Due to rise in recent technology,
more realistic and natural looking hair transplants are being
performed. Using stronger magnification microscopes and smaller
blades with a diversity of points.
Better
Looks’ work with surgeons that have perfected the technique
for this cosmetic procedure and this special equipment is
what makes transplant surgeries a complete success.
Your hair is one the most important
features of your general appearance. People who have suffered
from hair loss often fall
into depression and lose most of their self-confidence. This
surgery can help you boost your assurance and help you feel
better about yourself.
With today’s technology and
the skill of our certified team of doctors, our organization
provides the most natural results for hair transplants. Please
read the following information so you can get a general idea
of what this procedure entails.
Submitting yourself to hair transplant
surgery is a certified way to help you boost your confidence
and to improve your features. Keep in mind that a hair replacement
procedure is designed to enhance, not to provide perfection.
It can't change your looks completely but it can help to improve
them. Therefore, if your outlook is realistic and you are
searching for an augment in your appearance, this type of
surgery is the one for you.
Hair replacement techniques use
your own existing hair to perform the operation and the objective
of this procedure is to find the best use for existing hair.
Therefore, aspirants to this surgery must have vigorous hair
growth at the sides and back of the head which may serve as
hair donors. A donor area is the place from where the flaps
and grafts of the implant are taken.
Factors such as hair texture, hair
color, curliness and waviness can affect the results of a
hair transplant. However, there are a number of techniques
applied to this type of procedure which increase the rate
of success; sometimes, two o more techniques are combined
to accomplish the best results.
Surgeons use different types of
methods when performing this surgery. Slit-grafts, punch grafts,
mini and micro-grafts as well as strip-grafts are usually
used on patients who aspire for a modest change in the fullness
of their hair. However, for those who want a more dramatic
transformation in their appearance, scalp-reduction, flaps
and tissue-expansion are applied.
You must keep in mind at all moments that there are certain
limits which this surgery can accomplish, therefore, a person
who has very little hair growth, might not be advised to undertake
such a procedure.
The certified team of surgeons at
BetterLooks is aware of the fact that a hair transplant surgery
is a very personalized treatment. Therefore, we want every
surgical option to be available for you and we have a great
variety of doctors with vast experience in hair replacement
techniques at your disposal.
Before any type of procedure is
performed, patients at BetterLooks are required to have a
detailed discussion with their plastic
surgeon. By doing so, both parties have the opportunity
to contribute in the whole process and to increase the client’s
level of satisfaction.
During this initial discussion,
your doctor will evaluate your hair loss and growth, reviewing
your family history of hair loss as well. Also, he/she will
ask you if you’ve had any previous hair transplant surgery
and will inquire about your lifestyle.
You will need to inform your doctor
concerning any allergies you might be prone to or if you have
any serious medical conditions. Make sure to ask your doctor
concerning the diverse details that the surgery entails. For
example, you should know if you should stop taking certain
medications (e.g: aspirin) or if you will need to refrain
from drinking or eating for a certain time period before your
surgery. Also, if you are a smoker, you will need to inform
your doctor of this and you will most likely have to refrain
from smoking at least a week or two before the operation.
Keep in mind that smoking restrains the blood flow to the
skin and can negatively affect the healing process after the
surgery.
Certain medical conditions can cause
problems during or after the procedure. For example, blood-clotting
problems, tendency to excessive scarring or high blood pressure
should be previously checked by your doctor.
Hair transplant surgeries are advantageous
since the procedure is completely permanent. Once the whole
treatment is finished, you will not have to submit yourself
to further surgeries. At the same time, it provides a more
youthful and enthusiastic appearance to your looks as the
results of the process look entirely natural. Overall, a hair
replacement surgery, in the long run, is far less expensive
than any other hair-loss treatment.
When
preparing for your surgery in Costa Rica, BetterLooks will
make sure to provide all the best possible services during
your procedure. We will arrange for your transport and will
offer the best commodities
during your recovery. All this can be arranged previously
with our organization.
If you have any questions or doubts,
your surgeon will be more than happy to help you discuss them
during your initial discussion.
In a nutshell, this surgery implies
the removal of small pieces of hair-bearing scalp grafts from
a donor area and transferring them to a thinning or bald region.
