Two Types of Hair Restoration Techniques and Their Purposes
Hair loss is a common condition affecting adults to older ones. Fortunately, many effective surgical and non-surgical options are available for long-lasting, natural-looking hair restoration for both men and women. You must visit a hair restoration clinic for your unique health needs and aesthetic goals if you have thin or bald areas.
Let’s talk about the two hair restoration techniques, their purposes, and where you can go in Liberty, MO, for effective hair restoration.
Follicular Unit Excision, or FUE
Widely used throughout the United States, this surgical hair restoration technique helps many people achieve fuller, thicker, more youthful heads of hair. The FUE procedure has become more popular than the older, more invasive surgery called follicular unit transplantation, or FUT. Unlike FUT, FUE takes single hair follicles from the back of the head (occipital area) and inserts them into the scalp at the frontal hairline.
The FUE procedure aims to grow hair in thin or balding areas. The transplant doctor carefully selects numerous follicles from the back of the head, removes them with a special micro punch tool, and then reinserts them into the scalp at the front hairline.
The hair loss doctor carefully chooses donor site hair that matches the front hairline in color and texture. Plus, he arranges the units in a natural hair growth direction, so styling is easier.
The follicles take weeks to months to achieve total growth; however, most transplants take well. Additionally, there is little to no downtime associated with the in-office surgery.
Patients can return to work and daily living activities immediately, but they are encouraged to avoid heavy gym workouts for a week or so as the minor swelling and redness on their scalps resolve. Signs of rare infection include pain and oozing at the transplant sites.
The doctor tells patients to avoid shampooing for a few days. Also, hats and vigorous combing or brushing are off-limits the first week.
Platelet-rich Plasma, or PRP, therapy
A non-surgical way to boost the body’s own ability to grow hair, PRP therapy may be a stand-alone treatment or combined with other non-invasive treatments or even hair transplant surgeries.
How does PRP therapy work? Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a series of injections composed of serum derived from the patient’s very own blood platelets. Blood platelets are the cells that initiate blood clotting; therefore, they boost the body’s ability to heal and grow new tissue, including reactivating hair follicles.
To make the injectable serum, the hair loss doctor takes a blood sample from the patient and lab-prepares it with a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. The platelets are then injected into the thinning or bald areas of the scalp. This treatment works best when the areas of thinness or baldness are relatively recent.
ACell therapy is often administered with PRP injections. ACell is a natural, protein-based product that improves the healing of grafted areas of the scalp.
Which Hair Restoration Technique in Liberty, MO, Is Right for You?
These two techniques, along with several others offered at Darling Hair Restoration, are highly successful for many patients–both men and women. To decide what service is right for you, contact our hair restoration expert, Dr. Scott L. Darling, for an in-person consultation. He will examine your areas of concern, go over your medications and medical history, and outline various safe and effective treatments.
Call us today to set up an appointment: at (816) 792-3400, or request a visit by filling in our online form.
