hair transplant Archives - Dr. Tim R. Love

healthy HAIR after a hair transplant Procedure

Hair follicles are the starting point for your hair growth. Follicles are glands at the top of the scalp that hold the only living part of your hair; the hair that you see on your head is not growing, and is actually considered “dead.”

We lose about 100 hairs a day, but new hair is constantly growing, so it is barely noticeable. Hair loss or balding occurs when the normal cycle of hair growth and shedding is disrupted due to stress, hormones, or other factors, or if the hair follicle is damaged or destroyed and replaced by scar tissue.

Hair thinning, hair loss, and baldness can be significant challenges for many people, both men and women. While some try to manage it on their own, many other people will pursue some type of hair restoration, such as medication.

Hair transplant procedures are also growing in popularity as an option for halting or even reversing hair loss. More than 100,000 hair restoration procedures are performed each year in the US alone, and that number continues to grow.

During a hair transplant, small groups of healthy hair follicles—called grafts—are removed from one part of the scalp—a “donor site”—and transplanted to the area of thinning or balding. Though this transplanted hair will fall out within a few weeks of the surgery—remember, the hair itself is dead, but the transplanted follicles are “alive” and healthy—new hair growth will begin in that area soon after.

If you have recently undergone a hair transplant or other type of surgical hair restoration procedure, taking care of your hair is now more important than ever. While hair thinning, hair loss, and baldness are heavily influenced by genetics, there are some steps you can take to help care for what you do have.

Haircare after a hair transplant procedure

Taking care of your hair helps prevent oil buildup, breakage, and split ends, which can weaken the hair. The ideal hair care routine varies with every individual, but some basics can help keep your hair—whatever its personality—healthy.

Less is more, especially when it comes to your shampoo. Although it’s designed to clean your hair, too much can strip your hair of the natural oils and minerals that keep it healthy and shiny. Many hair experts even discourage daily shampoo, suggesting you instead opt for an all-natural dry shampoo. You also want to avoid shampoos with excessive chemicals or fragrance. Look for products free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, GMOs, and mineral oils. These ingredients can dry out your hair, and cause buildup that dulls the shine.
Be gentle with wet hair, as it’s far more fragile than dry hair. Instead of using a harsh cotton towel to dry your hair, opt for an old t-shirt. Try to comb and detangle your hair before you wash it, and use a wide-toothed comb when you still have conditioner in your hair.
Beat the heat, as much as you can. While completely cutting out heat treatments may not be possible, limiting them is best. Invest in a hairdryer that has a cooling option, or a straightener that works without being over 300 degrees. Heat-protective products are also recommended.
A softer style works for your hair better than harsh up-dos. Loosen ponytails, braids, and any other hairstyle that puts a little stress on your roots. Additionally, try to limit products that make your hair too stiff or too big and opt instead for a little texture.
See your stylist regularly to trim split ends. Cutting off those dead ends every six to eight weeks promotes healthier, faster hair growth.

A healthy diet can help keep your hair healthy after a hair transplant procedure

There are a variety of foods that you can incorporate into a healthy diet that will help give your hair the nutrients it needs to grow full and healthy. Some of these foods include:

Fish, such as salmon, tuna, or trout, are rich in protein and Vitamin D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids
Walnuts are also rich in fatty acids, biotin, and vitamin E which help protect your hair against damage.
Eggs, in addition to protein, have zinc, selenium, sulfur, and iron, which carries oxygen to your hair follicles.
Blueberries are abundant in vitamin C, which is critical for circulation to the scalp.
Spinach has beta carotene, folate, and vitamin C—all of which benefit scalp oils.

Other factors that can help keep your hair healthy after a hair transplant procedure:

Sometimes, hair damage and loss can be attributed simply to age or other genetic factors; other times, it’s a result of daily habits. If you’re eating right but still having trouble with your locks, you may want to have your vitamin and mineral levels checked and take supplements as recommended by your doctor.

In addition to limiting product use, try to choose silicone-based products to limit the amount of damage done to your hair. Leave-in conditioners are also excellent for protecting hair and don’t forget about following the product directions precisely. Finally, be sure you trust your hairstylist—whether it’s a cut or a styling, they shouldn’t be hurting your scalp by doing their job.

Dr. Tim R. Love is a board-certified plastic surgeon with more than 30 years of experience in hair restoration procedures. He has worked closely with pioneers in the hair transplant field and continues to remain at the forefront of the latest innovations in transplant technology and techniques.

If you have questions about your hair transplant or think you may be a good candidate to receive this hair transplant procedure, call our office today at (405) 751-LOVE (5683) or contact us to schedule a consultation.

