Can You Have A Hair Transplant With Retrograde Alopecia?

Retrograde alopecia is a subtype of genetic hair loss. It affects the hairs above the ears and around the nape of the neck. Many individuals who suffer from this condition believe that they are not suitable candidates for hair restoration because they suffer from retrograde alopecia. However, that is not always the case and many have achieved successful long-term results even though they suffer from retrograde alopecia.

Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer, it depends on the individual’s goals and hair loss pattern. However, allow me to elaborate a bit more. First, let’s talk about retrograde alopecia and how it affects individuals with genetic hair loss and their donor supply.

Retrograde alopecia is a form of hair loss that affects the lower portion of the neck called the nape and the sides of the scalp just above the ears. This condition is fairly common among an individual’s suffering from hereditary hair loss.

The main concern with hair transplant surgery is how far the hair loss will extend. In some cases, patients may have extensive hair loss above their nape reaching into what is called the permanent zone. In addition, many patients confuse retrograde alopecia with another condition called Diffused Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA). While both conditions may appear similar at first, they are totally different.

DUPA is a type of androgenic alopecia (genetic hair loss). DUPA can affect both men and women. DUPA is a sub-type of androgenic alopecia. The difference between a male pattern and female pattern hair loss is that DUPA does not follow any pattern. Therefore, the back and sides of the scalp may be susceptible to thinning.

DUPA is categorized as diffuse thinning over the entire scalp. Unlike Diffused Patterned Alopecia (DPA), DUPA lacks the stable permanent zone associated with other forms of alopecia. DUPA is defined as a general decrease in the density of hair without any definite pattern.

Hair transplant surgery is not an option for individual’s with DUPA, as there is no permanent donor supply. However, retrograde alopecia is contained to a specific portion of the scalp, specifically the sides above the ears and nape.

Individuals with retrograde alopecia may be suitable candidates for surgical hair restoration treatments. However, retrograde alopecia would decrease their overall lifetime donor supply. Therefore, prospective patients with retrograde alopecia may need to adjust their expectations and goals accordingly.

Will You Suffer From Shock Loss If You Have A Hair Transplant?

So many hair loss sufferers find themselves in a difficult spot between electing to undergo surgery with the risk of having shock loss. The mere words “shock loss” strike fear into the hearts of hair loss sufferers worldwide. The thought of looking even balder after surgery is enough to send many running for the hills, but how likely is shock loss to occur? Keep reading.

Unfortunately, telogen effluvium (shock loss) can occur after surgical hair restoration because of the trauma caused to the scalp from surgery. Shock loss is a short-term hair loss that can occur for various reasons such as stress, trauma or a surgical procedure. Shock loss is a constant shedding of the hair for an extended period of time usually lasting three to six months.

When hairs are implanted by weak miniaturized native hairs, the hair transplantation can cause shock loss. There are three phases to a hair follicles life cycle, the anagen (growth) phase, catagen (transitional) phase and the telogen (resting) phase. When a massive amount of hair follicles enter the telogen (resting) phase all at once, the process is referred to as shock loss.

There isn’t anything a person can do or take to prevent shock loss completely, but there are some treatments that can strengthen the hair and speed up the recovery of shock loss. The first treatment a person can take to strengthen their hair is Propecia (finasteride). Propecia (finasteride) strengthens the hair by reducing the amount of DHT that can attach to the hair follicle. Rogaine (minoxidil) stimulates hair growth and prolongs the growth phase.

Shock loss generally resolves on its own after three to six months but can be permanent if the hair follicles are weak. This is why stabilizing genetic hair loss is important. Hair transplant surgery does not stop or treat genetic hair loss, it simply moves hair from one location to another.

If the cause of the hair loss isn’t treated, the hair loss will continue to progress and spread. The progression of hair loss can leave individuals feeling unsatisfied with their hair transplant procedures because hair loss can progress rapidly and without warning.

Hair Loss Concealers After a Hair Transplant

When people think of hair loss concealers they think of the old “hair in a can” that used to be advertised on late night infomercials in the 90’s, but the truth is like surgical hair restoration hair loss concealers have come a long way.

For many hair loss sufferers, hair loss concealers are a great way to create the “illusion of density”. But many prospective patients are worried about potentially damaging their delicate grafts after surgery. In this article, we will be discussing hair loss concealers after hair transplant surgery.

Which Concealer is Safe?

Hair loss concealers are safe and non-toxic. There is a variety of “cover up” products like Toppik that are applied to the scalp to conceal balding or thinning areas. These products increase the appearance of fullness and create an “illusion” of density.

Products like Toppik and DermMatch can enhance a hair transplant and increase visual density. However, patients shouldn’t rush to sprinkle Toppik or dab on DermMatch so quickly, because the grafts need to be given time to anchor into the scalp and the incision sites need to heal first.

When Can I Apply Concealers?

According to a study published by Dr. Robert Bernstein, member of the Independent Coalition of Hair Restoration Physicians, follicular unit grafts anchor into the body by day six, however, pulling on an adherent scab could result in a lost graft until day 8 following a hair restoration procedure.

