So where does the hair come from for a hair transplant? The simple answer for this question is from you - more specifically the hair is typically taken from an area known as the 'Donor Area' and this is usually the back of your head, a band between your ears - see the picture above.
The reason is that hair in this area is the most resistant to the DHT hormone that causes Androgenic Alopecia - or Male / Female Pattern Baldness as it's commonly known. This means that hair taken from this area will be a lot less likely to be lost in future than hair from other parts of the head, so it will give by far the longest lasting results
We use the FUE method, meaning that each hair is extracted individually whole including the root, it doesn't leave any noticeable scarring, just a small dot where the hair used to be that will fade down to skin colour usually in a matter of weeks. the hair does not regenerate in the back of the head, but as we only typically take 10-20% of the hairs in the donor area depending on what the patient requires, this only thins the area slightly and does not create bald spots or empty patches. The hair will start to grow in the new location after 3-4 months and takes around a year for the final result.
If a patient doesn't have enough hairs left in their donor area it can be possible to extract a small amount of body hair (if they have enough), but tis is usually only done as a last resort as hair from other parts does not grow to the same length or texture as head hair so will not give as good a result.
It is not possible to take hair from someone else and successfully transplant it into your own head as your body would just reject it, so you do need a suitable donor area and this is just one of the things we assess during your consultation with us.
for more information on the transplant procedure see How does a hair transplant work?
If you are considering a hair transplant, then start by arranging a free consultation with us at My Hair UK by clicking the button below for a confidential chat with an expert.
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