Hair replacement surgery FAQs

1. What is the main reason behind hair loss or baldness?

A. Male pattern baldness found in men is due to a hormone – testosterone. When testosterone is exposed to 5-alpha-reductase another hormone is produced called as the dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the one of the main reasons for hair loss or hair shrinking. The male pattern baldness divides the men’s hair into two distinct regions – bald area and hair donor area. The hair donor area is not susceptible to hair loss because the hair growing here is genetically programmed in the root, or hair follicle, to be resistant to the effects of DHT. The donor hair becomes useful for transplanting in the bald regions of the head.

2. Does wearing a helmet or a cap cause baldness?

A. Whether you wear a helmet or a cap or anything else, if you shampoo twice a week or just once or you don’t comb your hair properly – all these are illogical reasons for hair loss. They really don’t affect hair loss scientifically.

3. How can I decide how much hair transplant I need?

A. This would depend on factors like how much hair loss you have had, or depending on your body genetics how much more hair loss is expected for you in future and above all how thick you want your hair to be after a hair replacement surgery.

4. How many hair does a normal human loose every day?

A. Normal person may experience about 100 – 150 hair loss every day. But most of the hairs lost are regained back if the follicles remain healthy and intact.

5. Is a hair replacement surgery painful?

A. While operating on a patient for hair replacement surgery a mild anesthesia is given to him to make the surgery less painful for him. The initial sessions would seem painful but once you would know the degree of pain you would not find it that painful.

6. What is the right age to go for a hair replacement surgery?

A. It is not advisable to wait for a hair replacement surgery until you become completely bald but you could wait for as long as possible for you. When you wait a little longer the donor hair supply becomes thicker, making the transplant easier. If you are too young for hair replacement surgery the procedure would become little conservative since your donor hair growth would be scarce.

7. Can insurance cover a hair replacement surgery?

A. If hair loss was an outcome of a disease or an accident you may get an insurance claim for the surgery. In case of professions like acting or modeling where you can prove the importance of a hair replacement surgery for your looks there is a chance you could cut down some taxes levied by the doctor for the surgery.

8. Can I experiment perming, dying, etc on my transplanted hair?

A. Definitely yes! Transplanted hairs are just the same as any other hair on your body. You could treat them as your normal hair and do what you wish to.

9. Is it possible to use someone else’s hair for hair transplants?

A. No. This is not advised by most surgeons as your body might reject the hair tissues coming from someone else’s body that would make the process complicated.