Hair transplant is a surgical process used as a hair loss treatment. If you are suffering from baldness and want to rid yourself from hair loss than a transplant may be right for you.
As with all cosmetic surgical procedures, there is risk involved. Like with many things in life, you need to balance the risk versus reward. Finding an experienced surgeon who specializes in hair restoration will greatly reduce the “risk” factor.
Overall, a surgical hair transplant procedure whether it may be FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) or the Strip method is a completely safe procedure.
Generally speaking, risks are usually limited to:
Swelling – This is your body’s way to heal an area as blood reserves collect in the area. Mild swelling is normal after a hair transplant, but excessive swelling that might result in black eyes requires immediate medical attention.
Bleeding – Similarly to all wounds, bleeding may take place as the body heals. Rarely, a graft might dislodge from the area, which results in excessive bleeding that will require pressure to stop.
Numbness -Some transient numbness is inevitable. Typically, and if any, this is felt at the suture line or graft sites and generally lasts from 3-18 weeks.
Pain -This is actually a good sign for it demonstrates that your body is working to heal itself. Often, over the counter medications help alleviate the symptom, and some patients don’t need anything for pain.
Itching -Another sign of healing as your body adjusts to the new follicles and is usually alleviated with regular shampooing.
Infection -Even papercuts are vulnerable to infections if they are not properly cleansed. After undergoing this procedure, and under the guidance of your physician, it is important to regularly clean the wound site accordingly.
Scarring -Scarring generally occurs in FUT/Strip method plantations and is occasionally seen from the FUE technique with an inexperienced physician.
Every individual varies greatly in their physical reactions and healing abilities. Yet, these associated risks are relatively minimal when you’re looking at the bigger picture of what a hair transplant can do for you and your self-esteem for many years to come.
In hindsight, the ‘biggest’ risk is a bad result or no result from an inexperienced doctor or non-licensed practitioners whom aren’t properly trained to do surgical hair transplants. As long as you feel comfortable that you’re in the hands of skilled, artistic hair transplant doctor, you’re likely to have fantastic results that will look very natural!
Do some extensive investigating to find a well qualified full-time hair restoration surgeon and your benefits will certainly outweigh the costs, these risks are fairly minimal and shouldn’t be a major deterring factor with proceeding with such a life-changing procedure! Having a hair transplant can significantly boost one’s self-confidence and compliment your appearance leaving you with smiles for days, or decades, rather!
For questions or to schedule a consultation, call one of our offices conveniently located in Irvine, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas at 888-717-5273 or contact via our website at contact Modena Hair Link
Tag Archives: male hair loss
Avoiding a Botched Hair Transplant
The good thing about hair restoration is that it’s permanent and the bad thing can be that its permanent.
A Hair Transplant can be a life-changing procedure. A full head of thick luscious hair can take decades off your life giving you a youthful you! Unfortunately, there are plenty of horror stories and gruesome photos when it comes to botched hair restoration surgeries. A number of factors can lead to unsatisfactory results, which range from unnatural looking and poor longevity to embarrassing skin damage. Almost always, this can be attributed to the inexperience of the physician. Let’s look at some major factors that could potentially go wrong if you’re not cautious in your planning..
Over-harvesting
Over-harvesting happens when too much hair is taken from the donor site and unfortunately is almost a non-correctable problem. In this case, a recommended solution would be Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) done to the area that is depleted. Transplanting grafts into the depleted area is possible but extremely difficult and labor intensive. Dr. Yazdan has strict guidelines for safe extraction numbers and routinely performs this technique on depleted donor areas with strip scars and over-harvesting. Although this does not bring the hair back, it will help tremendously on making the area look as natural as possible.
Scarring
Large linear scars are a result of the Strip method. Scarring is something that is common to have happen with improper experience from a doctor and can be caused by over-harvesting. When the incision is made at the donor site, if more skin grafts are taken than the elasticity of your skin can handle, causing tension of closure, this makes it hard to stitch the scalp tightly back together resulting in a gapping scar. If you’re concerned of a botched scar, a safer bet would be the 2nd hair restoration technique which is called FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) that minimizes scarring as this method is done by extracting grafts individually opposed to taking a strip from the back of the scalp. With FUE there is no linear scar and no stitches are required, so your donor area will be minimally noticeable within just a few days. Dr. Yazdan has done thousands of hair transplants and it takes great effort for anyone to find a donor site scar on his patients.
