There has been a great deal of progress in the field of hair
replacement and restoration in the past few years. Surgical techniques
have improved greatly from the days when hair replacement first began.
All hair replacement techniques involve the use of your own hair;
therefore, hair replacement candidates must have some healthy hair,
usually at the back and sides of the head. The process is a relatively
safe procedure when performed by a qualified surgeon, however as with
any surgery there are risks. Candidates must be checked for
uncontrolled high blood pressure, blood-clotting problems, or skin that
scars excessively, as these conditions may make healing difficult.
Small pieces of hair growing scalp grafts are removed from areas of the
scalp with healthy hair and are placed where hair is thinning.
There are three major types of grafts: punch grafts, mini-grafts, and
micro-grafts. Punch grafting takes about 10-15 hairs and places them in
the scalp. This was the first type of technique to be developed, and
when first developed caused a patchy look in many candidates. The
technique has been improved since the first days of being developed,
and the new mini-graft technique has also been added as an option.
Mini-grafts contain only 2-4 hairs per graft, and therefore look much
more natural. Micro-grafts are still smaller grafts that contain one to
two hairs each. To maintain healthy circulation of the scalp, grafts
are placed 1/8th of an inch apart. Local anesthesia is usually
sufficient for these procedures, and several procedures are usually
required to achieve the desired result. Post-surgery, a period of
approximately 10 days of no sexual or strenuous activity is
recommended, as strenuous activity may cause bleeding from the graft
areas.
Of course surgery is a serious option, and often an expensive one as
well. For those not wishing to undergo surgery for either reason, the
option of non-surgical hair additions is often explored. Many
professionals have developed techniques to add hair to existing hair on
your scalp that look very natural. Weaves, fusions, bonding, cabling
and micro linking are some of the techniques used to bond hair to the
existing hair or scalp non-surgically.
Many jokes were made in the past about wigs and toupees, and they have
gained an unfavorable light amongst many people because they were so
obvious on the wearer. Today’s toupees and wigs are often made of real
hair and are very well styled, causing them to look ore natural on the
wearer. These hairpieces are held in place by affixing adhesive to the
scalp and stay in place through vigorous exercise. Of course you will
need to seek a professionally made toupee in order to make it worth
your while, and you should purchase at least two so that you can
maintain them properly, servicing one while wearing the other. A
professionally styled and fitted toupee is expected to cost upward of
$600 to $1000 in today’s market. Of course no one wants to go through
the embarrassment of wearing the obvious “rug” on top of your head, so
if you are not willing to spend the money it takes to purchase a
professional toupee then it is probably best to not wear any hairpiece
at all.
Structured hairpieces as they are called are a semi-surgical approach
that permanently attaches hair to the scalp by stitching the hair to
the bald scalp. This procedure is not recommended, as it is a process
that involves introducing a foreign material to the scalp. Most ethical
surgeons do not perform this procedure any longer as they are generally
deemed to be ethically inappropriate. If this procedure is recommended
to you, get a second opinion from a trusted physician.
A much safer procedure is hair weaving, yet this can only be used if
hair is thinning and large balding areas are not present. The process
is also called hair intensification or hair integration. Strands of
synthetic or real hair are braided or weaved into your own existing
hair giving an appearance of a full head of hair. This procedure does
have its drawbacks, because it can make the scalp difficult to access,
interfering with proper hair and scalp maintenance necessary for the
health of your remaining natural hair, and this method can also stress
existing hair since the artificial hair introduced through weaving is
attached to it. This method is usually expensive, costing several
thousand dollars per application, and being that because of the
aforementioned drawbacks it can only be left in for a few weeks at a
time it is usually impractical for the average person.
It is highly recommended that one seek professional assistance with
these procedures from licensed beauticians or barbers, and have a patch
test done to the skin if using adhesives to test for skin
sensitivities. Extra care must be taken to maintain cleanliness of the
hair and scalp when wearing added hair in order to maintain the health
of existing hair and the scalp in general. Of course, if you are
undergoing chemotherapy or are in the early stages of diagnosed
alopecia areata then these procedures should be avoided as the hair
they are connected to is likely to fall out as well. Either waiting for
a period of time or obtaining a full prosthesis is recommended in these
cases.
Yet still there is another type of treatment which is a spray of micro
fibers made up of the same substance that hair is made of: keratin. If
your hair is simply thinning, while you are investigating a more
permanent solution to your hair loss problems or in the process of
employing a particular process that takes some time, you can use these
substances to cosmetically produce the appearance of thicker and fuller
hair. The substance is marketed under several different names, one such
being Topik®. Being a temporary solution it is relatively inexpensive,
and can provide some immediate aesthetic results to bolster confidence
and optimism as you work on more permanent solutions.
