The Ultimate Step in Fighting Hair Loss

While many settle for medical and non-medical methods of combating hair loss and baldness, there are still those who believe that surgery is the best way to go. We can say that this method is highly advisable for severe cases of hair loss. But some see it as preventive intervention to prevent further hair loss in the future. Many opt for surgery alone while some go for surgery and medication to aid thereafter. Here are some surgery methods for hair replacement.

Follicular unit strip surgery or FUSS is a gold standard surgical procedure for hair restoration. In follicular unit strip surgery, a single strip of hair is removed from a donor site on the scalp that does not undergo pattern baldness, usually the very back of the head at the neck. This harvested strip is usually about a half an inch wide and seven inches long. The follicular unit strip is then dissected into small individual units of a few hairs, perhaps as many as 2,000 follicular units. These individual units are then placed in prepared areas on the front of the scalp to form a new hairline. The tufts of one or a few hairs each are spaced as close as needed to achieve a good cosmetic result, but not so close that the tufts may not survive the transplant. This kind of procedure may leave unsightly scars that seem to disturb the continuity of the hair line.

An alternative to this is the less scar-forming FUE, or follicle unit extraction. In follicular unit extraction instead of dissecting out a large strip of donor hair, individual follicular units are cut from the donor area. These small dissected groups of hair follicles are then implanted in the scalp as would be done in a follicular unit strip surgery. This hair replacement option usually provides an excellent cosmetic appearance in the front of the head without large linear scars in the donor area.

The downside of having surgical procedures done is that it is quite pricey. One should expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars to have it done. It can take several hours before it is completely finished as this is such a meticulous procedure. Still many opt for this intervention. It is expensive but many go to such extents knowing that they can expect fast, excellent hair replacement results.