Failure of Regrowth
This can happen from poor surgical technique. Poor handling of the grafts, and drying out of the grafts. If the donor hair was properly harvested and properly placed, typically 95% or more of the grafts should successfully grow.
Large Punch Size
The larger the punch size, the higher the risk of damaged or dead nearby hair follicles. Your grafts should average only 1-3 hairs which can be accomplished with smaller punch sizes. More recently, many physicians are using a machine or robot, rather, called the Artas which does the extracting of the hair follicles for the surgeon. Multiple problems can occur with the Artas including the use of the larger punch sizes creating permanent damage to the nearby hair follicles. Dr. Yazdan recommends a highly skilled and experienced surgeon who manually does the hair restoration surgery to get both the angle and orientation of the incisions in a way to match the existing native hair, so the results come out looking natural.
Shopping for a Bargain
Going to a budget store is all good if it’s for redecorating your home. It is not something you want to risk your appearance on. This could potentially affect your quality of life and is NOT recommended as this can lead to disastrous results that you may be stuck with. At Modena Hair Institute, our patients take comfort in the security and aesthetic results of their choice.
Bad FUE or Strip hair transplantation planning can lead to unnatural looking results leaving you more self-conscious of your appearance than before you started -Don’t let this happen to you! Picking the right doctor is extremely important, while minimally invasive, it is still a surgical operation that needs to be done by a Board-Certified Surgeon who has a high success rate in order to obtain superb results. A botched surgery can easily be avoided by doing extensive research.
If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a consult please call one of our conveniently located offices in Irvine, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas 1-888-717-5273
FUE Hair Transplant: How Long Will It Take For My Hair To Regrow?
Hair growth after surgery is the very first question that may come in mind. Understanding the stages how transplanted hair grows will help to keep expectations realistic.
Every person is different, therefore the rate in which your hair will regrow varies from patient to patient. In our practice, a well performed transplant will see results in as little as 4 months whether you’re acquiring FUE or Strip hair transplant surgery. Newly growing transplanted hairs start to become visible at this time however they are still not in their final stages of thickness and length quite yet.
Dr. Yazdan likes for his patients to come in for a post-op visit at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th month mark to compare your pre-op photos so we can discuss your progress, but expect to see the full benefits within the first year and maximal cosmetic improvement can be seen within 14-18 months.
“I highly recommend waiting a solid year before arriving at any conclusions as to the success of your hair transplant. At this time, if you’re still unsatisfied with the length and density of your new hair, talk with your surgeon. If you still have doubts, you may need to seek a second opinion.” Says Dr. Yazdan.
Once a hair transplant starts to grow, it will continue to grow until the end of the hair cycle at a rate of about ½ inch per month. The new hair which has been transplanted grows in cycles and will become fuller and thicker than the donor site over time.
And for optimal results, we like to follow a hair restoration surgery with PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) or laser therapy which can stimulate hair regrowth tremendously giving you maximal results. Light medical management is also highly desired during the growth period. Medical management consists of non-surgical methods such as minoxidil, finasteride and GroMD hair loss prevention shampoo.
Some might say the hardest part of a hair transplant is after the procedure is finished. Continuously over analyzing and examining each hair follicle, checking the mirror every few hours waiting to see results. Remember, be patient! Good things come to those who wait.
For questions or to schedule a consultation, call one of our offices conveniently located in Irvine, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas at 888-717-5273 or contact via our website at contact Modena Hair Link
Eyebrow Transplant: Should You Try It?
Eyebrows are more important than ever before! With todays fashion trend, its all about the thicker, fuller eyebrows. The quest for fuller brows has made eyebrow transplants a thing these days. Let’s talk about who would be a good candidate:
Eyebrow loss can occur in both men and women, leaving them unsettled and insecure about their facial appearance. After all, eyebrows frame the upper portion of the face and eye area making this region the first thing people look at. Brow loss is most commonly due to injury or trauma resulting in scars, hormone imbalance, hereditary, aging, yet over-tweezing making the top of the list! Less common factors may be due to an attack of the immune system such as cancer treatment processes like chemotherapy-which for some patients, can be the most emotionally difficult part of the process as hair loss can be a tell-tale sign of an illness present.
