If you have started gaining grey hairs and are suffering from hair loss, chances are you have asked yourself many times – is grey hair viable for a transplant? will I get a natural look from the transplant? is a grey hair transplant even worth doing?
You are not alone to have thought about these questions, and they are perfectly valid questions, especially considering how many people visiting clinics seem to be overwhelmed when they find out that grey shouldn’t prevent someone from receiving a transplant. Grey hair has some advantages over other hair types too.
Let’s make this as easy as possible for you!
First, How Does Hair Transplant Surgery Work?
In order to get a better idea of what happens when performing a FUE with grey hairs, let’s first explain exactly how a hair transplant is completed. A hair transplant is simply taking a few hair follicles from an area on the scalp called a donor area (commonly the nape, back of the head, or both) to replace your thinning or bald areas of scalp with those hair follicles.
The procedure is performed regardless of the colour of each individual hair on your scalp (however, the quality and health of each follicle that is being removed from the scalp is extremely important).
So, Can Grey Hair Be Used for a Transplant?
Definitely
Grey hair follicles can be extracted and successfully transplanted, provided they are healthy. The greyness of hair is attributed to the decrease in the melanin (colour) in the hair and the hair follicles will continue to work. A grey hair follicle can create hair and be a “host” for a graft and go through the transplant process as easily as a pigmented hair follicle.
If you’re looking into grey hair transplant, the good news is that the procedures for those with grey hair and those with natural colour hair are the same. There will be comparable surgical techniques, recovery time and results for either group.
Does Grey Hair Actually Have Any Advantage?
It may shock you to learn that this is actually possible to accomplish — it is possible.
As the colour of grey and white hair tends to give a more natural appearance to an individual’s scalp, especially soon after having been implanted when the length of the hair is only short and growing; the amount of contrast between the hair and the skin allows for patchy areas (or even gaps) at the beginning of new growth to be seen less readily than the hair itself.
When the hair that has been transplanted begins to grow-in, it will look identical as the rest of your grey hair — thereby, creating a seamless & natural look as opposed to an incomplete or unnatural look due to colour inconsistencies from other parts of your head.
What Really Matters More Than Hair Colour?
While grey hair can be used for transplantation, it is only part of the equation when it comes to determining whether a person is a good candidate for hair transplants. Factors that are more important than the colour of donor hair (grey or otherwise) are:
Amount of Donor Hair Density – The back and sides of the scalp must contain enough hair follicles to harvest the necessary number of follicles for transplanting. If these areas do not have enough follicles, the surgeon will have to consider the use of body hair as an additional source of donor hair.
General Condition of the Donor Hair – Hair’s texture plays an important role in the quality of coverage; therefore, coarse hair provides for a better quality of hair coverage than fine/soft hair regardless of its colour.
Scalp Condition – A healthy scalp with no inflammation will allow for the greatest number of grafts to survive and heal properly, allowing your hair transplantation procedure to be most successful.
Level of Hair Loss – The amount of hair lost and therefore how many grafts are required and what results can reasonably be expected will significantly affect how many grafts are required for successful hair transplantation.
What About PRP Treatment for Grey Hair?
In India there are many men and women using PRP to address thinning hair caused by different factors. During PRP therapy a small sample of the patient’s own blood is obtained, processed by using a centrifuge to concentrate the patient’s platelets and growth factors (GF) by separating them from the other components of blood, and the concentrated GF are then injected back into the area where there has been loss of hair. PRP therapy is done at the same time as hair transplant surgery or as part of routine follow-up appointments.
Patients with grey hair have been able to see PRP work because injecting PRP into the scalp stimulates the follicle rather than returning the follicle’s colour. Many patients have noticed an increase in blood flow to their scalp; hence allowing more of their transplanted grafts/follicles to live longer and grow. Therefore, there is increasingly a trend to combine PRP therapy and hair transplant surgery for optimal and faster results.
Finding the Right Clinic Matters
The outcome of a hair transplant largely relies on the expertise of the surgeon. Several factors are taken into consideration when performing an effective hair transplant to ensure that the end result will look natural. Factors such as how the hairline is designed, grafting angle, distribution of density and projected future hair loss, all must be taken into consideration when performing a hair transplant.
Doctors at FUSE Hair offer some of the best hair transplant in Delhi. Additionally, they have extensive experience with advanced hair restoration methods such as the FUSE (Follicular Unit Separation Extraction) method, which allows for hair restoration without stitches or other invasive procedures, therefore providing a natural look and quicker healing time.
What to Expect After the Procedure?
After the transplant procedure is complete, you will notice the newly transplanted hair starting to shed shortly thereafter (usually within two to three weeks following the transplant). This is completely normal and is an expected part of the transplant process. Most new hair growth occurs during a period of three to six months following the hair transplant; full results of the transplanted hair can take between 9 and 12 months for full regrowth.
Because the hair has been transplanted from grey donor hair to the recipient site, it will blend in with the existing color of your own hair, creating a very natural overall appearance at the end of the process.
Thinking About Cost? Here Is a Quick Note
When planning your total hair restoration budget, a lot of patients want to know how much hair PRP cost in Delhi. Hair PRP is usually offered as part of either a package with the transplant or as monthly maintenance sessions. How much you pay will depend on how many hair PRP sessions you will have and where you go to have them done. The clinic will be providing patients with the lowest pricing and best hair transplant in Delhi so they know exactly what the price will be.
The Bottom Line
Grey hair is not a distraction for hair transplant surgery candidates. A healthy follicle and enough donor area density are what really determine your candidacy, not the colour of your hair.
The only thing that truly matters is receiving an accurate consultation from an experienced hair restoration expert who can evaluate the condition of your scalp and hair and suggest the most suitable method for your hair type.
If you would like to know if you qualify for a hair transplant, check out www.fusehair.com for the best services and hair regrowth solution in India.