“Hair plugs look awful, don’t get a hair transplant!”
“It only works on young men, you’re too old to get a hair transplant.”
You’ve probably heard statements like these from friends, colleagues, and even strangers. People discuss how their favorite actors and TV personalities look, and make claims based on outdated or simply false information that gets passed along through the grapevine of gossip and rumors. And the Internet makes it that much easier to spread misinformation.
But that’s why it’s important to turn to trusted sources to make sure your understanding of anything is accurate. Advanced Medical Hair Institute wants to debunk some of the most common or most harmful myths about Hair Transplantation so you can make an informed decision. Let’s get started.
- Hair Transplants Are Temporary
This is one of the most common myths about Hair Transplantation, and it couldn’t be more false. Transplanted hair does usually fall out after about 3 weeks, but the root begins to grow again after about 2 months. This new hair will be as permanent as it would have been before being transplanted, and will continue to grow throughout the follicles’ lifetimes.
- Hair Transplants Are Hair Plugs
While Hair Plugs were the common form of Hair Transplantation from the 1950s through the early 2000s, they are no longer commonly used in surgical hair restoration procedures. The procedure, while effective for its time, was prone to causing scarring, required intensive care routines, and was easily recognizable.
Today’s surgeons, including Dr. Williams of Advanced Medical Hair Institute, most commonly use Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) or Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). These procedures leave little or no scarring, usually cause no or minimal pain, and look and feel natural.
This is another case of old terminology continuing on long after what it describes is gone. Check your surgeon’s website for what procedures they use – they should use both FUE and FUT, but might specialize in one or the other!
- Only Very Wealthy People Can Afford Hair Transplantation
While hair restoration is not generally covered by insurance, it is far from being unaffordable. If you are looking into a procedure to manage hair loss, you are probably already spending money and time on alternative treatments to provide temporary solutions.
While each person has different needs and requirements for their hair loss solution, paying for hair transplantation turns out to not only be more effective than those temporary treatments, but looks better, lasts much longer, and is less hassle altogether.
Besides that, it can’t hurt to get a consultation and find out what it might cost you! You can quickly and easily schedule a consultation if you are in the Las Vegas or Reno area or we can do a remote consultation if you will be traveling here in the near future.
- FUE And FUT Are Painful
This myth is easily understandable – it’s a surgical procedure, after all, so it should hurt, right?
The reality is that both of these procedures use local anesthesia to ensure your safety and comfort during the procedure. You will still feel pressure or the pinprick of the tools, but there should be no lasting pain or discomfort that cannot be handled with over-the-counter pain medication as needed.
The other important aspect of this is that both FUE and FUT are outpatient procedures. This means you will be going home afterward, and only have to be concerned about following the guidelines provided by your surgeon.
- Transplanted Hair Grows Right Away
While it would be great to be able to say this is true, it is unfortunately not. But the good news is that even though there is a timeline for transplanted hair growth, it is both natural and permanent once it settles in.
Transplanted hairs tend to fall out naturally after about 3 weeks, but begin to grow back after about 2 months. And since they are your own hair follicles, as they grow in you will see an improvement in hair density and appearance shortly after that.
The results are worth the wait!
- Hair Transplants Can Damage The Brain
No, they can’t. Both FUE and FUT work at the skin level only. They do not penetrate or go through the skull in any way, and the procedures are not jarring or impact-based. This means that there is no possible way for these procedures to directly damage the brain.
- Hair Transplants Are Obvious
The biggest social fear with hair transplants is worrying about people noticing that you have had a procedure done. This stems from the outdated and no-longer-used type of hair transplantation called Hair Plugs.
In that procedure, the hair was removed in circular patches and placed in new areas. It left scars, required careful and specific procedures to maintain, and was often easily noticeable.
In new procedures, the follicles are removed individually (FUE) or in small strips (FUT) to minimize scarring, provide a more natural look, and reduce the shock the body goes through in the process.
That means that not only are the hairs growing back your own in modern procedures, but your highly-trained surgeon will work with your specific needs to create the best possible results by using smaller, more targeted hair transplantation than was possible with Hair Plugs.
- Only Bald People Should Get Hair Transplants
This is one of the most common misconceptions about hair transplants. The reality is that hair restoration is a process that you can, and should, look into if you notice the signs of hair loss at any stage.
This does several things to help the process, including giving your hair restoration specialist insight into your hair-loss pattern. By starting the process early, you and your surgeon can come up with a plan to help you overcome the hair loss with a plan that makes the transition as smooth as possible for you.
Not only that, but working with your hair restoration specialist as early as possible allows you to prepare, plan, and take control of your hair loss on your terms. That’s an important element of overcoming it!
- Hair Transplants Use Fake Hair
This is a very old misconception, with roots in the old hair plug procedures of the past. The name “hair plug” evoked ideas of fake hair and literal plugs of fake hair, like in a doll or wig, being transplanted onto a human scalp.
Both FUT and FUE use a person’s own hair from an area of the scalp where hair loss either doesn’t occur or occurs to a lesser degree, usually from the sides and back of the head. This is essential for the procedure to work properly because the body will almost certainly reject hair follicle transplants from another host.
Not only that, but modern hair transplantation is very natural-looking, largely because of the precision of modern techniques, but also because it uses the person’s own hair. The effectiveness of these new procedures would not be as high without that benefit of using a person’s own hair in their treatment.
- Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) Is Better Than Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
This myth is not so much the most common or oldest on the list, but it is perhaps the most dangerous. Here’s why: a hair restoration specialist who wants to treat their patients as effectively as possible will perform either or both procedures.
Each person is unique, and FUT and FUE both offer value and effectiveness for different situations. This means that if you visit a hair restoration specialist and they only offer one of these procedures, it is likely a sign that you should reconsider your visit.
A hair restoration specialist will want to find the best possible solution for you, not the best possible solution using whatever is convenient for them. Specialists, like Dr. Williams, make sure to consider each patient’s well-being and happiness when working with them. View our hair restoration case studies to see our results.
The main takeaway from this myth is that no one procedure is simply “the best” – it is dependent on your needs, so you should find a hair restoration specialist who takes that into consideration and who takes the time to explain their plan in a way that makes sense to you.
Where To Go To Find Out More
If you are in the Las Vegas or Nevada areas, or you are able to travel there, you can visit to set an appointment to learn more about hair restoration or call us at 888-357-0888 and we will be glad to answer any questions for you!
