable procedure
4. Miscommunication regarding the potential risks and outcomes
5. Mistakes during post-operative care such as allowing patients to consume alcohol, caffeine, and oily foods

Is Hair Transplant Permanent?

There are many people who wonder whether a hair transplant is a permanent solution for baldness or just a temporary fix. And the reply is a resounding yes for everyone. The reason is the surgeons extract grafts from various areas of the head having permanent hair.

• Hence, they will always remain permanent even after transplantation. Moreover, surgeons will recommend post-hair transplantation care.
• After transplantation care includes regular exercise, avoiding alcohol intake, and consumption of a nutritional diet.
• Usually, the patients do not require an extensive follow-up.
• Though newly grafted hairs start shedding at 2 weeks after undergoing hair transplantation, hair from the transplanted follicles will start growing and take part in the regular hair growth cycle. This step occurs within 3-4 months at a rate of 1cm every month.

Hence, the patient can find the complete outcomes at the ninth month itself with the head full of hair. At times, surgeons may recommend minoxidil in the second week to accelerate hair growth and avoid any delay.

How Many Years Does Hair Transplant Last?

Once the hair starts growing from the transplanted follicles, it will last for a lifetime. Now the question arises, how many years can a hair transplant last? However, there are several factors that influence the lifespan of a hair transplant.

These factors include age, heredity, pollution, lifestyle, hair type, and the life span of the untreated region. In that case, the patient may have to undergo restored hair again.

Now you must be aware of all the ins and outs of the procedure. An estimated 10 to 80 percent of the transplanted hairs are completely returned within three to four months. A 2016 study suggests that platelet-rich plasma therapy can help bring back 75 percent or more of implanted hair completely.

So, what’s the upshot? Ultimately, the 100 percent success rate of hair transplant in India lies in the hands of a highly skilled and experienced cosmetic doctor from a reputed clinic who can meet your expectations.

Choose the Right Hair Transplant Surgeon

The result of hair transplantation largely depends on the surgeon you select for the procedure. Most of them claim to offer a 98% success rate. It’s their skill and relevant experience that matters.

• He/she is the one who decides whether you are the right candidate for transplantation.
• The right surgeon will provide timely advice and realistic expectations through diagnosis.
• If the patient meets the treatment standards, especially checking the level of the donor’s hair to be extracted, the right surgeon can deliver a minimum 95% success rate.
• Ultimately, the more you lose hair, the less you will be selected for hair transplantation.
• That’s how in the consultation process when a patient first attends the surgeon, he enquires about the success rate.

The physician’s response is that it depends on the patient’s objectives and the quality of the donor’s hair.

Read depth information about how to select the best hair transplant surgeon.

Natural Appearance

Hair naturally grows in small bundles to form a follicular unit. Only by using these naturally occurring follicular unit grafts, there is no chance of a doll-hair look. The color, angles, textures, diameter, and directions must correctly match the patient’s existing hair. This is where the surgeon excels to ensure a natural appearance.

Meeting Patient’s Expectations

Patients undergo hair transplantation expecting the below-listed expectations:
• To hide their baldness
• To restore the lost hair
• To revitalize their appearance
Hence, these patients would declare the surgery a success only when their expectations are met.

Check Testimonials/Reviews

Reviews or testimonials of people especially celebrities who have gone through hair transplantation can be a valuable tool to help you select the technique and the surgeon. These reviews can highlight the pros and cons of the procedure and the surgeon which helps the patient to take the right decision.

Conclusion

Many times, just researching all hair transplant surgeons as well as the procedures is not enough to ensure that you will experience the best outcome. It’s ultimately the ‘man in the mirror’ who judges the success of the hair transplant procedure. It is he who boosts the patient’s self-esteem and confidence.

Reference:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/604644