Getting a hair transplant - Why do you have to be attentive to "Hair at Safe Donor Region"?
If you are one of those who is diving into hair transplantation techniques, surely you'll hear the phrase "beneficial hair" (hair grown at the lower back of the head) repeatedly. Why is the beneficial hair such an important factor? Let's make it clearer so that we, together with an expert doctor, can make an effective treatment plan to stop the hair loss and thinning hair smoothly and perfectly.
Each hair strand matters
Each of us has different hair type and condition. Genetic factor plays a role in these differences, such as thinning hair, thick hair, and frizzy hair. Sebum, a natural oil constantly produced by your sebaceous glands, is another significant factor. Excess amounts of it can give you an oily scalp. On the other hand, too less sebum causes a dry scalp. Getting worse when using hot tools and chemicals and exposing your hair to high heat that weakens the hair shaft leading to increased breakage.
Another characteristic that plays the important role in hair transplantation is the density of the hair. Some people have thick hair but some have thin hair. This is determined by follicle (called hair graft) which is a group of hair strands consisting of 1-4 strands. The different number of hair strand in each hair graft influences the availability of beneficial hair located in the safe donor area, which can vary the implantation outcome.
Beneficial hair is the hair grown in the safe donor area that is located at the lower back of the head. Fortunately, the hair grown in the Safe Donor Region has a special property of resistance to DHT hormone (Dihydrotestosterone hormones), which can shrink your hair follicles and shorten the hair growth cycle, resulting in hair loss or even baldness.
Due to the special property of DHT hormone resistance, donor sites are most commonly the scalp areas at the back of the head. Naturally, this special property will be retained regardless of where it is implanted.
However, this healthy beneficial hair is limited in the amount. It is irreplaceable! As previously stated, each person has different amount of beneficial hair located in the safe donor region (some have only 1-2 hair strands per graft), this can be an obstacle that triggers the limitation on hair transplantation.
How to use the beneficial hair productively.
How does an expert doctor analyze and manage the limited beneficial hair for each patient? In the early stages of hair transplantation, your doctor needs to assess the area and severity of your hair loss. Then the amount of hair graft needed will be calculated based on the recipient area. Importantly, the hair grafts to be removed must be accurately calculated for the most effectiveness and worthiness, with a reminder in mind that the beneficial hair is limited and irreplaceable. It needs to be retained for another hair transplantation in case of necessity.
Therefore, the hair grafts must be removed properly and sufficiently to end the problem. In the case that there are some removed hair grafts left, the doctor will implant them all. However, the doctor will do the best not to remove hair grafts redundantly. This is to avoid the appearance problem and to ensure that the patients have sufficient hair grafts for another hair transplantation just in case they need it.
As said before, the beneficial hair is therefore deemed as an important variable in planning a hair transplant. It requires thorough and careful analysis. If you are going to a hair transplantation service recipient, you are recommended to make yourself understand the entire process and various techniques of hair transplantation. Talking and consulting with an export doctor is a helpful way that helps you use, and at the same time, save your preciously limited resources so that the procedure will be performed worthily and effectively.
