We are an Atlanta hair restoration specialist. All hair goes through a cycle of growing, resting, and then falling out. Normally, it resumes growth within three months after it falls out. This explains why many people lose up to 100 to 115 hairs a day. Fortunately, during this phase of life, for every hair that falls out, another hair is staggered in the cycle and has resumed growth.

Each hair's life is about five years. At any given time, approximately 70% of the hair on the scalp is in the growing phase and 30% in the resting phase. In order for the normal cycle to continue, hair must replace itself at the same rate it is falling out.

When a male loses his hair due to "androgenic alopecia" or male pattern baldness, this hair is irreclaimable. Stated simply: it's dead. This is due to the effect of male hormones acting on genetically sensitive hair follicles specifically on the top of the head, It's difficult for many men, especially those who have always had a full head of hair, to accept, but when these hairs fall out, they stay out for the rest of the person’s life.

The process of hair transplantation is an extremely minor surgical procedure, equivalent to having a mole removed. Only local anesthesia is used, and patients are awake while watching television or reading. Your doctor will discuss the appropriate location of your hairline or the size of the graft he will use based on a number of factors to include not only your present hair loss, but your anticipated hair loss over the remainder of your life. He will spend as much time as necessary to answer your questions fully prior to the next step. The physician will then determine the location from which the grafts will be harvested. This will depend primarily on the site in which he intends to place the hair bearing grafts. For instance, hair on the sides of the head near the ears and closer to the nape of the neck tends to be finer and, therefor, more suited for the frontal hairline.

Donor hair follicles are trimmed of excess fat and cleaned. The size of the graft and the number of hair follicles depends on where the hair bearing graft will be placed. Grafts containing only one or two hairs will look more natural on the hairline, whereas grafts with six to eight hairs may be preferred in the middle of the scalp or the crown of the scalp.

Now the hair bearing grafts are ready for transplanting. The recipient site is cleaned with a betadine shampoo and a local anesthesia is applied. Receptor sites, the place where donor hairs are placed, are made using a small blade, punch, or a tiny needle. The size of the receptor site depends on the size of the graft, which, as previously described, depends on the area in which the grafts are being placed. The hair bearing graft is then placed snugly in a receptor site, which is slightly smaller than the size of the graft. Once inserted, the body's own natural glue, fibrinogen, holds the graft with its hair follicle(s) in place.

The area in which the graft was placed will remain pink for up to three months following your procedure. This signifies increased blood flow and nourishment to your newly grafted hair follicles. There is no need for concern as this is your body's natural way of insuring the survival of your grafted hair follicles.

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon, Alan N. Larsen, M.D. is Double Board Certified by: American Board of Plastic Surgery and The American Board of Surgery

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