What Makes You A Good Candidate For Hair Transplant Surgery

Hair transplant surgery is a blessing for the people who are facing the trouble of hair thinning or have become bald over the time. It can completely change the appearance and boost the confidence of a person who is bothered by his bald spots. 

Here the question arises: who can undergo the surgery or what are the criteria by which a skilled surgeon validates a person as a right candidate for hair transplant surgery?

First and foremost, you must understand that it is immensely crucial that you choose a well-qualified and well-experienced surgeon who can diagnose the appropriate reasons for your baldness and the pattern of your baldness. This is because there are several different reasons behind hair fall. All the reasons cannot be addressed with one single method. Your surgeon must be skillful enough so that he can identify male or female pattern baldness and treat you accordingly. Some people also have to go for the surgery due to some scars from accidents, burns and complications resulting from prior surgery. Only a skilled surgeon will figure out your condition and resolve it. He will use some parameters to observe the candidacy of a patient that are as follows:- 

Age

Despite the fact that people can undergo hair transplant surgery at any age, a person should be at least 25. Before this age, they should try other options like therapy, spa, medicated shampoo, oil and so on. If anyone is suffering from hair loss before this age and undergoes the surgery then there are high probabilities that over the period of 10 to 15 years, they have to undergo the surgery again and chances of depleted donor area are extremely high. Patients who have crossed their 60s tend to have thin hair and this surgery is not right for them. Someone who is completely bald or is left with very little hair cannot get a hair transplantation surgery. Therefore, the ideal age to undergo the surgery is from 25 to 65. 

Health and lifestyle

Your physical and mental well-being is also a deciding factor to make you a right candidate for hair transplant. Since this is a surgical procedure like any other surgery, you as a patient must be strong enough to bear the surgery. Your lifestyle in terms of your exercise routine and taking a balanced diet will not only prove beneficial during the recovery period but will also boost your healing process. Your surgeon will advise you to stop consuming nicotine, tobacco, alcohol, and also not to take any blood-thinning drugs. In case you are having any chronic disease or allergies like BP or diabetes, you must inform your surgeon beforehand so that he can develop the treatment plan accordingly. All these steps will be helpful to reduce the complications and side-effects of the surgery. The surgery is not recommended to a female who has just delivered a baby as most of the women experience hair fall after child birth. 

Hair Loss Stability

A surgeon will always observe the stability of your hair loss during consultation. It will typically vary from person to person. He will consider it safe to perform the surgery if your hair loss has not changed or increased in a specific period. He will also assess the recipient area as it has undergone extensive miniaturization. 

In contrast, if your hair loss is rapid and the recipient area has a high degree of miniaturization, then the surgeon will advise you to go for medical therapy first and halt the surgery for at least a year so that your hair loss can be stabilized.

Classification Of Hair Loss

While planning for hair transplant surgery, the type of hair loss is also greatly considered. The candidates who have pattern baldness are seen as best candidates for the surgery. In this genetic condition, some parts of the scalp are affected and some parts have a high degree of donor area. Whereas the patients, who have poor donor follicles and are suffering from alopecia type of hair loss, will not acquire any success after the surgery. 

A skilled surgeon will consider some important factors before qualifying you as a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery such as:- 

• Severity of hair loss
• Quality and quantity of donor area
• Size of recipient area

Hair characteristics

Your hair characteristics such as hair color, density, texture, curliness, waviness and thickness are also contributing factors to validate your candidacy of the surgery.

Hair color:-

Your hair color is one of the determining factors that will affect your surgery results. If your hair color and scalp color is noticeably contrasting, then your baldness will be more obvious. In case, your hair color and scalp color is similar then they will blend in which make baldness less evident. Therefore, high contrast makes you a more suitable candidate for the surgery.

Hair density:-

Your hair density is the biggest factor that a surgeon will look upon while deciding for the surgery. Patients with good density of hair follicles around the donor area, that means the side and back of the scalp, are considered as suitable for the surgery as this is the area from where grafts or follicles will be extracted in order to implant in the recipient area. When a patient’s donor area has moderate to high level of hair density which means he contains at least 80 grafts per cm2 then he is considered as an excellent candidate. Conversely, if a patient has a low density of donor hair follicles as less than 40 grafts per cm2 then he may think of something else.

Hair texture:-

Your hair type does affect the degree of surgery result. When a person is having curly or wavy hair, it tends to create the impression of density and more scalp area is covered. Therefore, more curls in the hair will provide greater coverage to the treated area and you will have better results. 

Hair thickness:- 

Hair thickness is also a deciding factor for the success of the surgery. People who have thicker hair will require fewer grafts compared with thinner hair people to achieve the same degree of results. Also, thicker help will be helpful to block light from reflecting off the scalp. 

Scalp flexibility:-

The flexibility of your scalp is also considered as an important aspect to determine your candidacy. There are high possibilities of easily removing a larger strip from the donor area if you have loose scalp that means high laxity in the scalp. In comparison, if someone is having a tight scalp which means low laxity or flexibility, it will be quite difficult to remove hair follicles and implant them in the recipient area. 

Realistic Expectations

It is beyond explanation how important it is to have realistic expectations out of the surgery as a patient. This can be done with an experienced surgeon only who has the ability to foresee the whole picture. You must understand the procedure that your surgeon is going to perform. You must be aware of the fact that everyone has a limited number of donor follicles that can be extracted so these should be used in a precise manner as you may need one more procedure after some time. There is one more fact that you might witness hair loss even after the surgery which is called shock loss and happens due to surgical trauma. In some cases this loss is covered and a person is left with even more thin hair. So, the surgery should be your last resort not the first option.  

Commitment to post-operative care

You must adhere to all the post-operative instructions to accelerate the hair growth and achieve dramatic results of the surgery. If you follow all the do’s and don’ts recommended by the surgeon you will not only reduce your recovery period but will also minimize the discomfort and risk possibilities. Your surgery results will also be visible in a short span of time. 

Customized technique

A skilled surgeon will develop an individualized surgical plan by which maximum outcome can be achieved. Owing to the medical advancements and innovations, there are various techniques to perform hair transplant surgery. Some generally performed techniques are punch grafts, micro grafts, mini grafts, slit grafts and strip grafts which produce modest change in hair fullness. A surgeon will use flaps, tissue-expansion and scalp reduction for the patients who want more dramatic change in their hair. He may use a combination of two or more techniques to achieve the best and desired results.

The next step

Undoubtedly, hair transplant surgery can enhance your appearance and your self-esteem, but all the above mentioned factors are the deciding factors for the favorable results. After considering all these aspects, your surgeon will figure out whether you are a suitable candidate for the surgery or not. 

The easiest and quickest way to know whether you qualify as a right candidate or not, you must consult a surgeon who can do it for you. To ease the task and have the most realistic idea you can get in touch with our doctors who are best in their field and are well-known for their commitments.