How to Choose the Right Hair Transplant Procedure For You

Did you know that about 35 million men and about 21 million women are currently suffering from hair loss?

A little bit of hair loss is perfectly natural. The average person will actually lose 50 to 100 scalp hairs each day. But a full head of hair has about 100,000 or so hair follicles, so you barely notice. You just routinely brush them away from your furniture, keyboard, or clothing.

However, when you’re experiencing significant hair loss, you lose more than 100 per day, and you really notice. Your shower drain may start to clog and you may start to obsess over your hairline in the mirror or on the selfie mode of your phone.

You might be even more conscious of your hairline during COVID-19. If you have to dial into Zoom calls and video conference calls every morning, it’s nearly impossible to avoid staring at your own face.

With the global hair loss problem being as widespread as it is, it’s no wonder that the marketplace is flooded with so-called solutions. You can walk down the hair loss aisle in the pharmacy and see all manner of creams, drops, sprays, supplements, tablets and shampoos. Where does one even begin? Do any of these things actually work?

This blog will examine the pros and cons of various procedures and treatments for people losing their hair and looking to fight back.

A FUE Hair Transplant

We are proud to be one of the leading practitioners of FUE hair transplants in Toronto. This is the procedure we offer because we know it can lead to some truly remarkable results and very happy patients.

How does it work? Basically, it’s a popular and minimally invasive procedure that involves using robotic and/or automated micro-rotatory punches to harvest hair follicles from the areas on your head with a good volume, and then implant them onto the areas where you are looking for more volume.

This is done via two different types of technology:

• ARTAS (robotic)
• NeoGraft (Automated)

Here are the differences between the two.

NeoGraft & ARTAS

Basically, a NeoGraft hair transplant involves an automated rotary punch harvesting your individual hair follicles so that they can be implanted into designated parts of your head. On the other hand, ARTAS hair transplants use an advanced robotic device.

Which will work best for you? That’s up to your surgeon.

In either case, you’re getting an incredibly effective and minimally invasive procedure that can give you real volume. You get all of the results with no scars, scalpels, stitches, or surgical excision.

These procedures give you:

• Long-lasting or permanent results
• More volume where you need it the most
• A more youthful appearance
• A very short recovery period

Our procedures also include extensive post-op care with low-level light therapy and a fantastic nutrient shampoo. You need a quality product for washing your hair after a hair transplant to ensure the best results.

Again, the results are long-lasting or permanent. The harvested and healthy hair from the back of your head in your occipital region doesn’t have the same genetic code that creates the hair bulbs with a weak enzyme.

How Much Does a FUE Hair Transplant Cost in Toronto?

The cost of your procedure will depend on how much work needs to be done, and what your goals are.

However, generally speaking, the price of an expertly administered FUE transplant can cost about $6000.00, which includes post-op care.

Less expensive options certainly exist in the marketplace. However, the old adage that you get what you pay for is certainly true in this area. When you consider the value of these permanent results, it’s almost impossible to compare any other hair loss treatments to this.

FUE Hair Transplants for Women

Men are more likely to deal with hair loss, but it’s certainly a problem that still affects millions of women. Men got about 70% of all hair transplant surgeries in 2019 and it was the 5^th most popular procedure among men.

However, the number of hair transplants performed on female patients increased by 30%, year-over-year, between 2018 and 2019. And they are up 80% since the year 2000. Why such a dramatic increase? It’s possible that the techniques and technologies are really starting to align with the results that women are looking for.

Less than half of all women will go through their life with a full head of hair. At the same time, roughly 40% of women have visible hair loss by the time they are age 40.

This can be caused by:

• Changes to a woman’s hormonal process of testosterone converting to dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
• An imbalance of thyroid hormones
• Pregnancy
• Some diseases
• Certain medications

We don’t get quite as many requests from people looking to get a hair transplant for females, but we have a proven history of providing fantastic outcomes for both sexes.

If you’re also dealing with a high forehead, we can help you with that. Your FUE hair transplant can help to reduce the size of your forehead by lowering your hairline. From there, follicles can be taken from the back and the sides of your head and then grafted to the front of the hairline.

How Long Does it Take to Recover From a FUE Hair Transplant?

One of the reasons that this procedure is so popular is that it has a very short recovery time.

The local anesthesia will ensure that you don’t feel any pain during the actual procedure. From there, you should see the very mild discomfort and swelling subside after 2 or 3 days.

If you have to physically show up to your job in person, you can probably return in about 5-7 days. However, a lot of people are getting plastic surgery procedures of all kinds during the COVID-19 lockdown because they now have the ability to work from home and recover discreetly without missing any time. There is often no need to book more than a day off.

Rogaine

Does Rogaine work? It can and there a people who will tell you it did good things for them.