The grafts vary in size and shape: mini-grafts contain around
2-4 hairs, round grafts generally contain around 10-15 hairs
and micro-grafts hold 1-2 hairs each. Surgeons can also create
slits in your scalp and fill these with slit-grafts which
carry 4-10 hairs. Strip grafts are thin and long and usually
carry 30-40 hairs each.
Previous to the operation, the donor
area is trimmed short, so that grafts are easily reached
and taken out. When it comes to punch-grafts, your surgeon
will likely use a special tube-like tool, which is made out
of sharp carbon steel. Using this instrument, a round graft
is punched out of the donor area so that it can be substituted
in the area he/she is working on, which in most cases is located
near the frontal hairline.
For other types of grafts, surgeons
usually use a scalpel to take out small section of the donor
area; these are sometimes split into even more tiny sections
and are used to cover slits or miniscule holes in the scalp.
During the removal of the grafts,
doctors usually inject small amounts of a saline solution
into the scalp every so often to preserve proper skin strength.
Once they are removed, the holes on the donor area can be
closed with stitches (usually 1 stitch for punch-grafts and
for the rest, a small straight line of stitches) which are
generally covered with surrounding hair.
Grafts are positioned about 1/8
of an inch apart to preserve healthy circulation in the scalp.
As your hair replacement treatment progresses, this space
will be filled with supplementary grafts. To ensure that the
transplanted hair will develop in a natural trend and to ensure
that the hair growth in the donor area isn’t harmfully
affected, surgeons will take extra-care in the removing and
placement of grafts. BetterLooks doctors have perfected this
technique down to an art form and you can rest assured that
you will be satisfied with the results.
Once the grafting process is finished,
the scalp is cleaned and covered with gauze. Even though some
doctors allow their patients to recuperate from the procedure
without any bandages, you will most likely have to wear a
pressure bandage for a couple of days.
Flap surgery is another technique
used in hair transplant treatment and it has been successfully
performed for over 2 decades. Using this method, plastic surgeons
can cover large regions of baldness with relative quickness
and the process is personalized for each client. Depending
on the patient’s objective and needs, the size of the
flap can vary, but generally, one flap can do the equivalent
work of 350 or more punch-grafts.
During this process, an area of
the scalp is incised and a flap of hair-growing dermis is
lifted from the surface while still having one end attached.
While still remaining adhered to its original blood supply,
this flap is then brought over to its new location and is
sewn into place. As the healing process progresses, the scar
will be camouflaged (or obscured) by the transplanted hair
which grows to the very end of where the flap was placed.
Scalp reduction is another method
commonly used for this of procedure. Also known as “advancement
flap surgery”, it receives this name because sectors
of hair-growing scalp are “advanced” or towed
forward to fill up the problem area. This technique is utilized
when covering hairless areas at the back or top of the head,
but it is not recommended for filling out the frontal hairline.
A segment of bald scalp is removed after local anesthesia
is injected and the pattern of removal depends on the patient’s
objectives and needs. Surgeons usually take out a Y-shaped
fragment if a large amount of coverage is necessary, though
incisions can be made in the shape of a U, an oval or other
figures.
Once this is done, the surrounding
skin of the ‘cut-out’ sector is slackened and
pulled; this way, sections of hair-growing scalp are brought
together and closed with stitches. At this point during the
procedure, you will most likely feel a strong tugging sensation
which may be slightly painful.
There is another technique which
is commonly used in conjunction with hair transplants called
tissue expansion. Plastic surgeons
apply this procedure to restore injuries with significant
skin loss or burn wounds. When used in combination with hair
replacement procedures, the results are spectacular, providing
significant coverage in a comparatively short period of time.
If your surgeon is combining these
two techniques, he/she will use a tissue expander (a balloon-type
tool) and will insert it under the hair-growing scalp located
next to the problem area. It is regularly inflated using salt
water over a period of weeks and it causes the skin to expand,
forcing it to produce new skin cells. After several weeks,
this causes a protuberance to form beneath the hair-growing
scalp.
Generally after 2 months, this skin
had expanded enough and an additionally procedure is started.
