The ability toactively treat male hair loss as opposed to mitigate its effects or cover it up is relatively recent, with several proven, effective treatments available.
One of the most well-known of these is minoxidil, better known in the UK as Regaine and in the US as Rogaine, which when it works can be highly effective, but there are also other treatments, the biggest of which is the hair transplant.
A hair transplant is often a big decision, given that it is a fairly complex type of cosmetic surgery, and can cost up to £30,000 per treatment depending on how significant or complex the surgery is.
Before you make that decision, here are some vital pieces of information on hair transplant surgery to know before booking a treatment.
What Is A Hair Transplant?
A hair transplant is, like most transplant surgery, a procedure where hair is taken from one part of your body before grafting it to the scalp.
This hair is typically taken from the back of the head in strips, tufts or plugs, but it can theoretically be taken from other parts of the body that produce hair and surgically placed into the part of the scalp that is thinning, after which it should grow normally.
There are two main transplant methods for this: follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE).
An FUT treatment removes a long piece of the scalp (up to ten inches), splits it into thousands of smaller graft fragments and inserts these grafts into incisions made in the target area of the scalp, which once it naturally heals and closes up would grow like normal hair.
An FUE treatment, on the other hand, involves shaving the location where hair will be taken, pulling out individual follicles and grafting them in as with a FUT treatment.
Typically, hair is taken from the person who is receiving the treatment, so it cannot be used for widespread thinning, complete baldness, hair loss that is the result of treatments such as chemotherapy, nor can it be used where there is thick scalp scar tissue.
Treatments can take several hours to complete owing to the complexity and it can take a few months for the transplanted hair to grow harmoniously with the rest of the scalp.
Should You Have Hair Transplant Surgery?
As with any other cosmetic surgery, hair transplantation should be a treatment of last resort, particularly with minoxidil and finasteride on the market being proven to provide excellent results for a huge number of men dealing with hair loss.
Many doctors when consulted will suggest trying medication for hair loss for at least a year before planning a surgery, and with more treatments on the market than ever before, many men will not need to undergo a transplant surgery.
It also will not solve the cause of hair loss, so whilst the particular grafted hairs are likely to stay on your scalp, you may need more than one surgery over the years as male pattern baldness progresses.
With that said, it can be the right solution for some men, particularly if other treatments have not been effective in the long term.