Pennsylvania Hair Transplant & Hair Restoration Directory

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Hair Transplant Information in Brief

Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure performed on men and women who would like to reverse the signs of hair loss. It helps to correct androgenetic alopecia, scarring alopecia and other types of permanent alopecia. Hair transplantation involves transferring hair grafts (skin and hair units of 1 to 4 hairs extracted from a single donor strip) from the back and sides of your head (the donor area) to balding or thinng areas where you would like new hair to grow.

When it comes to hair transplants, the key to achieving a natural look is for the doctor to use what is known as Follicular Unit Hair Grafts, otherwise known as Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). Follicular Units have been commonplace in the hair transplant industry for the last 10 years and are the mostly widely used method for transplanting hair. Follicular units produce the most natural looking and undetectable results and are favored by all hair transplant doctors and dermatologists who practice hair restoration. The days of hair plugs are long gone and you would never be able to notice the difference between those who have had a hair transplant, and those who haven't.

The definition of a follicular unit is a group of 1 to 3 hairs that grow naturally together. The follicular unit also includes one to two fine hairs known as vellous hairs, glands, muscle, nerves and blood vessels. By keeping the transplanted micrografts to the size of a naturally occuring follicular unit, hair transplant doctors are able to provide hair restoration that is natural looking and undetectable.

A typical hair transplant procedure has at least six steps:

1. Consultation
2. Blood Tests
3. Anesthia
4. Extraction of donor hair
5. Division of donor hair into follicular units
6. Implanting of donor hair
7. Post operative care

Depending on the number of hair grafts you are having implanted, the entire procedure can last from 2 to 4 hours. Follow your doctor's post operative instructions carefully and expect to wait 3 to 6 months before your new hair grafts actually start growing your new hair. It's important to note that once your hair grafts are implanted, the shock of the transplanting will actually cause them to go into the dormant stage of the 3 Stage Hair Growth Cycle. This means your new hair grafts will actually die and fall out, but don't worry because this is normal and expected. Since the hair "bulb" has been implanted, new hair will start to grow in 3 to 6 and up to 12 months later.

The term Hair Restoration is a wider, all encompassing term used as an umbrella for all medically accepted methods for restoring one's hair which includes hair transplantation, finasteride (pills), minoxidil (topical solution), and other lesser known treatment options. Dermatologist, Plastic Surgeons and other doctors that specialize in hair restoration do not practice "Natural Cures" for hair loss and avoid the "miracle cures" and other hair loss treatment scams that exist.