To reach the goal of satisfactory hair transplantation with the beautifully dense hair is not hard but it’s not that easy. Did you know that the key factor of success is just a little element of “Hair graft at safe donor area” which varies in quality and quantity, in each and every single person?
A hair graft is a collection of cells containing between 1 and 4 hair strands, used in hair transplant procedures. Naturally people have varying sizes of grafts. The hair grafts typically used for transplantation come from the lower back of the head (occipital area) or known as a “Safe Donor Area” where the follicle cells are permanent and usually yield satisfactory results when transplanted. In the procedure of hair transplantation, hair grafts must be selected, removed, prepared, and implanted one by one meticulously.
As a matter of fact, hair grafts of each individual vary in quality due to several reasons as follows:
Genetics
Genetic factors play a major role in determining hair texture, thickness of individual hair strands, as well as density. For example, some people may have hair grafts containing only 1-2 strands each, while some have hair grafts containing 3-4 strands each.
Age
As you age, of course, your hair begins to change. Hair can become thinner or weaker that leads to hair falling out more than usual. This is one of the reasons why the doctors always advise that you shouldn't wait until you're old to decide to have a hair transplant. As both the quality and quantity of the hair grafts vary by age, so as the outcome of a hair transplant.
Self-care and lifestyle habits
Eating a balanced diet, smoking habit, and applying chemicals and heat to your hair, are all the factors that determine your hair health or even hair falling out.
Sunlight, dust, smoke and pollution
These are considered as the causes of damaged, weak, dry, brittle, and split ends hair.
Diseases and illnesses
Certain types of diseases, including a certain essential medication, play a part in causing side effects on the hair as well.
All of these factors make the hair grafts different for each person, such as straight hair, curly hair, thin hair, thick hair, a single-strand graft or a four-strand graft. The doctors need to analyze the condition of these hair grafts in order to develop a proper plan for each hair transplant, and also accurately calculate how much hair graft should be used to fill in the thinning or balding areas.
Why do doctors have to pay so much attention to planning and calculating the number hair grafts? That is because hair grafts located at your safe donor area have a special property of DHT hormone (a cause of hair loss) resistance but they are limited in number.
As a result, hair transplantation is not a procedure that can be done as often as desired. The doctor must therefore analyze and calculate well to use the existing hair grafts effectively. At the same time, a future plan must be considered just in case any patient needs multiple hair transplant procedures.
But don't worry too much! No matter how the quality of your hair grafts is, you can consult a hair specialist or a true doctor to select and design a hair transplant method that meets your needs the most. Although the hair grafts located at the Safe Donor Area are the only ones we need, the doctor may recommend using hair grafts from other areas (without DHT-resistant property) if it is really needed due to the limited number of beneficial hair on Safe Donor Area. This is practical but you need a special care and some supportive medication or treatments.
Undergoing a hair transplant is not the finish line. The patients need to have a good self-care and post-op care so that the newly implanted and grown hair will remain with them as long as it could.
