For those suffering from hair loss, there are different treatment options to consider. The stage of your hair loss, your overall health, your age, your expectations in regard to restoration, your lifestyle, and your financial means will all effect your decision. The following are the most common hair loss solutions:

• Regular vitamin intake
• Doctor-prescribed medications, such as Rogaine and Propecia
• Hair transplant surgery

How Can Vitamins Help?

Vitamins, such as A, B, B6, B12, C, D, and E can all help reverse hair loss, as they are all essential to hair growth and health. In the earlier stages of hair loss, and for hair loss that is related to preventable factors, like stress (as opposed to genetic causes of hair loss like androgenic alopecia), these vitamins offer a major improvement. Often times, something as simple as improper nourishment or bad blood circulation to the scalp is the reason for hair loss. These causes are easily corrected with regular consumption of the appropriate vitamins.

What Do Rogaine And Propecia Do?

Rogaine and Propecia are the two FDA approved hair loss drugs your doctor can prescribe. They each use a different mechanism to stop hair loss and require different applications. For starters, Rogaine is a minoxidil, applied topically, while Propecia is a finasteride, administered orally. Neither is recommended for use in women or children with hair loss.

What Does Hair Transplant Surgery Entail?

Hair transplant surgery is the extraction and transfer of hair follicles from a donor site on the patient, to his balding recipient site. There have been various hair transplant surgeries practiced throughout history, including:

• Punch graft hair transplantation
• Temporoparieto-flaps
• Strip harvesting hair transplantation
• Follicular unit extraction-FUE (sometimes using body hair transplantation-BHT)

Punch graft hair transplantation and temporoparieto-flaps are outdated due to the innovations in hair transplant surgery that yield far better results. Strip harvesting hair transplantation is considered the “traditional” method; and while this type of hair transplant is perhaps more affordable than FUE, it undoubtedly results in a linear scar on the back and sides of the patient’s head (the donor area). Follicular unit extraction has taken the lead as the number one form of hair transplant surgery. It is safe, minimally invasive, has a quick recovery time, and proffers the most natural-looking results of them all. Body hair transplantation redefines hair loss and takes FUE a giant leap forward by rendering the donor hair pool virtually limitless.

However, there are flaws that you may not be forewarned of in consultation, potential for substandard results that may be downplayed, and scarring that you will only learn of once you fall victim to it.

Strip surgery is the extraction and transfer of an entire strip of flesh from the donor area, being the mid-back portion of the head. This donated portion of the scalp is then dissected into follicular units (naturally-occurring groups of one to four hairs) and divided up to use for implantation into the bald areas of the scalp.

The Negatives Of Strip Surgery

Strip Scar

During consultation, the most infamous outcome of strip surgery—the strip scar—may be understated or even avoided, leaving a potential patient under-informed. A surgeon or perhaps an unlicensed consultant might say the strip scar is only “paper thin” and easy to conceal, which it may be. At first. But strip scars will undoubtedly stretch and grow over time. They become not only cosmetically displeasing, but also embarrassing as evidence of a hair transplant.

Example of a strip scar resulting from strip surgery.

A second example of a strip scar resulting from strip surgery.

Unnatural Hairline

Strip surgery only takes hair from the mid-back of the scalp, which is innately the thickest hair on the head. Therefore, when the hair is divided up and implanted into the balding area, there is no variance in thickness of follicle from the front toward the back. This leaves next to no room for hairline design or for creating a hairline density that appears gradual and natural. Instead, strip surgery will almost always result in a harsh, unnatural-looking hairline.

Confined Donor Pool

Due to the nature of strip surgery, the donor pool is confined to only the head. And for those who suffer severe baldness, or have a depleted head donor pool due to injury, disfigurement, or previously botched hair transplantation, this may not suffice. The limitations of strip surgery mean that someone with insufficient head donor hair is a “poor candidate” and this technique cannot be performed successfully on said individual.

Limited Hairstyles

The harsh hairline and embarrassing strip scar that result from strip surgery will end up limiting the recipient to longer hair styles, in order to conceal evidence of hair transplantation.

Strip surgery proponents often ask potential patients, “Why would you have a hair transplant only to cut your hair short?”  This statement seems to purposely avert the fact that having a short haircut is ideal for the person with thinning hair. Having shorter hair overall, will reduce the contrast in density from thinner to thicker areas of the scalp. Short haircuts also minimize the need for grafts to be transplanted to the balding area. Contrarily, a long haircut will exaggerate the appearance of baldness in the crown and hairline.

If you are in need of hair transplantation and want to avoid the outcomes of strip surgery, follicular unit extraction may be the method you’re looking for. Contact Dr. Umar for a free online consultation to learn more.