Good candidates for a hair transplant include:

• men with male pattern baldness
• women with thinning hair
• anyone who has lost some hair from a burn or scalp injury

Hair replacement isn’t a good option for:

• women with a widespread pattern of hair loss throughout the scalp
• people who don’t have enough “donor” hair sites from which to remove hair for transplant
• people who form keloid scars (thick, fibrous scars) after injury or surgery
• people whose hair loss is due to a medication such as chemotherapy

Before making a diagnosis, your doctor will likely give you a physical exam and ask about your diet, your hair care routine, and your medical and family history. You might also have tests, such as the following:

• Blood test. This might help uncover medical conditions that can cause hair loss.
• Pull test. Your doctor gently pulls several dozen hairs to see how many come out. This helps determine the stage of the shedding process.
• Scalp biopsy. Your doctor scrapes samples from the skin or from a few hairs plucked from the scalp to examine the hair roots under a microscope. This can help determine whether an infection is causing hair loss.
• Light microscopy. Your doctor uses a special instrument to examine hairs trimmed at their bases. Microscopy helps uncover possible disorders of the hair shaft.

After thoroughly cleaning your scalp, a surgeon uses a small needle to numb an area of your head with local anesthesia.

Two main techniques are used to obtain follicles for transplantation: FUT and FUE.

In follicular unit transplantation (FUT):

1. The surgeon will use a scalpel to cut out a strip of scalp skin from the back of the head. The incision is typically several inches long.
2. This is then closed with stitches.
3. The surgeon next separates the removed portion of the scalp into small sections using a magnifying lens and sharp surgical knife. When implanted, these sections will help achieve natural-looking hair growth.

In follicular unit extraction (FUE) the hair follicles are cut out directly from the back of the head through hundreds to thousands of tiny punch incisions.

1. The surgeon makes tiny holes with a blade or needle in the area of your scalp that’s receiving the hair transplant. They gently place hairs in these holes.
2. During one treatment session, a surgeon may transplant hundreds or even thousands of hairs.
3. After, the graft, gauze, or bandages will cover your scalp for a few days.

A hair transplant session can take four hours or more. Your stitches will be removed about 10 days after surgery.

Your scalp may be sore, and you may need to take medications following hair transplant surgery, such as:

• pain medication
• antibiotics to reduce your risk of infection
• anti-inflammatory medications to keep swelling down

Most people can return to work several days after surgery.

Typically, people who’ve had a hair transplant will continue to grow hair in the transplanted areas of the scalp.

The new hair may appear more or less dense depending on:

• scalp laxity, or how loose your scalp skin is
• the density of follicles in the transplanted zone
• hair caliber or quality
• hair curl

If you don’t take medication (such as minoxidil or finasteride) or undergo a low level of laser therapy, you may continue to experience hair loss in nontreated areas of your scalp.