Thinning hair and baldness is a condition that affects men of every race, creed, and socioeconomic status. Perhaps genetics has given you this frustrating condition, and you are weighing your options. Countless guys boost their confidence with a hair transplant to restore their natural hairline.
Hair types vary with ethnicity and heredity, so any hair replacement procedure must be customized for each client. If you are a man of color, your hair probably has a wavy or curly texture. While the surgical procedure for hair replacement is similar, you may be prone to unique complications such as keloid scars and painful ingrown hairs.
Ethnic hair may not be wavy or curly above the scalp but usually continues the pattern under the scalp down to the root. Since these textured hair follicles require more space, you need a hair restoration clinic with experience. Let’s discuss how different hair transplants are tailored for guys with ethnic hair.
The Reasons Your Hair Type Makes a Difference
Special considerations are needed for ethnic hair grafts that need more room. It would help if you had a wider donor area to remove the curled hair patches in one piece. The surgeon will carefully map out your scalp for precise incisions and grafts.
Transection Risks
Your curly or wavy hair may also be prone to transection, in which the surgeon accidentally nips the hair follicle’s base, called the bulb. Transections prevent the transplants from growing new hair follicles and make the surgery unsuccessful. Fortunately, a highly trained and experienced surgeon will be cautious to avoid such incidents.
What about Robotic Hair Restoration?
Many hair restoration clinics nationwide tout the success of ARTAS or robotic hair transplant. The procedure may benefit clients with straight black or brown hair. If you have textured or curly hair, or if your hair color is lighter, ARTAS probably isn’t the best for you.
Keloid Scarring Risks
A concern for most hair restoration surgery patients is scarring. Minimal scarring is inevitable but is usually unnoticeable. Your scars may take longer to heal if your hair follicles are textured or curly. The longer a scar takes to heal, the greater the chance it will become hypertrophic, meaning raised and thickened.
Guys with darker skin tones are more apt to develop these thick, large scars. These unsightly scars are called keloids and can be more of an issue than baldness or thinning hair. Your surgeon will consider your risk of keloids and will work to minimize scarring during the procedure.
Some forms of hair loss cause damage, and the wrong hair transplant procedure can worsen the condition. To avoid such pitfalls, you need a specialist familiar with all hair types, including ethnic hair, and which is the best option. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about procedures and to explain all the possible risks.
Hair Restoration Surgery Options
Men of color have successful hair restoration surgery daily in the United States. Your surgeon can discuss the two standard hair transplant methods: FUE, Follicular Unit Excision, and FUT, Follicular Unit Transplant. Here are some things to consider.
Follicular Unit Excision
If FUT is your best route, your surgeon will remove small strips of donor skin from the back of your head. This area is usually where most balding men have thicker hair growth. Then, the surgical team will extract hair follicles individually from the donor skin and graft it to areas of hair loss.
FUT’s advantages are that it’s more budget-friendly and quicker to perform. Unfortunately, the healing process takes longer, and there’s often more postoperative discomfort. Linear scars are also an issue but can often be hidden if the back of your hair is thicker or longer.
Follicular Unit Transplant
Conversely, the doctor doesn’t remove skin strips for a FUE procedure. They will extract individual hair follicles from your scalp and transplant them to balding areas, usually in the top and front of the head. Scarring is almost negligible, and recovery is quicker than the FUT procedure.
What Can You Expect?
Every patient is different, and the results aren’t typical. Most hair restoration surgeries take about four to eight hours. If you have a large amount of hair follicles to transplant, you may require more sessions. This is especially true if you want to achieve your maximum hair fullness.
These procedures are done under local anesthesia, administered by shots to numb your scalp. You’ll be awake for the entire process. However, the doctor may give you a mild sedative to help you relax if you feel anxious.
After all the grafting is complete, the surgical team will bandage your scalp and give you instructions for healing at home. You’ll probably have some pain and discomfort for a few days, so you might consider taking some vacation time from work. For most guys, benefits won’t be genuinely experienced until about six to nine months after surgery.
Talk to the Professionals
. Call AZ Hair Restoration for an appointment today. Dr. Arthur Zacco and his caring staff have the needed experience and are ready to discuss your hair transplant options.