Every day people are applying makeup to recreate a new brow or filling in what they once had. Thinning or hair loss of the brow region from overplucking was a common trend in the 90’s, as that was the time overzealous plucking in earlier years often begin to show up as thinning or bald spots. Overplucked eyebrows are one of the most common causes people seek out transplants. More than ever, people are pulling out all the stops to hide the fact that they’ve lost their brows, and often times the hair won’t regrow on its own. Fortunately, there is a Cosmetic treatment now being used for a more long-term solution using modern microsurgical techniques.
Eyebrow Transplantation is a surgical procedure to permanently restore or customize the brows by taking hair from another part of the body such as the back of the scalp and transplanting it to the brow region to create the desired brow shape. This procedure is quite meticulous and takes artistic design for a successful procedure. However, if done incorrectly, can leave you with redness and scaring on the donor site as well as uneven patchy eyebrows.
As with all cosmetic procedures, the key to a natural-looking result is to fully research the surgeon of your choice to get a good idea of the doctors skill when it comes to eyebrow transplants or any kind of hair transplants for that matter. “I can’t stress enough how important it is that patients do their homework ahead of time in finding the right doctor, otherwise they might end up with a botched outcome,” says Dr. Yazdan -whose patients fly in from other areas to seek treatment at his Beverly Hills and Orange County offices. It bears repeating that careful planning and precise angulation of each hair is critical for a successful end result.
Restore the thickness and shape of your eyebrows by calling our office today!
For questions or to schedule a consultation, call one of our offices conveniently located in Irvine, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas at 888-717-5273 or contact via our website at contact Modena Hair Link
The one hairstyle that works for every man
It can be difficult to find the best hairstyle that fits your style, face shape, hair type and hair line. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was one hairstyle that looked good on every man?
According to barbers, there is! It turns out the military may be on to something. You know the infamous military-style cut, also referred to as a high and tight? Barbers say when done right, this cut looks good on just about everyone.
But, if you’re not feeling the clean, military look, you should consult a barber you trust. Barbers specialize in one thing – hair. So, they’re familiar with what cuts and styles work best for different faces, hair types, hair lines, and even hair loss.
If you happen to be experiencing hair loss, don’t fret! You’ve come to the right place. Find a list of specific cuts that work well for you here.
Looking to stay trendy? Talk to your barber and see what they predict the next “it” hair style for men will be. Our prediction? Men have been rocking the unkempt look for quite a while now. From man buns to bushy beards, I think it’s safe to say, we’re ready for a change. We suspect clean cuts to be making a comeback any day now. Get ahead of the trend and impress all your friends.
Have a different prediction? Let us know in the comments!
What you need to know about Rogaine
What is Rogaine?
Rogaine or Minoxidil as it’s known generically, is a topical medication used to treat hair loss caused by androgen alopecia. Androgen alopecia is also known as male or female pattern baldness. It occurs due to many factors such as age and genetics.
Minoxidil works by widening hair follicles. This creates a thicker hair strand which gives a fuller, denser look to your hair. It also lengthens the time your hair is in the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. During the anagen phase, your hair develops in the follicle and grows longer. A prolonged anagen phase means more and longer hair growth.
What you need to know about Rogaine:
Rogaine is effective in approximately 40%-60% of individuals who use it. In order to see these results you must use the medication as instructed, daily and consistently.
Rogaine must be used indefinitely to keep up results. It is not a cure to hair loss, rather a treatment method. This means that you must continue using it, even after seeing your desired results, in order to keep your hair from reverting back to previous or worsened hair loss.
While adverse or allergic reactions are rare, they are a potential risk factor. Side effects include itching, burning, redness, and irritation. Some individuals have reported an increase in hair loss symptoms. If you have any of these symptoms after using Rogaine, discontinue use immediately. But in general, minoxidil is safe and effective when used properly.
Minoxidil is a great tool, but don’t expect a miracle. Rogaine is a great tool when it comes to maintaining hair, preventing future hair loss, promoting hair growth, as part of a medical management of hair loss plan, recovering from hair transplant surgery, or reversing recent hair loss. But, it is not going to regrow or reverse years of hair loss. Once a hair follicle has died, there is no bringing it back to life. If you have been experiencing hair loss for some time, Rogaine on its own is not going to treat your hair loss. You most likely will need a more aggressive approach to restoring your hair. It is often beneficial when coupled with hair loss medications, hair transplant surgery, and alternative methods of hair restoration such as PRP and laser therapy.
