Many People Are Interested in FUE Los Angeles Hair Transplant Procedures
More and more hair transplant clinics are offering the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method of hair transplant as an alternative option to the older Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) technique. This is because an FUE Los Angeles hair transplant is generally a more advanced and updated technique than the FUT method. However, there is still a great deal of controversy in the hair industry as to which method is better overall. The FUT procedure has its upsides as well as the FUE technique. Which method you choose for your hair transplant is entirely up to you and your individual needs.
Best Hair Transplant Los Angeles is an FUE clinic, but we do still offer FUT procedures to those who need them. Normally, people who are suffering from late-stage baldness are good candidates for a FUT method, instead of an FUE Los Angeles hair transplant, because FUT takes less time to perform due to the quicker harvesting stage.
In today’s article, we would like to detail the step-by-step process you can expect when you undergo an FUE hair transplant. We will save the FUT information for another day. This article will give you the information you need so that you understand exactly what will happen when you get your FUE transplant so that you will be prepared for each and every step of the process.
The Steps to Take During Your FUE Los Angeles Hair Transplant Journey
Step 1. The Initial Consultation with an FUE Specialist
The initial consultation with the surgeon that will be performing your FUE is one of the most important steps in the process. At your consultation, you will be able to sit down with your doctor and discuss your hair loss needs and expectations. The doctor will give you a thorough examination, that involves discussing the quality and thickness of possible donor areas of your scalp. This donor area will be where the surgeon will be extracting the hair from. Then, those hairs will be implanted in the area affected by hair loss.
It is during this meeting that you can talk with the doctor about whether an FUE or a FUT hair transplant will be best for you and your needs. The doctor will carefully go over what to expect as far as post-procedure pain and any possible scarring that will occur from the harvesting process.
The doctor reviews your medical history during the initial consultation as well. In this step, you’ll list any allergies to medications that you have. Here at Best Hair Transplant Los Angeles, we use this meeting to really get to know our patients so that when it comes time for the surgery, you are as comfortable with our doctor and staff as possible.
At the end of the initial consultation, the doctor will book you a date for your procedure and will give you any pre-op instructions he may feel is important. The surgery is normally within a week of the consultation depending on how busy our schedule is at that time.
Step 2. Arrival and Preparation
On the date of your procedure, our staff will meet you at the office and prepare you for your surgery. They will discuss with you all of the pre-op instructions that you were given and ask if you had any trouble following them. We will then make sure that you are as comfortable as possible while the operating room is prepared for your surgery. If your hair and scalp needs to be washed, our staff will complete that while you wait.
After everything has been prepared you will be moved into the operating room and given local anesthesia so that the FUE procedure will be pain-free. The anesthesia will be applied to both the donor area that your doctor has specified during your consultation, as well as to the area of the scalp the hair will be transplanted to.
Step 3. The Extraction Phase
The third step of your FUE hair transplant is the extraction phase. This is the part of the process that really requires a great amount of skill and experience on the part of your doctor. In an FUE surgery, the surgeon will extract the individual hair follicles, one at a time. Each follicle will contain from 1 to 3 hairs each. During the extraction process, if not done perfectly, a root transection can occur. This is when the root or bulb of the hair follicle is damaged when extracted. If this occurs, when that follicle is transplanted, it will fail to grow and eventually die.
Hair transections occur in every hair transplant, whether it is an FUE or a FUT technique. The skill and experience of your surgeon affect what the transection rate will be. If the transection rate is too high, then the end result of the FUE surgery will end up looking unnatural as the symmetry of the transplanted hair follicles will be affected. If the majority of the transplanted hair follicles die from transection, then the result will have a “patchy” look to it.
In most cases, after the extraction phase has been completed, and the surgeon has enough hair to transplant, you will be able to take a break. You can relax and watch some TV or eat some lunch during this time.
Step 4. Transplanting the Hair Follicles
Now comes the nitty-gritty phase of the FUE Los Angeles hair transplant. Your surgeon will use a microsurgical needle to make tiny punctures in the recipient area of the scalp. Then it is up to the surgeon to determine at which angles to implant the extracted hair follicles. Again, this procedure relies heavily upon the experience of the doctor to complete successfully. The hair follicles must be implanted at an angle that mirrors the natural growth of the rest of the hair.
