Hair Transplant for Thinning Hair and Hair Loss
If there is one thing millions of Americans have in common, it’s hair loss. Today, over 55 million Americans suffer from thinning hair or hair loss. Most people believe hair loss is just a natural part of life and let it take its course. Others are unaware that their hair is thinning until it is too late. However, there is a subset that wants to do something about it, as it can be distressing and impact the quality of life.
At Eternal Dermatology and Aesthetics, these are the patients we see every day. Many of these patients have tried vitamins, shampoos, and other over-the-counter treatments without success. Others are on the brink of shaving it all off or using wigs. But with a hair transplant, they can restore that full, thick head of hair they remembered when they were younger. Our team now provides hair transplant technology to help both men and women with hair loss or thinning hair.
What is hair loss?
Hair loss is a natural phenomenon that impacts everyone, regardless of sex or race. Most hair follicles go through a growth cycle starting at the anagen phase, a growth stage that can last up to 7 years. The follicles then go through a resting phase (telogen) before it finally falls off (the exogen phase). This happens at different rates, and on average, we lose between 50 to 100 strands of hair daily. This is only a small percentage of the thousands of hair follicles on our heads. However, when this happens more frequently and well past these strands, hair will begin to look and feel different. The rate of new hair growth cannot replace the rate of hair loss.
Is hair thinning different than hair loss?
Hair loss and hair thinning are often used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference between the two conditions. Hair thinning does not necessarily mean baldness. Instead, the hair shaft begins to grow finer and thinner around the crown or hairline. You may not see thinning hair at first, but your hair can feel sparse when you pass your hand through it. Over time, your scalp becomes more visible in the mirror. Hair loss speaks to hair that stops growing altogether, leaving bald spots in many cases. This can be temporary or permanent. Hair thinning and hair loss is common with age, but there are a few more reasons why you are losing your locks.
Reasons for hair thinning or hair loss
- Genetics: Both men and women can suffer from androgenetic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness increase with age.
- Hormones: Sudden changes in hormones can cause hair loss. For men, changes in testosterone can affect hair growth. Some women undergoing menopause or with thyroid conditions can also experience reduced hair growth and thickness.
- Stress: High-stress moments can cause more hair follicles to move into the resting (telogen) phase, a condition called telogen effluvium.
- Medication: Some drugs are known to cause temporary hair loss.
- Traction alopecia: This is a condition where hair breakage, thinning, and hair loss happen due to tight, pulling hairstyles. Traction alopecia is common along the hairline and in African American women, particularly those who wear braids, dreadlocks, and cornrows.
- Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) is another form of hair loss that happens in the crown of the scalp. CCCA is also common in African American women and leads to permanent hair loss and scarring at the center of the scalp. Like traction alopecia, CCCA can happen due to tight hairstyles, braids, chemical relaxers, and excessive heat.
Some of these reasons can cause long-term or permanent hair loss that will not respond to conventional treatments. A hair transplant can help in these severe cases.
How do hair transplants work?
Hair transplant is a procedure to restore hair growth in areas with thinning or no hair. The process can be surgical or non-surgical and moves hair from a thicker region of the scalp to the thinning or balding section. The graft usually comes from the back of the scalp but can come from other parts of the body. After the procedure, the new hair follicles will begin to grow in a few months after healing, recovery, and special care. A hair transplant session can take as long as 8 hours to implant each viable follicle carefully. There are two types of hair transplants that dermatologists, trichologists, and surgeons typically use.
Follicular Unit Transplantation or FUT
The surgical hair transplant process is called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). This procedure is more invasive and is performed by a surgeon. The surgeon removes a 6–10-inch piece of the scalp, usually from the back of the head. The incision area is then closed up with stitches. The scalp sample is then split into up to 2000 smaller grafts. The grafts are then prepared and transplanted into the thinning or bald areas. The surgeon will make small punctures before inserting the grafts into the puncture holes. FUT is invasive and sometimes needs multiple sessions to complete.
Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE
Our process is the more popular, non-surgical method called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUE uses no scalpel or cuts. We will first provide local anesthesia and shave off the hair at the donor area. The hair follicles are then removed from the site using a unique hair extraction tool. The tool safely removes hair follicles at various depths. This reduces the chances of injury, infection, or damage to the hair follicles. The hair follicles are then sorted and treated before the transplant procedure. These follicles are finally installed in the thinning or bald areas. We ensure the follicles are placed in the natural direction of the hair growth.
Beard transplants are possible too.
Hair transplants are not limited to your head. Some men need help with their beards too. Thinning hair, patchy growth, or no growth at all are all common beard issues. Beard growth is down to genetics, and most men would not have new hair growth on the face. A beard transplant can give men the full, thick beard they have envisioned.
Like the scalp, beard transplants mean moving hair follicles from a donor site to the face for permanent hair growth. We will use the FUE transplant method, like transplants on the scalp. We will harvest hair follicles from the back or sides of the scalp. The grafts are then implanted on parts of the face based on the patient’s needs. Over several months, there will be fuller, thicker beard growth. The beard transplant cost will depend on the patient’s needs and will be discussed beforehand.
Eyebrow transplants with Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics
Fed-up with using pencils or eyebrow fillers to give your eyebrows that extra volume? Have you tried tattooing or other techniques, but you’re disappointed with the results? Have you lost thickness due to overplucking, scarring, or a skin condition? If you have naturally thin, sparse, flat, or short eyebrows and are looking for a permanent solution, you may be a candidate for an eyebrow transplant.
Just like the hair and beard procedure, we will carefully harvest individual hair follicles from the back of the scalp using our special extraction tool. After preparing the grafts, we will numb the eyebrow area with local anesthesia. The hairs are then carefully installed to give your eyebrows the shape and thickness you desire.
After the recovery time, which can take about 1-2 weeks, the hairs will begin to fall out after4-5 weeks. The hairs will grow after four months and will fully grow between 9-12 months. At this point, you can style and groom your eyebrows as needed.
How long do hair transplants last?
So does a hair transplant work? The success of your hair transplant depends on the expertise of the dermatologist or trichologist. At Eternal Dermatology, our team has extensive experience in hair restoration. Patients will see natural results and fuller, thicker hair growth. Hair transplants can take several months (up to one year) before patients start seeing results. In fact, patients will notice hair loss in the initial weeks after the procedure. This is natural and indicates the start of new hair growth.
Unlike using medication or vitamins, which can give temporary results, hair transplants can last for years. It is considered the only permanent solution to hair loss. The results will vary from patient to patient. The thickness and lifespan will depend on factors like aftercare and even genetics. With that in mind, some patients may require multiple procedures to maintain hair density. On average, patients opt for another transplant procedure after ten years due to age, environmental, or genetic factors.
Hair transplant for people of color
Will a hair transplant for black males, African American women, or other people of colorwork? Studies show that more than half of African-American women and men experience hair loss, particularly balding at the crown of the scalp and receding hairlines. Our team has extensive experience in how to regrow hair for people of color. Ethnic hair can be coarse and curly. It must be handled with care. Our team knows the exact techniques needed to carefully extract the grafts. These grafts remain fully intact and are then carefully prepared for the transplant process. Our patients of color report a high success and satisfaction rate.
Try a hair transplant today.
Fighting hair loss or thinning hair can be distressing. While there are several different solutions available, most are temporary at best. When you stop taking the treatment, your hair stops growing. With a hair transplant, you can achieve long-term, permanent results. Our treatments include a beard transplant near me and an eyebrow transplant near me.
At Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics, our lead dermatologist, Dr. Ife Rodney, understands the importance of finally regrowing your hair. As a dermatologist of color, she specializes in treating severe cases, like traction alopecia and CCCA. Our team is conveniently located in Fulton, so you can get a hair transplant in DC, Maryland, Howard County, and surrounding areas. Reach out to us today to schedule an appointment to assess your needs.
