Surgery or No Surgery?
The Surgical Route
Just the name surgery alone may make some people just settle with their hair loss. However, once you understand that the procedure is simple and relatively painless you may want to see if you are a good candidate for it.
Thinning hair, not someone who is completely bald, make a person a good candidate for surgical hair replacement. The technique uses existing hair and transplants it to other areas in the scalp where hair is thinner. Hair replacement of this kind does not continue to grow, but has the advantage of being a perfect match to your own existing hair.
The best part about surgery to replace hair loss is that no one will be able to tell the difference - not the hair stylist giving you the hair cut or the person swimming with you. You can even get highlight to the surgically moved hair and style it into ponytails or braids.
Another type of surgery that will use your own hair is one that stretches and moves parts of the scalp. The areas on the scalp where hair is still growing is expanded to cover balding areas.
The first step of this process is to put in expanders that stretch the skin. Once the skin is loose enough it is pulled over the thinning areas and reattached to the scalp. Again, it is your own hair, and in this case, hair will continue to grow normally. It is still attached at the roots and living just like on other parts of your head. The regrowth will need to be cut just like the rest of your hair.
Non-Surgical Options for Medical Hair Restoration
There are methods of restoring hair to balding areas without surgery. They involved using real hair, but just not your own. The plugs are inserted into the scalp or woven into existing hair. This hair is more difficult to match your own, but it is a much less costly or invasive procedure. The results can be equally as attractive.
Losing hair does not mean you have to look older or even look bald. There are beauty tips for women and men both that will help you feel better about the way your hair looks. If you are self conscious about thin hair one simple technique is to start wearing a shorter haircut. This is especially true for women. Thin hair looks fuller if layered in many short layers. Men can start wearing very short or buzz cuts to minimize the visual impact of balding.Drugs such as propecia can have a slowing down affect of the rate of ones hair loss.
It should be taken only under medical advice
Gone forever (we hope!) are the days of the bad comb over or cheap toupee. Today there are safe and realistic ways to use your own hair or at least human hair to give you the fullness and confidence you want.