Hair loss is a common problem that many people may experience. Therefore, some of them opt for a hair transplant. But how long does a hair transplant last? Generally speaking, modern hair transplants are safe, natural-looking, and permanent.
Before we get into a full answer to this question, let’s take a look at what hair transplant is and how it works so you can make a decision about which to choose, FUT or FUE.
Table of Contents
What is a Hair Transplant?
A hair transplant is a surgical procedure that moves healthy hair follicles from the donor site (usually the back of the scalp, where hair is plentiful and healthy) to the bald or thinning patches. The transplanted follicles begin to grow hair once the healing process is complete.
There are two main types of hair transplants: Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE).
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is ideal for patients with extensive baldness or who have only a few small areas of thinning that are difficult to cover using FUE.
During the FUT procedure, a strip of the scalp is usually removed from the back of the scalp to the bald or thinning areas. Hair is harvested from this strip and divided into grafts.
The surgeon makes a small, horizontal incision in the scalp and removes a strip of hair-bearing skin. This strip is then dissected into individual follicular units under a microscope. The follicular units are placed into tiny incisions made in the balding part of the scalp.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a hair transplant surgery performed by extracting individual follicles from the donor area, usually at the back of the scalp, and transplanting them to the bald or thinning areas. FUE is different from the FUT procedure because it does not involve removing a large strip of skin from the back of the scalp. This makes FUE less invasive and can result in less scarring.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) Vs Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
- Success Rate of Extraction: FUT is more than FUE. FUT can obtain a large number of hair follicles with less harm. But for FUE, due to its low success rate of extraction, it may be necessary to extract hair follicles on the whole back of the scalp.
- Wound: FUT will leave a linear incision, which is larger than FUE. And need to return back to the hospital for stitches after healing.
- Healing Process: The heal recovery time of FUT may be a month, which may influence your daily life during the healing period. while it may only take 4 days to heal for FUE.
- Price: the price of FUE maybe twice as FUT.
- Second Transplant: FUE may affect your second transplant.
How Long Does a Hair Transplant Last?
It’s normal if you notice that your hair falls out at the first 2-6 weeks after the procedure. It may take a month for your head skin to heal after grafting. Meanwhile, it may take around six months when you can see big changes in your new hair growth.
The miracle of hair transplantation is that when you remove hair from the donor area and transplant it into thinning or bald areas, the newly transplanted hair retains its original features that can resist the balding process. This means that, In most cases, newly transplanted hair is permanent in its new location.
So it is very important to figure out the qualified donor site before the surgery. However, the newly transplanted hair’s lifetime can also be affected by other factors like lifestyle, age, gender, the overall health of the patient, skill of the surgeon, FUT or FUE, and the extent of hair loss.
Final Thought
In most cases, the hair transplant could last for many years if done correctly. Look for a qualified surgeon for your hair transplant procedure, and ask how long your newly transplanted hair will last.
Furthermore, take good care of the transplanted hair and follow the after-treatment procedures carefully, which will extend the lifetime of your transplanted hair.
Image source: https://www.mcanhealth.com/elon-musk-hair-transplant-analysis/
