If you’re looking into an FUE hair transplant at KSL Clinic, you might have heard the word ‘graft’ mentioned. But you might be wondering – what is a graft of hair during a hair transplant?
In this guide, we’ve covered everything you need to know about grafts, how they’re used, and how a hair transplant uses grafts to restore a full, healthy head of hair.
Firstly – how does a hair transplant work?
If you’re thinking about undergoing an FUE hair transplant with us, the process isn’t as complicated as you might have imagined. During your hair transplant, we’ll take grafts from the back and sides of your head (known as your donor area) and implant them into the areas where we want to stimulate hair growth.
What is a graft?
A graft refers to a piece of skin where hair grows. Typically, our surgical team will extract the grafts from the back and sides of your head. We will evenly take the grafts across the head, to make it as unnoticeable and natural as possible and so there is minimal scarring.
This area tends to be a more sustainable way to source the grafts. You might also hear your surgeon and consultant refer to this as the “donor area.”
What does a graft do?
A graft’s job is to grow hair in areas where growth is no longer possible, due to damaged or inactive hair follicles.
Put simply, a graft is a healthy hair follicle that has been extracted from your own body. By transplanting healthy hair follicles to the scalp area, patients are able to see a full head of hair growth and reduce the appearance of hair thinning, male pattern baldness or other conditions.
Will extracting grafts leave a scar?
The extraction process of an FUE transplant can leave very small scars. However, with a full head of hair restored, these won’t be visible. The FUE procedure itself is minimally invasive and leaves minimal scarring.
However, if you were to undergo an FUT transplant, you would experience a larger scar, due to the nature of the graft extraction process.
While scarring is a potential possibility when undergoing a hair transplant, we advise our clients not to worry about these. Hair transplant scars are minimally visible and if carried out by an experienced surgeon and surgical team, will be unnoticeable and concealed by the hair that grows in its place.
How long does it take to apply grafts?
The implantation process will typically take a full day. When you undergo an FUE transplant with us, you can typically expect to be at one of our KSL clinics for 6-8 hours for the whole surgery to complete.
Follicular Unit Extraction vs. Follicular Unit Transplant
If you’re thinking about a hair transplant, you might have heard about the two main types of hair transplants: an FUE transplant (Follicular Unit Extraction) as well as an FUT transplant (Follicular Unit Transplant).
But what’s the difference between these two types of hair transplants?
It’s all about the grafts. When you decide to have an FUE hair transplant, each hair follicle is extracted individually from the donor area and implanted individually to the required area. This can be a lengthy process, but results in less scarring and a potentially more even result.
On the other hand, an FUT transplant involves removing a full strip of hair (rather than an individual hair follicle) to kickstart the transplant process. This transplant method is typically quicker, although it can leave a scar on the scalp.
Grafts and Extraction: Does it hurt?
It’s normal to wonder whether or not the extraction phase is painful. However, hair transplant patients will have their grafts extracted and implanted under local anaesthetic.
While you might notice some pain during the recovery period, you won’t feel a thing during the actual process. KSL Clinic will provide you a full after-care programme instructing how to take care of your transplant and donor area during the recovery process.
Find out more about hair transplants in London, Kent, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham or get in touch with KSL Clinic today for a free assessment and start your hair regrowth journey today.
