Traveling to Colombia for Hair Transplant GUIDE

Individuals with curly or afro-textured hair are more likely to experience hair loss or alopecia due to the natural fragility of their hair type. Other causes include:

•         Traction Alopecia: is caused by the repeated pulling on the hair such as wearing tight ponytails, cornrows, dreadlocks, weaves and braids, using hair extensions, and the use of chemical relaxers and rollers. This form of hair loss affects one-third of African American
•         Androgenic Alopecia: is the most common cause of alopecia, also known as male and female pattern baldness. it has an hereditary condition that happens with ageing where there is a thinning of the hair
•         Age & Hormonal Changes: Men typically begin to notice a receding hairline when they reach 50, while women suffer noticeable hair loss after menopause. Birth control pills, low thyroid function, nutrient deficiency, childbearing, and breastfeeding all affect hormones and result in thinning hair.
•         Sudden Weight Loss: When patients lose a significant amount of weight in a short time, the body experiences a shock to its system; this affects the hair growth cycle and causes hair loss and hair thinning.
•         Lifestyle Factors: Lifestyle factors such as smoking, poor diet, and high daily stress often aggravate hair loss. If carried out for long periods, hair loss caused by these factors will require hair transplant surgery to remediate fully.

How Is Hair Restoration Different For Black Men?

There are a few challenges involved with restoring Black hair, These include:

•         Distinctive Curl

While Black hair tends to be very curly, curl tightness and texture vary depending on the individual.

When performing follicular transplants, the angle at which the follicle is re-inserted into the scalp will determine how curly the new hair growth is. Each follicle needs to be carefully placed to ensure that the new hair growth will exactly match the surrounding hair.

•         Increased Fragility

Textured hair tends to be more fragile than other types of hair, and the roots are more easily damaged. This is because the shaft is thicker than other hair types and the curl does not stop at the scalp but instead it extends itself into the root of each hair. This means that it is harder to extract the hair follicle from the scalp without damaging the root.

Are there any benefits to African-American Hair for Transplantation?

With naturally curly hair, each strand provides more coverage than that of straight hair, providing better coverage with fewer overall follicles transplanted. Making the procedure less costly and less invasive. Also the lower color contrast between scalp and hair means that the transplanted areas will blend much better, with less skin shining through. And lastly, the curved hairline is much easier to craft so that it looks natural.

What Are My Hair Restoration Options?

There are a number of hair restoration options for black men. Some include:

1.   Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT)

This procedure involves removing a strip of scalp with healthy hair growth, then harvesting the hair follicles and re-inserting them into the thinning area. This method is well suited for African American hair because it’s easier to remove healthy hair follicles without damaging them. However this process may result in problems with healing, because of the possibility of producing Keloid, which provides a distinctive linear scar.

2.   Follicular Unit Excision (FUE)

In this procedure hairs are extracted individually, using minimally invasive technology such as the micro-punch tool. There is the traditional FUE, where the patient’s head is shaved as part of the procedure; and the Shaveless FUE, where the head is not shaved. This method is beneficial because its much less noticeable to the patient’s friends and family.

3.   Scalp Micropigmentation -à ????

Micro-pigmentation is a non-surgical procedure where tiny, medical-grade tattoos are placed on the scalp to mimic the look of shaved hair follicles.

Are there any risks to African American hair transplant?

 Some of the risks associated with an afro hair transplant surgery, are:

•     Bleeding
•         Numbness
•         Itching
•         Swelling
•         The formation of cysts
•         The formation of keloid scars on the scalp as the punch marks from the FUE extraction heal. Keloids are benign growths that appear abruptly above the skin due to an extra production of collagen the body supplies to protect the wound.

How long does the recovery take ?

The FUE technique is most commonly used requiring a short recovery time. Within the first few days, patients may experience some redness, swelling, and discomfort in the transplantation site, which is managed with pain medication and antibiotics.

There is also a shedding phase which happens a few weeks after the procedure. The hair will fall due to the follicles entering a resting phase, this is a natural response to the surgery, it does not suggest that the FUE transplant failed to work; the grafts will maintain their health so long as the authorized aftercare steps are taken.

Permanent results become more noticeable after 3 to 4 months when new, healthy hair begins to grow in the recipient areas of the scalp. The majority of the new hairs will show in 5 to 6 months and will grow thicker and longer in 10 months. Final results should appear one year following the surgery.

Is an afro hair transplant right for me?

The best hair transplant candidates are patients with dense hair in the donor area. Patients between the ages of 25 and 50 are usually excellent candidates since hair loss stabilizes then. Men without shaving bumps typically have a higher success rate when undergoing afro hair restoration surgery since the transplanted hair is not damaged as it grows.

How many sessions are required for an afro hair transplant?

Every patient undergoing a transplant procedure will require either one or multiple 2-4 hour sessions or one long 8+ hour session, this depends on the scope of work, personal goals and degree of hair loss. While some patients achieve a natural look with 500 grafts, others may require 2,000 grafts.

Is the hair transplant procedure painful?

In every hair transplant procedure there will be a local anesthetic administered so your hair transplant procedure will not be painful.

How soon can I return to work after my FUE hair transplant?

In general, most patients can go back to work 24 to 36 hours after the procedure, depending on whether their job is physically strenuous or not.

Will my hair transplant results be permanent?

Since the harvested hair follicles are genetically programmed to keep growing, the results of an FUE hair transplant surgery are deemed to be permanent.

When traveling from out-of-town, what locations should I book at?

Booking a hotel in a place you have never been before can be quite a hassle. We offer you a luxury hotel room minutes away from the medical tower in the best neighborhood in the city and a driver to pick you up from and to the airport. This has an additional fee of 250 USD.

Should I avoid anything prior to an afro hair transplant?

1. alcohol for at least a week prior to the transplant.
2. recreational drugs. 
3. painkillers and blood thinners like aspirin.
4. spicy foods

Can I use someone else’s hair?

NO! only your own hair can be used

Can I go back to having my hair relaxed?

Relaxing causes damage to the hair in every way, it will also increase the risk of having skin with reactions. It is never advised to have a relaxing done whether you have had a Afro Hair transplant or not.

Can I braid my hair afterwards?

yes you can but in most cases this is what caused the original hair loss, so if you do go back to braiding your hair it may produce the same effect all over again.

Can I use a wig?

If you’re going to use it, we recommend that it’s a very occasional use. But post-operation you cannot wear a wig until the grafts have fully healed. It’s also important for you to remember that adding pressure on the grafts will affect the grafts ability to grow.

Where is the hair taken from?

The hair is taken from the back of the head. 

Do I need to shave my head ?

With the FUE method the answer is yes. With the FUT method the answer is no. Only the area where the strip will be taken from will be shaved, this process will be done by us.