Hair transplant surgery is a surgical procedure to restore hair loss. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 17,580 hair transplant surgeries were performed in 2008.
Procedure
According to the National Institutes of Health (see Reference 2), your surgeon will administer a local anesthetic on your scalp to numb the region where he will remove and implant hair. Using a scalpel, he will remove hair from dense areas of growth. He then will create small holes into your scalp and implant the hair into those holes.
Requirements
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (see Reference 1) states that if you have enough hair at the edge of your scalp, you are qualified for hair transplant surgery if you are healthy.
Risks
Risks of hair transplant surgery include bleeding, infection and scarring, according to the NIH. You can also have mild pain, swelling and scabbing of your scalp after the procedure.
Recovery
The recovery period for hair transplant surgery lasts a few days. You will wear a surgical dressing on the transplant site for 1 to 2 days and might need over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or acetaminophen to control your discomfort, according to the NIH.
Misconception
Hair transplant surgery does not help activate the growth of new hair. It only moves hair from one region to another.
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