Are Synthetic Hair Transplants Worth It?
Hair loss sufferers seeking real hair loss help often come to our hair restoration forum asking questions about hair restoration methods that might work best for them. This hair restoration forum member asked whether or not a synthetic hair transplant is a viable option. This insightful answer was posted by well respected hair restoration discussion forum member “BeHappy”.
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Synthetic hair transplants are illegal in the USA because of the problems and complaints synthetic hair transplant patients were making as a result of having it done. I looked into doing this as one of my hair restoration options because it was still being done then. It was banned shortly after I was considering it. The hair transplant doctor would attach hair (could be real or fake) to tiny aluminum (or or something similar such as plastic) tips, sort of like putting a small piece of metal around the end of the hair and crimping the metal so the hair stays on it. Then they make the slits in the recipient area and put the synthetic or real hair grafts in so the metal ends are in your scalp. After a few days the healing of the holes they made will grow around and over the metal tips, so they can’t come out.
The synthetic hair transplant patient will end up with several thousand little pieces of metal/plastic small “pipes” in their heads. The hair doesn’t grow whether real or fake, so it’s always the same length. Over time natural occurrences such as combing your hair, strong winds if your hair is being blown around, shampooing your hair, etc slowly makes the implanted hair come out, many times leaving the tips lodged in your head. After a few years the synthetic hair transplant patient will have to go back to do an overall fill in to replace all of those that fell out. This includes surgically removing any of the pieces that remain lodged into your scalp. After this is performed a few times the hair transplant patient’s scalp is often very scarred and it is inevitable that the patient will have to continue going back for a refill every few years forever. Small infections may occur on an ongoing basis because of having thousands of little pins in your head constantly. Your body doesn’t like that and will keep trying to reject them. This can lead to pain and stinging when you try to comb your hair or when someone puts their hands through your hair.
Nearly everyone who has had synthetic hair transplantation has eventually had them all removed for one reason or another (money, infections, pain, etc). The hair transplant patient is then left with a bald head full of scars which makes it harder to have a real hair replacement surgery which would have been a more sound hair loss treatment.
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Bill
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog
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