As cosmetic surgery increases in popularity, it becomes more and more important that individuals considering plastic surgery develop an understanding of what makes people good candidates for various types of surgery, as well as how some surgeries work. One surgery that has been growing in popularity is hair replacement surgery. This type of surgery has been advancing in how it is performed and the results a person can expect to see from it as well.

How Does Hair Replacement Surgery Work?

Hair replacement surgery works by transplanting individual or groups of hairs from the sides of a person’s head onto the balding areas. While this used to mean a sort of 'doll head' look because the hair was transplanted in large bunches, now as little as one hair at a time can be transplanted. These hairs will generally last a lifetime because of the fact they are genetically disposed to not falling out since they are from parts of the head that do not normally fall out.

This type of surgery may take several sessions to complete. This is particularly true if a person is getting a large area transplanted with a high density per centimeter. There have been stories of much longer sessions that remove the need for several sittings, but these are rare and not necessarily recommended. It is generally recommended for a patient to receive this surgery in several sittings.

Who is a Good Candidate?

A good candidate for hair replacement surgery must meet a few guidelines. First of all, a man must have either male-pattern baldness or a woman must have thinning hair that meets certain guidelines to benefit from this surgery. A person with thinning hair throughout his or her scalp may not benefit from this because that person would likely lose the hair again once it was transplanted. Individuals who do not have baldness throughout the scalp are good candidates because the hair follicle from the sides and bottom of the scalp retained the genetic code that prevented it from falling out.

Alternatives to Hair Replacement Surgery

Other alternatives to hair replacement surgery include prescription medication and over-the-counter medication. Finasteride (under the brand names Propecia and Proscar), is a prescription drug originally created to treat enlarged prostate. During trials and was discovered that this drug also causes hair growth as a side effect. This drug is effective in treating male pattern baldness in the majority of patients who use it.