Procedures and techniques for restoring hair loss

There are many hair loss treatments and hair regrowth products designed to help people suffering from hair loss. But, in this article we will focus on surgical treatments for hair restoration that are commonly used today.

Hair Loss Surgical Treatment OptionsThere are several surgical hair restoration techniques. Often, surgeon employs more than one technique for hair restoration during a single operation. The main surgical treatments for hair restoration that are currently used include scalp reduction, tissue expansion, flap surgery and hair transplantation.

Scalp Reduction SurgeryScalp reduction surgery is a type of hair replacement procedure in which bald section of the scalp is removed. After the removal, a surgeon drawns together the remaining skin and sutures the incision. This way the hair is moved to the previously bald area.

Scalp reduction technique is performed on patients with alopecia and male pattern baldness where crown of the head is bald. People with bald areas on the forehead or at the front of the hairline are not good candidates for this surgical treatment.

Scalp reduction surgery is often used in a combination with hair transplantation where it serves to reduce the size of the area to which hair-bearing tissue will be transferred.

Tissue Expansion Surgery

This surgical technique is effective in people who need reconstructive surgery due to burn related hair loss or other injuries involving significant loss of hair. It is performed by placing a balloon-like device beneath the scalp area that still bears hair and is next to the bald area. In the following weeks, the device is gradually inflated, causing the skin to expand and produce new skin cells. The result will be a bulge of new hair-covered skin. Finally, this skin is stretched over the adjacent bald area.

Flap SurgeryAnother hair restoration technique is flap surgery. It involves a removal of hair-bearing tissue that will be used to replace a bald area of the scalp. Before transporting a segment of the scalp with hair, the bald scalp is cut out. One end of transferred hair-bearing flap must remain attached to its original blood supply for its survival after the transplantation. Flap surgery is a successful hair loss treatment for individuals with genetic and acquired hair loss. This hair restoration technique is often done along with scalp reduction and tissue expansion to achieve a natural appearance of the hair line.

Hair TransplantationHair transplant surgery is the most popular and the most commonly used technique for hair restoration. Hair transplantation procedure is performed by filling in the bald areas of the scalp with the patient’s own hair. This is done by removing plugs of hair with several separate hair follicles and transplanting them to the bald area. This is a precise procedure that can produce a natural looking result. Most hair transplants are done under local anesthesia in outpatient settings.