Are you a candidate for hair transplant surgery?
Hair loss effects over 80% of men over their lifetime and over 50% of women over their lifetime. This common ailment used to have no recourse of solution.
But, thanks to modern advancements in medicine and science, hair transplants are helping men and women all around the world regain their hair.
This life-changing procedure involves extracting grafts from a ‘donor’ area (such as the back of the scalp) and transplanting the grafts into the ‘recipient’ area (aka area of hair loss).
While this procedure has helped so many not only get their hair back, but their confidence and youthfulness as well, unfortunately, not everyone is a good candidate for hair transplantation.
So, how do you know if you’re a candidate for hair transplant surgery or not?
Many factors play a role in determining your candidacy for hair transplantation. Below, are a few of the most prevalent reasons individuals are not ideal candidates for hair transplantation.
- Gender – while this factor isn’t exclusive (we’ve done many successful female hair transplants), in general, most women are not ideal hair transplant candidates. This is due to the type of hair loss that most women experience. Most women experience diffuse thinning hair loss. While hair transplants can still be successful on patients with diffuse thinning hair loss, it can be more difficult on women due to the length and coverage of the hair.
- Early stages of hair loss – if you are in the very early stages of hair loss, it may not be best for you to get a hair transplant just yet. Hair transplants don’t treat hair loss. That means you’re your hair loss will continue as you age. You will most likely need another hair transplant to make up for new hair loss. There are many ways to medically manage hair loss and even reverse it in the early stages. Right now, you may be a better candidate for laser therapy or PRP. You can save hair transplantation for later on down the road.
- A weak donor area – hair transplants require a healthy, full donor area to extract grafts from. If your donor area is weak, this may cause you to not be a good candidate for surgery. The good news is, there are other donor areas besides the back of the scalp that grafts can be extracted from. We have conducted many successful body hair transplants for those with a weak scalp donor area.
Please keep in mind that to determine your actual candidacy for hair transplantation, you should meet with a qualified and experienced hair transplant surgeon. If you are not a candidate for surgery at this time, but are experiencing hair loss, make sure to schedule a medical management consultation so you can maintain your hair and ward off hair loss as long as possible.
How to keep your hair healthy in and out of the shower
Did you know hair is weaker when its wet? It’s true. Water weakens the keratin (hair’s protein) causing the hair to be more fragile and prone to breakage.
Unfortunately, this is often when we’re roughest with our hair. Washing, scrubbing, towel drying, blow drying, hot tools, and the application of products all take their toll on our hair.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to protect your hair’s health in and out of the shower.
Washing – make sure you’re using a sulfate-free shampoo. Many of the cheaper shampoos contain sulfates which wreak havoc on our hair. Additionally, you should be gently massaging your scalp during each wash. This not only cleans hair effectively but stimulates blood flow to the follicles as well. Lastly, use luke-warm water when washing. Hot water damages the cuticle while cold damages the scalp. Luke-warm water is your best bet for healthy strands and follicles.
Conditioning – don’t skip it! Conditioner plays an important role in moisturizing your locks. If your hair isn’t moisturized your hair may overproduce oil causing buildup. No one wants that, so make sure to condition your hair after every wash.
Drying – vigorously rubbing our hair damages the fragile strands. Try gently patting dry instead. This will soak up any excess water. If blow-drying is a must that can’t be avoided, switch the heat setting to a warm or cool level. This will help to take the edge out of the harsh heat on your freshly washed hair.
Styling – use hot tools in moderation. Hot tools cause breakage. If you need to style your hair with hot tools, try applying a heat protecting serum first. Additionally, use a wide-tooth comb instead of fine brushes. Regarding styling and care products, always opt for organic. These products sit on our hair and scalp all day. Harsh chemicals cause build up and irritate the scalp.
Does consuming more protein prevent hair loss?
Our hair is affected by many factors – genetics, age, environment, and medical history. But did you know your diet plays a role as well? If your diet is lacking key nutrients, your hair will show it.