Step 5. Post-Op Aftercare
After the FUE surgery is completed, most folks will think that the hair transplant is done and over. While it is true that the actual surgery part of the process is done, you’re far from finished. What happens directly after the FUE procedure is just as important as the surgery itself. The aftercare process is entirely up to you to complete successfully. If you fail to follow all of the aftercare instructions you could ruin the entire hair transplant, regardless of how well your surgeon performed the surgery.
For example, if you proceed to begin heavy drinking and smoking right after your procedure. You will significantly reduce the chance of the implanted hair follicles surviving to the point where they start to grow hair.
Other instructions will be given to you by your doctor that you must follow. Things like avoiding strenuous exercise and direct sunlight for the amount of time prescribed by your doctor. You’ll also receive instructions on how to sleep. After all, you don’t want to disturb the implanted hair grafts while your scalp heals. As your scalp begins to heal, you will start to form scabs on the implanted area. Above all do not pick or scratch the scabs!
Step 6. Taking Your Prescriptions and Following Directions
Your doctor will likely prescribe you a round of antibiotics after the FUE surgery. It is important that you take the entire round. It is also important that you keep the scalp housing the implanted hair clean. Do this by slowly pouring or spraying the implanted hair grafts with lukewarm water. An infection in the scalp after a hair transplant surgery will increase the chances of your system rejecting the implanted hair follicles. As a result, your transplant could fail.
What Are Typical FUE Los Angeles Hair Transplant Results?
When you’re looking at the before and after FUE hair transplant results on the internet, it is easy to believe that those results are directly after the surgery. While an FUE hair transplant does provide some pretty miraculous results, they are far from immediate. There is actually a good amount of time that needs to pass before an FUE clinic is going to post the “after” picture on their websites.
During the first month after an FUE Los Angeles hair transplant, nearly every hair follicle is in a state of traumatized shock. While the implanted hair follicles will look like they are growing for the first week or so, it is temporary as that growth will cease and the new hair will fall out with the scabs. This can be a very alarming process for those who are not ready for it. You will go through the entire hair transplants surgery only to have the new hair just fall out!
Rest assured that this is a normal part of the healing process. We promise that the implanted hair follicle remains. After the shock wears off, the hair follicle will grow new, stronger, and thicker hair. When the new hair falls out, it will even look like it is a hair follicle, as the very base of the shaft of hair looks like a dot or a bulb.
How Long Will it Take to See Results?
It takes the standard FUE hair transplant around 3-4 months before new hair begins to grow from the implanted hair follicles. At first, the new hair may look thin and curly as though it were body hair when it first sprouts; however, as the hair grows out and lengthens, it will become straighter and thicker. At this stage, each of the hair follicles will be growing at a different rate and at different times. This may cause the hair in the implanted area to take on a patchy appearance. Don’t worry, this will pass and soon the follicles will synchronize and grow at the same time.
After 6 months you will notice the most growth and thickening of the new hair. It’s at this stage that most patients begin to see the fruits of their labors. Hair on their once bald head continues to thicken over the next couple of months. At the 9-12 months stage, you’ll be then able to start to style your new hair with scissored haircuts.
Oh and here’s a tip! Make sure that your barber or hairstylist does not use razors or any other hair-cutting instruments for the first year after your transplant. After 12 to 15 months, you will likely get a call from your FUE clinic for your after FUE Los Angeles hair transplant picture for their website as the FUE hair transplant process is now complete. Now you have your new head of thick hair. Go show it off to the world!
SUFFERING FROM HAIR LOSS?
Best Hair Transplant is the best place to schedule your hair transplant in Los Angeles. We’ve helped both men and women regrow their lost hair. But don’t take our word for it. We suggest learning as much as possible about hair restoration. Do so prior to making a decision on how to address your hair loss. Not every procedure is right for everyone.
At Best Hair Transplant, we’re proud of our results and happy to provide hair restoration services. Additionally, we’re proud to make hair transplants affordable and help you save money on a variety of hair transplants.
To ensure your ease of mind, you can view our customer recommendations HERE. Furthermore, you can also see our Google reviews and Yelp reviews. We can’t wait to help you start restoring your lost hair.
YOUR HAIR RESTORATION SOLUTION
Best Hair Transplant
1970 S. Prospect Ave., Suite 2
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(213) 403-0455
