Hair transplantation, also known as autotransplantation, is the surgical operation that occurs through the transfer of small fragments of skin and related hair bulbs. The goal is to thicken the hair and allow the hair to return to its original splendor if not even improved. The transferred skin fragments pass from a thick area to a thinned area, thus intervening only on the necessary areas. The transfer of the same bulbs takes place because the operation cannot be carried out with synthetic hair. Patients suffering from androgenetic alopecia resort to the operation. In the case of dysfunctional but vital hair bulbs it is possible to intervene with specific drugs or supplements, in the case of bulbs that are now not very vital it is necessary to intervene with surgery. It is a definitive treatment but it cannot be decisive in the case of baldness. Hair transplantation today occurs in most cases through a surgical procedure that will inevitably leave scars.
The patient undergoes an outpatient operation, which is performed by professionals. It is a painless operation that takes place under local anesthesia or under sedation. At the end of the operation a bandage is placed on the treated area which will be removed the following day and the first results will be evident after just a couple of months.
But how has surgical hair transplantation spread and how has it changed over time?
At the beginning of the 1950s these were conspicuous and unsightly, but with the new modern techniques a much better solution has been achieved. Despite this, the limitation of surgical hair transplantation is that scars will show up with short hair. Until a few years ago, the operation took place through the removal from the occipital area of the scalp and dissected and transferred in the form of small grafts in the thinned areas. This type of operation led to aesthetically pleasing results although it led to unpleasant side effects such as postoperative swelling or loss of sensation. Recently, new techniques have led to new transplants based on the removal and grafting of individual bulbs. Thus was born the transplantation of mini and micro implants of the single follicular units better known as UF. The technique is called FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), whose evolution has led to the high-density hair transplant that takes the name of Micro FUE.
Is it possible today to have a hair transplant without a bandage?
The post-operative period of a hair transplant without bandage can be longer and more painful. For this reason there is a hair transplant without bandage and without scars. This happens with the HST technique, that is the transplantation of hair stem cells. The operation takes place with small punches, and even smaller than those present with the FUE operation. The wounds will therefore be much smaller and will heal quickly and painlessly. This operation relies on the action of stem cells and can be repeated in certain areas where it is necessary. Through the hair transplant technique without bandage it is possible to count on thin and almost tissue-free grafts.