Forget the jokes, here’s the facts.
There are many myths about the science of hair transplantation. It’s often been the butt of jokes in literature, movies, and television, and certainly many men feel a stigma or even shame about talking about it if they’ve received the treatment. But they really shouldn’t have to. Hair loss is a common occurrence for many people down through history, causing lack of confidence and feelings of shame and inadequacy because of how closely linked hair and perceived natural beauty is in our society.
We believe this situation to be both unfair and cruel, so for this article we’ve confronted head-on the 5 most misrepresentative myths about hair transplantation so you know fact from fiction and thus can make a more informed and accurate choice if you’re thinking of undertaking a possible hair transplant.
1. It’s Artificial
Simply not true. Hair transplant procedures take hair from one part of your body and are attached to another. It is your own hair, and only your own hair that is used, no-one else’s and certainly not artificial or synthetic in any way. This a particularly insidious myth about hair transplants as people who seek to undergo such a procedure genuinely care about having good and natural hair once again, so the thought of it being artificial – with all the potential downsides it might bring to mind – has likely stopped many people from going further with the procedure and thus continuing to suffer in silence.
2. It’s Painful
Ostensibly not true. What do we mean by that? Well, if your hair transplant is taking place in an area of tender nerves, such as the occipital region in or around the scalp, and thus some discomfort or mild pain may occur, the patient is administered a local anesthesia by the performing surgeon. The idea of painful surgery understandably unsettles people but the fact is that hair transplant procedures are a routinely painless procedure with only extremely mild and momentary potential discomfort caused by needles puncturing the skin during analgesia.
3. It Doesn’t Look Natural
A very destructive and common myth this, and one continually the butt of jokes in the aforementioned mediums, but again, it’s simply not factual. Hair transplant surgeons take both pride in and go to extraordinary lengths during the procedure to ensure that once natural hair growth returns following the procedure, the results will look both absolutely natural and completely indistinguishable from the rest of the patient’s natural hair profile. A surgeon will check the direction of the follicles of the hair and graft accordingly, meaning the new hair will naturally grow in the same manner as that which surrounds it.
4. Only The Rich Can Afford It
Not at all. There are many different kinds of hair transplant procedures, and of course these will vary in price depending on the procedure and the individual medical institution you get it performed in. But the most common two forms of hair transplant are Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and these are very much affordable as many so-called ‘normal’ people have availed of them without mortgaging their homes to do so! In fact, many people would be surprised if not outright shocked at just how many folks – some of whom they likely know personally – and who aren’t considered wealthy have undergone a hair transplant procedure, but continued myths and stigma surrounding it means they simply don’t talk about it in public with even close friends.
5. It’s Temporary
Not true. Hair transplantation procedures are not only a one-off procedure but a near-permanent and visibly lasting one at that. What causes this myth is likely the fact that newly-transplanted hair will fall out after 5-7 weeks of transplantation but this is both a necessary and natural occurrence, with new hair growth following in the ensuing 5-6 weeks. What accounts for this delay of new hair growth is the blood supply to the roots first has to form and this is not an immediate process. But once it does happen, it’s permanent, so long as your hair does not naturally start thinning out due to age or genetic condition. Hair transplant surgeons are not miracle workers, if you’re genetically predisposed to major hair loss, hair transplant procedures can only do so much. But short of that, with hair transplants you’re pretty much guaranteed to have it be permanent throughout your natural lifetime.
We sincerely hope this has been an educational experience for you. If you’re considering a hair transplant, don’t be discouraged by inaccurate myths, learn the facts about it for yourself. We hope we have helped do so in this article.
