How long does the hair transplant procedure last ? The length of the operation will depend on the number and difficulty of your transplant. In most cases, the transplant will take a total of about than six hours.

Non surgical solutions for hair loss

At first, you can mask your hair loss with volume enhancing hair conditioners, or creative hairstyles. Hair loss is progressive, and eventually, your will no longer be able to hide your balding. Despite multiple claims by various individuals, only hair transplantation and two medications are scientifically proven to increase hair in balding areas.

These medications are minoxidil (Rogaine®), a liquid or foam solution that must be applied twice a day, and finasteride (Propecia® or Proscar®), a pill that you take once a day. Contrary to many advertisements, there are no shampoos, vitamins or natural extracts that have been able to demonstrate hair growth in controlled studies. A controlled study means that patients in the study were randomly allocated to a test group and a control group. The test group received the drug being tested, while the control group received a fake drug with no active ingredient, a placebo. There must be hair density and thickness counts by observers who do not know if the study patient received the active drug or the placebo. The groups must be large enough to ensure that appropriate statistics can be applied to the results. Several hundred patients are needed to ensure a valid study.

Minoxidil: Minoxidil is a liquid that is applied twice a day. No one knows why minoxidil results in hair growth. Minoxidil is available as Rogaine® or as a generic product. Minoxidil can be used by both men and women. In a 2% solution, it is sold over counter without prescription. It can also be supplied in a stronger 5% solution for men only. It must be applied twice a day and left on for 12 hours. If you exercise or wash your hair, you must reapply the solution. Scientific studies were done for hair loss at the top of the head. Clinical experience has shown that it works as well for frontal hair loss. While up to 80% of patients will have a statistical increase in their hair density, the difference will only be important in one third of patients. You must continue using minoxidil for life as hair will fall out several weeks after you stop the product. Should you then decide to restart using minoxidil , the lost hair will not necessarily grow back as some hair roots may have definitively disappeared after stopping the product. Minoxidil is almost not absorbed into the body and there are very few side effects. A small number of patients will develop scalp irritation. Some women describe facial hair growth. Studies have shown that most men and many women will stop taking minoxidil after one year.

Finasteride: Finasteride is sold as a pill known as Propecia® that is taken one a day. Finasteride is also available as a pill known as Proscar®. It is available only by prescription. Finasteride acts by blocking the enzyme that produces dihydrotestosterone, the cause of pattern hair loss in genetically susceptible individuals. It only works in men. Finasteride is no more effective than minoxidil, however, it acts by a different mechanism so some individuals may have a better response with one drug versus the other. Finasteride can be safely combined with minoxidil to increase even more hair growth. This is known as synergy. Like minoxidil, finasteride must be used for life, as hair the new hair will fall out several weeks after stopping the medication. Finasteride is more effective than minoxidil at preventing hair loss. Several studies have shown that finasteride is highly effective in slowing and stopping hair loss in over 90% of men. Finasteride should be started at the first sign of hair loss. Finasteride is absorbed into the body. It will cause side effects in less than 2% of users. These side effects are mainly related to sexual function, loss of libido, decreased volume of ejaculation, rare erectile problems. Pregnant women should not handle finasteride pills.