Hair Transplant Surgery

WHAT IS HAIR TRANSPLANT SURGERY?
Hair transplant surgery is performed to restore hair to areas of the scalp that are bald or that have thinning hair. There are multiple types of hair replacement surgery. Most commonly, these involve hair transplantation, but flap surgery, tissue expansion of the scalp and scalp reduction surgery, are also methods used for hair replacement. Each of these types of surgeries can be used alone, or in combination, to provide the patient with the best possible outcome for hair replacement. Hair transplantation involves removing small pieces of hair-bearing scalp from a donor site and using them as grafts to be relocated to a bald or thinning area of the scalp.

TYPES OF RESTORATION
There are two main types of hair restoration procedures. In the follicular unit transplant method, a strip of skin with hair follicles is removed from the back of the scalp. The hair follicles are then removed from the strip of skin and placed into the recipient site. With the follicular unit extraction method, individual hair follicles are removed from the back of the scalp without removing a strip of skin. Similar to the other method, the hair follicles are then inserted into the recipient site. Other surgical options Tissue expansion allows the hair bearing scalp to be expanded to help cover areas of the scalp that have no hair. Scalp reduction surgery involves surgically removing bald areas of the scalp and advancing, or bringing together, the hair bearing areas of the scalp.

THE TRUE ABOUT HAIR LOSS
Baldness is often blamed on poor circulation to the scalp, vitamin deficiencies, dandruff and even excessive hat wearing. All of these theories have been disproved. It's also untrue that hair loss can be determined by looking at your maternal grandfather, or that 40-year-old men who haven't lost their hair will never lose it. Hair loss is primarily caused by a combination of: - Aging - A change in hormones - A family history of baldness As a rule, the earlier hair loss begins, the more severe the baldness will become.

WHAT IS NoeGraft RESTORATION?
NeoGraft is a semi-automated version of FUE and one of the most modern hair implantations techniques. It’s touted to be more effective than other follicular unit excision (FUE) techniques by removing some human error associated with the surgery. Let’s look at the potential benefits and risks associated with NeoGraft hair transplants. We’ll also compare it to other hair loss restoration techniques and take a look at the cost.

NeoGraft BENEFITS
NeoGraft is one of the newest and most advanced. Trusted Source hair transplantation techniques. It’s a semi-automated version of the FUE technique that uses technology owned by Venus Treatments. During FUE hair transplantation, a surgeon removes individual hair follicles manually either from the back or sides of your head. They then make a series of incisions in the balding sections of your scalp before implanting the new hairs. When using the NeoGraft technique, hair follicles are removed with a wand that extracts them with suction. The surgeon doesn’t need to make an incision for new hair follicles and can instead use a special tool that makes the incisions and implants the follicles at the same time.
Reduced hair follicle damage.
The NeoGraft system may reduce trauma and damage to hair follicles compared to traditional FUE and FUT surgeries. It’s thought this reduction of trauma can improve the survival rate of transplanted hairs.
Fewer complications
Since this technique is minimally invasive, it may have a lower chance of surgical complication, especially compared to FUT surgery that involves cutting a strip of skin from your scalp. NeoGraft doesn’t require any stitches or staples and the automation helps remove human error that could cause damage to nerves or blood vessels.
Quicker than FUE
NeoGraft surgery is also quicker than traditional FUE, which can take multiple days for a large number of grafts. According to Venus Treatments, a NeoGraft transplant usually takes between 4 and 10 hours.

NeoGraft potential side effects and precautions.
A 2018 study lists the main drawbacks of NeoGraft as the steep learning curve for surgeons and the cost of the machine. The surgery itself is generally considered safe and rarely causes serious complications. Some potential side effects include:

Moth-eaten appearance at donor site
If the donor site is overharvested, it can lead to a moth-eaten appearance where there’s noticeable hair loss. Both NeoGraft and traditional FUE can lead to overharvesting if a surgeon removes too many follicles from one area.
Tiny scars
Unlike the FUT technique, FUE and NeoGraft don’t leave a long, thin scar. However, they can cause pinpoint scarring where follicles are removed. Most of the time these scars aren’t noticeable, but they may be visible if you shave your head or wear your hair very short.
Unnatural hair line
If follicles aren’t implanted at an angle that matches your hairline, your results might not look natural. An unnatural hairline is a potential complication of any type of hair implantation surgery.
Shock hair loss
Some people experience shock loss, also known as postoperative effluvium, days or weeks after their surgery. Shock loss is a temporary loss of implanted hair. Most of the time, the condition is temporary, and the hair grows back within 3 to 4 months.

Other complications
Other general complications of hair transplant surgeries include:
- swelling
- bleeding
-inflamed hair follicles (folliculitis)
- scalp numbness
- ingrown hairs
- infections.

How NeoGraft transplantation works
Here’s what you can expect during a NeoGraft procedure:
1- Your surgeon will shave either your entire head or the section of scalp from which hair follicles will be donated.
2- They will then apply a local anesthetic to your scalp. They may offer you a mild sedative to help you relax during the procedure.
3- They will then extract your hair follicles with a special wand that uses pneumonic pressure.
4- The surgeon will then implant the hair follicles to the balding parts of your scalp using a specialized tool.
5- The surgeon may apply a dressing to the donor site and the implantation site to help manage bleeding.

Who needs a NeoGraft procedure?
Even though there isn’t any medical benefit to hair transplantation surgery, it may help you feel more confident about your appearance if you’re self-conscious about your hairline. Hair transplantation surgeries generally work best for people with androgenic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern hair loss. Candidates for hair transplantation typically:
- are free of conditions that may affect surgery, such as high blood pressure, unmanaged diabetes, and conditions that affect blood clotting
- are older than 25 years old
- have thick hair fibers
- have hair loss along the hairline
- have a hair color close to their skin color
- have hair loss that isn’t caused by stress or medication.

NeoGraft vs. follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and FUE hair transplants.
NeoGraft, FUT, and FUE follow similar procedures, and all three can provide you with aesthetically pleasing results. During FUT surgery, a surgeon will cut a strip of hair from the back or side of your head before removing individual hair follicles. This surgery is generally cheaper than FUE and NeoGraft, but it leaves a linear scar at the donation site. The scar may be noticeable if you wear your hair short. FUE and the NeoGraft follow the same procedure, except NeoGraft is semi-automated. During traditional FUE, a surgeon manually removes and hair follicles. During NeoGraft surgery, hair follicles are harvested using suction instead of manual extraction and implanted using a specialized tool that controls the depth of insertion.

NeoGraft cost
NeoGraft becomes more expensive when you have more follicles transplanted. A number of clinics in the United States list their price between $5 to $9 per hair graft. For a typical surgery that transplants 1,000 to 2,000 follicles, this would equate to $5,000 to $18,000. The price varies based on factors like the: - experience and skill of your surgeon - amount of hair being transplanted - cost of living in your area Additionally, you may need to budget travel expenses if you’re traveling for the surgery. Your insurance is unlikely to cover NeoGraft surgery since it’s usually considered a cosmetic surgery. You can ask your provider if they offer payment plans.