Therefore, patients should be very careful not to apply “cover up” products such as Toppik or DermMatch to early because these products require shampoo and vigorous scrubbing to come off, scrubbing may damage or dislodge a healing graft.

Typically, patients can begin applying “cover up” products such as Toppik and DermMatch once all of the transplanted grafts have shed. Most patients begin to shed their transplanted grafts around the 3rd to the 4th week following surgery. During this time patients may experience some minor telogen effluvium or shock loss.

Products like Toppik and DermMatch can certainly help mitigate the effects of shock loss and provide the patient with a boost in visual density and fullness.

Conclusion

Hair loss concealers are safe to use after a hair transplant procedure, but some hair loss concealers require applicators, which could potentially damage healing grafts. It is important to allow the grafts to fully heal and anchor into the scalp before applying any form of hair loss concealers. Once the transplanted hairs are growing in, the hair loss concealers could certainly help provide a visual boost in density in fullness.

 

What to Expect After a Hair Transplant? : Growth Timeline

Hair transplant surgery has become increasingly popular over the last few years namely because today’s modern hair restoration surgeons are performing larger, more densely packed sessions of ultra refined follicular unit grafting with outstanding results. But what can you expect after the surgical procedure? Are the results immediate? What is the healing process like? How long does it take for the new hair to grow? Why do the initial transplanted hairs shed after only a few weeks? When does the hair grow back? These are all viable questions that we will be answering in this article by providing a timeline.

A Day After Hair Transplant Surgery

Immediately after surgery, the transplanted area will be pink in color with the formation of scabs around the follicular unit grafts. Patients will likely experience some mild discomfort or nominal pain in both the donor and recipient areas along with tightness of the scalp and numbness. The hair restoration physician selected will have provided postoperative instructions on how to shower and take care of the grafted area.

A Week After Hair Restoration Surgery

Within the first week, most of the tiny scabs and redness will dissipate, as will any remaining discomfort or pain. Most hair transplant patients begin to resume normal activities such as going to work, light exercise, etc. Any numbness from the procedure will have worn off however, there may be some ongoing scalp tightness especially if the patient has undergone FUSS (Follicular unit strip surgery).

Removing The Sutures after 10 to 14 days:

If FUSS was elected, the sutures or staples are removed 10 days after hair transplant surgery. Surgeons stitch or use staples to keep the donor region closed and are removed typically after 10 to 14 days.

Hair shedding 4 to 6 weeks after surgery

Typically between 4 to 6 weeks, the transplanted hair will begin to shed, leaving the recipient area looking as it did prior to surgery. In fact, the recipient area may look even thinner due to a phenomenon which is known as shock loss or telogen effluvium, which is a temporary loss of natural hair due to surgical trauma. But don’t worry, all shocked hair and transplanted hair will begin to grow back after only a few months.

2 Months After Hair Surgery

Welcome to the doldrums, where the recipient area typically looks worse than it did prior to surgery. Many patients experience panic, mild depression and anxiety during the stage due to doubt and disbelief that they might not experience the results they want and deserve. Many patients alleviate their concerns by posting their questions and getting answers from veterans hair transplant patients on the hair restoration forum.

4 Months After Hair Transplantation

At this stage, most patients experience new hair growth and the transplanted area begins to look fuller and better than it did prior to surgery. Patients are typically filled with hope and enjoy posting pictures and videos of their new sprouts on the discussion forum. This generates excited replies and more enthusiasm for the patient.

6 Months After Surgical Hair Restoration

The hair restoration patient will likely be experiencing a lot of hair growth at this time and begin to see the beginning of what the final result will look like. At 6 months, the patient will likely see about 60% of their results and while most of the new hairs have started to grow, the hairs still need to thicken, darken and mature. Moreover, most of the shocked hair has at least started to grow back.

9 Months After Hair Replacement Surgery

Even slow growers begin to see a foreshadowing of their final result and those who grow quickly will see approximately 80% of their result. Most of the transplanted hair at this stage will have obtained the same quality and caliber as natural hair.

After 12 months: The Final Result?

This is typically when most individuals experience their final hair transplant result. All the hair has grown in, matured, thickened and darkened. Moreover, any shocked hair will have completely returned and everything will have completely healed. However, slow growers may still experience growth and maturation up until their 18th month.

After 18 Months: Evaluating The Result

A hair transplant patient can safely evaluate their results at this stage. Those who expressed some concern at 12 months should wait a full 18 months before deciding whether or not their result was optimal. However, selecting a top hair transplant surgeon should minimize any risk and ensure they get the best results. That said, even if the result is optimal, some patients require more than one procedure to meet their hair restoration goals. Those who want or need a second procedure typically proceed at this stage in obtaining one.

Conclusion

A hair transplant is a process and does not provide immediate results. Therefore, a patient should know what to expect prior to undergoing the procedure in order to minimize depression, anxiety, and panic. Those with concerns should immediately contact their surgeon or look for answers and support at the Hair Transplant Network. The key to a successful hair transplant results is research and education.