Hair replacement surgery

Procedure: Fill in balding areas with a patient's own hair using a variety of techniques including scalp reduction, tissue expansion, strip grafts, scalp flaps, or clusters of punch grafts (plugs, miniplugs, and microplugs). Works best on men with male pattern baldness after hair loss has stopped.

Length: one to three hours. Some techniques may require multiple procedures over 18 months or more.

Anesthesia: Usually local with sedation. Flaps and tissue expansion may be done with general anesthesia.

In/outpatient: Usually outpatient.

Side effects: Temporary achy, tight scalp. Unnatural look in early stages.

Risks: Unnatural look; infection; excessive scarring; failure to "take;" loss of scalp tissue and/or transplanted hair.

Recovery: Back to work: usually two to five days. More strenuous activities: 10 days to three weeks. Final look: may be 18 months or more, depending on procedure.

Duration of Results: Permanent.

Preoperative appearance	Hair plug transfer	Tissue expansion	Flap rotation
Second flap rotation	Scalp reduction	Postoperative appearance

Actual patient photographs available at time of consult.

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