Keeping Your Hair Healthy After a Hair Transplant

healthy HAIR after a hair transplant Procedure

Haircare after a hair transplant procedure

Less is more, especially when it comes to your shampoo. Although it’s designed to clean your hair, too much can strip your hair of the natural oils and minerals that keep it healthy and shiny. Many hair experts even discourage daily shampoo, suggesting you instead opt for an all-natural dry shampoo. You also want to avoid shampoos with excessive chemicals or fragrance. Look for products free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, GMOs, and mineral oils. These ingredients can dry out your hair, and cause buildup that dulls the shine.
Be gentle with wet hair, as it’s far more fragile than dry hair. Instead of using a harsh cotton towel to dry your hair, opt for an old t-shirt. Try to comb and detangle your hair before you wash it, and use a wide-toothed comb when you still have conditioner in your hair.
Beat the heat, as much as you can. While completely cutting out heat treatments may not be possible, limiting them is best. Invest in a hairdryer that has a cooling option, or a straightener that works without being over 300 degrees. Heat-protective products are also recommended.
A softer style works for your hair better than harsh up-dos. Loosen ponytails, braids, and any other hairstyle that puts a little stress on your roots. Additionally, try to limit products that make your hair too stiff or too big and opt instead for a little texture.
See your stylist regularly to trim split ends. Cutting off those dead ends every six to eight weeks promotes healthier, faster hair growth.

A healthy diet can help keep your hair healthy after a hair transplant procedure

There are a variety of foods that you can incorporate into a healthy diet that will help give your hair the nutrients it needs to grow full and healthy. Some of these foods include:

Fish, such as salmon, tuna, or trout, are rich in protein and Vitamin D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids
Walnuts are also rich in fatty acids, biotin, and vitamin E which help protect your hair against damage.
Eggs, in addition to protein, have zinc, selenium, sulfur, and iron, which carries oxygen to your hair follicles.
Blueberries are abundant in vitamin C, which is critical for circulation to the scalp.
Spinach has beta carotene, folate, and vitamin C—all of which benefit scalp oils.

Other factors that can help keep your hair healthy after a hair transplant procedure:

An infographic representing statistics on hair loss among men and women in the United States.

Hair loss in African-American women is a very real concern that too few people seem to really know about. Because hair is so strongly tied to not only our perception of ourselves but to the way people feel about a particular person, hair loss can be absolutely devastating for women if left unchecked.

Getting to the bottom of this phenomenon will help you both understand why it occurs and help you understand the steps that you can take to correct it as quickly as possible.

Identify the cause of hair loss

One of the most important things to understand about hair loss in women has to do with the difference between alopecia and traumatic alopecia.

Traditional alopecia is a term that is used to describe hair loss of any type. A woman who is experiencing hair loss is experiencing alopecia – these two terms are essentially synonymous.

Traumatic alopecia, however, is a much more specific situation where strands of hair become shorter and shorter as time goes on due to trauma or injury that the strand has experienced. This is also commonly referred to as hair breakage. In her series on the subject via the Huffington Post, Dr. Susan Taylor explains that traumatic alopecia is usually caused by excessive use of chemical relaxers or dyes, excessive heat application, and heavy frictional forces. Brittany Gatson of BlackDoctor.org also explains that hormonal changes – thyroid, PCOS, childbirth, and hormonal birth control – can contribute to changes in hair texture and breakage.

Not sure what kind of hair loss you’re suffering from? Madame Noire covers a few different kinds with accompanying images.

How to prevent hair loss

In order to combat hair loss in women, there are a number of very important practices to observe. Here are some tips we picked up with some info from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD):

For starters, hair should only be washed either once per week or once every other week. This helps make sure that hair care products don’t build up on your scalp, which will only lead to the hair drying out and breaking over time.
Use conditioner each and every time you wash your hair for the best possible results. When using conditioner, African-American women should always pay close attention to the ends of the hair as these areas are the oldest and most fragile part of each individual strand.
When using hair care products on your hair, you’re always going to want to use ones that contain natural ingredients. Not only do hair care products with natural ingredients not lead to hair drying out, but they can actually help maintain moisture for longer periods of time. Natural hair care ingredients that you should always be on the lookout for include aloe vera juice, aloe vera gel, olive oil, shea butter, and glycerin.
Stay away from shampoos that contain sulfates and similar ingredients. These types of ingredients can lead to a woman’s hair drying out, which will lead to breakage and long term damage if a person washes her hair on a regular basis.

Treating existing hair loss

When dealing with hair loss in African-American women, one of the keys to treatment is catching the condition as early as possible. If hair loss isn’t identified quickly and properly treated, hair follicles can be replaced by various levels of scar tissue as time goes on. As a result, these types of hair loss can be not only permanent but disfiguring, as well.

Some of the main types of products used to treat these types of hair loss in African American women include anti-inflammatory medications. Topical corticosteroids are also often used to help get to the root of an issue and get it corrected as soon as possible.

Always consult your dermatologist on a regular basis to help identify any small issues that you may be experiencing before they become big ones. Oprah’s web team did a thorough run-down of some helpful medications and treatments here.

Identify your hair loss now and give your hair some love. You’ll prevent any further damage – and might even be able to restore your hair! Contact us today to discuss your options.