When men experience hair loss, they usually begin to notice their hair is thinning around the age of 35. Even if it’s not noticeable to others, they may have lost half of their hair at this time. By 50, however, 85% of men will realize that their hair has thinned significantly. Over 95% of men’s hair loss is due to male pattern baldness, or Androgenetic Alopecia.
Hair Loss Treatment Options and Follicular Unit Extraction
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a minimally invasive method to treat hair loss. During this procedure, groups of 1 to 4 hairs, or follicular units, will be extracted from an area with healthy hair. Sometimes, there may be up to 7 to 8 hairs available for a single graft. After these grafts are individually harvested with a .7 to 1 millimeter punch, they are transplanted to areas of the scalp that have hair loss or are bald.
The FUE procedure usually takes 8 hours to complete. While the healing process does depend on an individual’s skin type, the grafts usually take in a few days. Any redness that occurs will usually disappear in 4 to 5 days.
Hair Loss Treatment Options and Follicular Unit Strip Surgery
Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS) involves a more invasive process than FUE. During this procedure, a portion, or strip, of the scalp with healthy hair follicles is surgically removed. Incisions are made in the balding area, and this strip is then transferred to this location.
There is a higher complication rate with FUSS. In addition to leaving a scar at the back of the head, future procedures are limited due to the scalp tugging. It also takes longer to recover from FUSS.
Contact a Hair Replacement Specialist for More Information
Since there are different types of hair replacement and restoration methods available, such as scalp micropigmentation, it’s a good idea to learn more about each of them. When you meet with a hair loss specialist, they will be able to discuss the best hair replacement option for you. If you have had FUSS before, you may also be interested in learning more about scar revision.
