Chapter 29 - What Should the Hair Clinician Know About Hair Transplants?

Abstract

In the United States, thousands of hair transplantations are being done annually. Although majority of patients having hair transplants are still male, there is an increasing number of women who undergo the procedure for their hair loss. As the technique evolves, hair transplant surgeons are able to provide their patients with results that more or less mimic the “natural look.” Current techniques in hair transplant surgery can produce incredibly natural results. Originally, hair transplantation was used almost exclusively to treat male pattern baldness. However, with the introduction of follicular unit grafting and tiny 1–3 hair grafts, the indications have broadened. Hair transplantation can now be used to treat delicate areas of hair loss on the face, such as eyebrows, eyelashes, beards, and mustaches. Other indications include secondary scarring on the scalp from accidents, burns, and surgery. Although controversial, transplantation can even be used to treat some forms of primary cicatricial and inflammatory alopecias. The goal of this chapter is to make the hair specialist familiar with the growing opportunities for surgical improvement of the hair loss in their patients. We introduce the reader to the contemporary transplant procedures sharing also pearls from our personal experience.