Hair transplantation is one of the most extensive ways to restore lost hair. There are two types of transplantation procedures, follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE). Both types of procedures have unique advantages, and certain characteristics about your hair loss may dictate which procedure is best or whether you are a good candidate at all.

Type Of Hair Loss

Hair loss, also called alopecia, can occur for many reasons. The most common is male-pattern baldness, which occurs because of changes in hormones that can occur with age. Some men also have a genetic predisposition for losing their hair. Women can also experience hair loss for similar reasons. Traction alopecia is caused by wearing styles that are too tight and pull the hair. Some examples of hairstyles more likely to cause traction alopecia are braids, tight ponytails, or weaves.

Other types of alopecia, such as alopecia areata or hair loss associated with lupus, are autoimmune, meaning the immune system attacks the hair follicles. For some people with lupus, the disease not only attacks the hair follicles, but it can cause scarring to the scalp preventing hair from ever growing back. Hair transplantation is more effective and beneficial for people who experience male or female-pattern baldness or traction alopecia. People who naturally have a hairline that is pushed back can also benefit from hair transplants.

Available Donor Hair

You will need to have sufficient hair before a transplant would be ideal. Since there may be a large area that needs to be filled in with new follicles, this will require you to have many active follicles elsewhere. In rare instances, donor follicles can be used from elsewhere on the body. This can be less common in women because they typically have less hair on their bodies. In men, the donor areas are usually the beard or chest. The FUE method will be necessary to minimize scars in those areas. Each donor area has its benefits and challenges. Beard hair is preferred because it generally grows faster than chest hairs. A combination of donor hair from the scalp and body might be used to achieve the ideal look. Using body hair will mean the transplanted hairs will be different from the surrounding scalp hair, with beard hair being coarser, while chest hair is finer.

Ability To Blend

People who do not have dense hair are unlikely to have good results with FUT. This procedure involves removing a strip of the scalp from the back of the head and separating the strip into individual hair follicles. The problem with this procedure for people who do not have denser hair is it will be difficult to mask the scar from the donor site. FUE may be a better option since each individual hair follicle is removed to transplant elsewhere. This minimizes the scarring at the donor site.

Whether you are a good candidate for therapeutic hair transplants and which type of procedure you will need will depend on the current state of your hair available for donation and the size of areas that need to be covered. Hair transplantation is the best option when other methods, such as minoxidil, have not worked and you want a long-term solution.