When your diet lacks necessary components, your body begins prioritizing and rationing. Fortunately (or unfortunately) your hair is not as important as proper organ function and efficient large muscle group movement. When individuals engage in unhealthy or unbalanced diets, the body can neglect the hair altogether in favor of keeping us alive. This can cause hair loss over time.
We often see hair damage and hair loss in diets lacking substantial protein. Protein is a necessary macro our body needs to function and fuel itself properly. Further, protein is an essential component of our hair. Each hair strand is composed of a protein known as keratin which is crucial to our hair’s health. When our hair lacks keratin, it becomes brittle, weak, and thin. Overtime, substantial hair loss can develop.
Dr. Yazdan believes the best way to treat hair loss is to prevent it. A healthy balanced diet will not only make you feel and look better, but it’ll promote beautiful, healthy, strong hair and prevent hair loss. The USDA recommends at minimum 46 grams of protein per day. Nutrition and fitness experts typically suggest double or triple that amount. If you need help getting more protein in your diet, consider adding the following protein-packed foods to your diet: chicken, turkey, beef, seafood, eggs, nuts.
If you are experiencing hair loss and think your diet may be playing a role, give us a call for a consultation. Here at Modena, we offer diagnostic testing to address the root of your hair’s problems.
Using the sauna to promote hair growth
Saunas offer many health benefits such as flushing toxins, boosting the immune system, and aiding in recovery post-work out. But did you know they can also stimulate and promote faster hair growth?
An additional benefit of saunas is that they increase blood flow to the skin. Increased blood flow to the skin also means to the hair follicles. Blood is known as a transporter, meaning it carries nutrients we need such as oxygen and minerals. When there is more blood flowing to our skin and hair providing the nutrients our bodies are craving, we see an increase in hair growth.
One downside saunas may have on our hair has to do with the heat. Extremely hot environments can cause our hair to lose moisture. This means the hair can feel brittle and dry and we can see an increase in breakage. If you are going to use to sauna regularly to stimulate hair growth, you will also want to make sure you’re taking care to retain your hair’s moisture.
To prevent damage to your hair as a result of loss of moisture, consider applying a deep conditioner prior to entering the sauna. The conditioner acts a barrier to the heat while also giving your hair a deep conditioning treatment. When you’re finished with your sauna session, simply rinse out the conditioner.
While saunas may be a great natural way to stimulate hair growth, they are not a miracle cure for hair loss. When we experience progressing or sustained hair loss, our follicles actually die off. Unfortunately, there is not yet a cure to revive dead follicles. When our hair loss gets to this more advanced stage, our options turn to surgical and nonsurgical methods of hair restoration, such as PRP therapy and laser therapy.
If you are experiencing hair loss and would like to learn more about the surgical and nonsurgical options available to you, give us a call. We have over ten years of experience in advanced hair restoration techniques.
Natural ways to prevent hair loss
While there are many medical methods to prevent hair loss thanks to advancements in hair restoration, there are also natural ways you can prevent hair loss in your everyday life.
Some of the biggest contributors to hair loss besides genetics and age are stress, environment, products, and diet.
Reducing stress in your everyday life can help reduce and prevent hair loss. Meditation, walking, yoga, and daily exercise can lower cortisol levels and in turn prevent hair loss.
The environment you create for your hair and the products you use on it contribute to the health of your hair. Tight hair styles that pull on the hair can harm the hair follicle. Additionally, hair ties can cause damage and breakage. Further, excessive use of hot tools like curling irons and straighteners can damage your hair.
A healthy diet with lots of water contributes to overall health and well-being. A healthy diet that provides the nutrients and vitamins your body craves will not only prevent hair loss but prevent other ailments as well and just plain make you feel better.
While improving stress levels and maintaining a healthy diet will help you prevent hair loss as well as promote a healthy life, tightening up these areas of your health won’t do much to reverse hair loss. If you are experiencing hair loss at a rate you’re uncomfortable with, you may need to utilize some more advanced medical treatments to restore your hair. There are many nonsurgical methods such as PRP therapy, laser therapy, and shampoos and medications.
If you would like to learn more about reversing your hair loss and re-growing your hair, give us a call. Here at Modena we specialize in the medical management of hair loss.
