During a hair transplant, hair follicles are carefully extracted from a donor area and implanted into the bald or thinning regions of the scalp. Once healed, the transplanted follicles begin to grow natural hair, helping restore density and coverage.
On a surface level, a hair transplant involves moving hair follicles from one part of your scalp (the donor area) to the balding or thinning region (the recipient area). However, the actual science behind it is much more complex.
It's the hair follicles on the scalp that are responsible for your hair growth. These hair follicles go through three distinct phases:
Hair loss begins when hair follicles enter a prolonged telogen phase. During a hair transplant, the donor area is the part that is most resistant to the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone primarily responsible for hair loss. When transplanted to balding areas, these DHT-resistant hair follicles retain this genetic characteristic. This ensures that the transplanted hair grows naturally in the recipient area, delivering long-lasting and sustainable results. This phenomenon is also known as donor dominance and forms the foundation of modern hair restoration techniques.
The success of the procedure also depends on angiogenesis and neovascularization, the process by which new blood vessels form in the recipient area. This process ensures that transplanted hair follicles receive the essential nutrients and oxygen for survival and growth.
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