The stretched skin is transplanted so that is covers the neighboring
bald area.
If
bandages are used to cover your head, they will generally
be removed one day later. Within two days after the surgery,
you may be allowed to gently wash your hair. Stitches are
usually removed 10 days later. Your surgeon will probably
want to check on you several times during the first month
so that he/she can make sure that your incisions are healing
properly.
The extent of discomfort you may
experience and your period of recovery after the hair transplant
surgery depends mostly on the complexity and degree of the
procedure you were submitted to. You may feel some aching,
throbbing or excessive tautness, but this can be controlled
with medication prescribed by your surgeon. After several
days, it is probable that you may feel acceptably well and
you may be able to resume light activity and return to work.
Keep in mind that you will have
to avoid any strenuous activity for at least 3 weeks, since
it can increase the blood flow to the scalp and can cause
your incisions to bleed. Therefore, contact sports and vigorous
exercise will have to be avoided and some doctors recommend
the deferment of sexual activity as well during this period.
Also, you must remember that your
“new hair” tends to fall out within 6 weeks after
the procedure. Many patients feel utterly distressed about
this but you must bear in mind that is a completely normal
condition and is almost always provisional. It takes around
5 to 6 weeks after the hair falls out for it to resume normal
growth and from then on, you can expect around half an inch
of growth every month.
In general terms, various surgical
sessions (known as ‘touch up’ procedures) may
be needed to achieve the level of fullness the client desires.
These are implemented by your doctor to create a more natural-looking
outcome once your incisions are cured. They can involve a
filling-in of the hairline using mini, micro and/or slit-grafts.
If you’ve had a flap surgery, a ‘dog ear’
(small bump) may still be visible on your scalp and it might
be necessary to remove it.
Between these sessions, surgeons
allow for several months of recovery, therefore, it can take
up to 2 years for the whole treatment to be completed and
for you to see the final result of the whole procedure. Please
feel free to discuss this with your doctor since he/she can
usually predict how long it will take to finish the treatment.
The
extent of coverage you will require depends greatly on your
hair texture and color. Fine, dark-colored hair offers less
exposure than coarse, gray or light-colored hair. The number
of large plugs replaced in the first surgical procedure differs
from person to person, but the average is about 50. However,
the number can be up to 700 per session when it comes to micro
and mini-grafts.
When a hair transplant surgery is
performed by the excelling doctors like the ones here at BetterLooks,
it is an extremely safe procedure. However, individuals differ
greatly when it comes to their healing abilities and physical
reactions, therefore, outcomes are very difficult to predict.
Infection is extremely rare, as
is excessive bleeding and/or wide scars (also known as ‘stretch-back
scars; caused by the tension caused in some scalp-reduction
procedures) but they can sometimes happen, so you must keep
it in mind when considering undertaking this surgery.
Also, in this procedure, there is
always the risk that a graft might not ‘take’
to being replaced. As we have previously explained, it is
completely normal for the hair contained in the grafts to
fall out, but sometimes the plug dies and further surgery
will be needed. In some cases, clients with grafts may notice
little bumps on the scalp that form in the area where they
were transplanted. When this happens, these sections can usually
be covered with surrounding hair.
Taking all this into consideration,
it is highly recommended for you to follow your surgeon’s
instructions at all times to help avoid any complications.
The information given in this website should be considered
as an introduction to hair transplant surgeries. Before deciding
on submitting yourself to the procedure described above, we
highly recommend you contact Better Looks directly, so we
can answer any specific question you might have.
Better
Looks’ work with surgeons that have perfected the technique
for this cosmetic procedure and this special equipment is
what makes transplant surgeries a complete success. 
Before any type of procedure is
performed, patients at BetterLooks are required to have a
detailed discussion with their 
For other types of grafts, surgeons
usually use a scalpel to take out small section of the donor
area; these are sometimes split into even more tiny sections
and are used to cover slits or miniscule holes in the scalp. 
Keep in mind that you will have
to avoid any strenuous activity for at least 3 weeks, since
it can increase the blood flow to the scalp and can cause
your incisions to bleed. Therefore, contact sports and vigorous
exercise will have to be avoided and some doctors recommend
the deferment of sexual activity as well during this period. 
