//Hair Transplants//
I recently spoke to a few friends regarding the matter of hair transplants. It was interesting to find out about their experiences regarding the process and the benefits that treatment brought to them post-surgery. Hair is something that we all can see on a daily basis when encountering our peers, for some, severe balding can impact self-confidence and general mental health. Transplants are far more effective than treatments sold over counter but the operation is not an immediate end to hair loss issues and subsequent transplants are often required to maintain a desired level of hair growth over time. Post-transplant medication is an interesting aspect to treatment and I wanted to dive a little more into this.
//Post-Transplant//
After a successful hair transplant, medical professionals will typically prescribe drugs to stimulate and continue hair growth. For males, Minoxidil is a common medication used to treat hair loss and successful treatment can see a great difference if administered continuously over and beyond a 3 month period. An important note regarding hair transplants is its dependence on medication to realise growth at transplant follicles and continuous growth. Medicines such a Minoxidil must be taken indefinitely, meaning the patient must consume this drug on a daily basis if they don’t wish to revert back to a treatment state. Side effects of this drug have been observed to be on a tolerable side but irritation of eyes, skin, breathing difficulty and more are possible. In some cases, excessive hair growth can occur, covering the body in unexpected places resulting in hirsutim.
//Continuous Growth and Medication//
It’s important to consider the reasons for such an operation and the lifelong commitments to maintain hair growth along with possible additional transplants in the future. For some this is a detail that can go missed, lifelong consumption of certain medications is not easy for all. It can be disheartening when tapering off the medication over just a few weeks to discover that previous hair issues return. In some cases, the issue may seem amplified with additional hair loss appearing. This can be an alarming effect of moving off of prescribed hair growth treatment and is unfortunately the only method of maintaining hair growth regardless of transplant procedure. Retaking Minoxidil can remedy and resume hair growth but its effects may take months to activate again depending on the duration abstained. Personally, a lifelong commitment to hair growth with certain health complications make hair transplants less than desirable. However, the benefits for those wanting to be rid of their hair loss problems, transplants and continuous medications are the most effective approach as of yet.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil
https://www.healthline.com/health/hair-transplant