However, it has two major issues:

1. It is not a permanent solution, nor does it claim to be
2. It can take 3 months or more to show results

The minoxidil in the product is said to “revive hair follicles that have shrunk due to hereditary hair loss.” However, you do have to apply it constantly for at least 3 months straight. And by the end of that time, you may still not love the results you see.

Also, if you turn over the box, you will see the tacit warning that Rogaine is really intended to treat hair loss on the top of the head or crown area. It is not designed for receding hairlines on the front/brow area, and you might be very disappointed if you were hoping to use it there.

It also may come with several side effects, which could include:

• Increase sensitivity to sunlight
• Increased heart rate. You should avoid it if you have heart issues
• Dizziness or even fainting
• Scalp sensitivity or discomfort
• Skin dryness, possibly to the point of flaking
• A burning sensation around the application area

Another issue is that the longer you let your hair loss progress, the harder it is for Rogaine to produce good results.

The long and short of it is that this could be a solution for you if you don’t mind waiting for a few months to see results, and you understand that the benefits will fade over time.

A lot of people who try Rogaine may use it for a few years. Then, they eventually get a hair transplant after getting tired of the process, the investment, and the fading results.

Hair Loss Shampoos and Volume Adding Shampoos

You have also probably heard of special shampoos that can help you add volume or reverse hair loss. Do they work? Well, as usual, that all depends on what you’re trying to achieve and what you’re using.

Straight away, neither can help you fight male pattern baldness, period. If that was your hope, don’t waste your time and put it back on the shelf.

However, if your hair loss is being caused by inflammation from a scalp condition like dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis) or psoriasis, the shampoo might be able to help you. Or, if you’re suffering from androgenic alopecia, a ketoconazole shampoo could help.

Thickening and Volumizing Shampoo

No, these products cannot add volume or thickness to your hair by magically helping you regrow it. But they can do some good.

First of all, we need to be clear that these products may sound similar, but they don’t do the same thing.

A volumizing shampoo will attempt to make it look like your hair is thicker by only using lightweight ingredients and avoiding anything that will weigh your hair down at the roots. Flat hair looks like thin hair. If you’re currently using a heavy shampoo that is leaving a lot behind, you could see an upgrade in the appearance of volume if you make the switch.

Meanwhile, thickening shampoos will target each strand of hair, instead of the roots. They use ingredients like protein and collagen in an attempt to strengthen and thicken each strand. They may also include ingredients like biotin or saw palmetto that can help strengthen your hair.

The Verdict:

You have to wash your hair anyway, so you might as well use something that can strengthen your hair. These shampoos can be a helpful part of an entire hair loss plan that includes other elements.

However, they aren’t really going to do anything on their own, unless you have psoriasis, androgenic alopecia, or dandruff.

Expectation management is key.

Vitamins and Supplements

The first thing that we should point out is that these products are not subject to FDA-approval to be released to a commercial marketplace. What does that mean? It means that they are not really prevented from making claims that are exaggerated, or not true.

You might go onto their website and see that they have statistics from studies that prove that their offering works. However, you would be amazed by how often the company funded their own study. This makes any results, findings, or claims doubtful at best.

You may see influencers on Instagram touting the hair thickening benefits of:

• Biotin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E

It seems to make sense, right? Why not fight hair loss from the inside, right? Not really.

It’s important to know that if your body is deficient, you should absolutely start taking that vitamin, for more reasons than just hair loss.

However, if you’re not deficient in a vitamin, your body only holds so much of it. It’s like how you can’t charge your phone more than 100%. If you’re already doing OK for these vitamins, your body will excrete them shortly after you eat/take them.

You may know someone who claims these vitamins and supplements helped them. If they were deficient in vitamin D, taking the vitamin regularly may have helped their hair. However, it also would have helped their energy levels, muscle cramps, bone density, and skin problems. If you’re deficient, hair loss isn’t the only thing you’re probably struggling with.

Also, remember that countless other things can cause hair loss. Stress can cause hair loss. A lack of exercise and a bad diet can lead to hair loss. If you start eating right and reducing the stress in your life for a few months, it’s easy to mistakenly think that your new pill or your new shampoo is fixing your hair loss. But you might have the cause and the effect wrong.

Are You Ready to See The New You?

Why choose our clinic? Our surgeons use industry-leading technology to ensure the best possible outcomes for all of our patients.

Also, Dr. Stephen Mulholland is widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading experts in hair transplants. He has performed FUE hair transplants for over 10 years, while pioneering and developing the way that NeoGraft and Artas procedures are performed worldwide. His FUE team has performed over 1 million grafts.

Don’t hesitate! Schedule an initial consultation today to see what’s possible.