Hair Transplants – Male Pattern Baldness Treatment in Houston, TX

Hair Transplantation with a State-Of-The-Art “Megasession” of Micro and Mini Grafts

Who Is At Risk For Developing Male Pattern Baldness?Hair Transplant Houston TX

Male Pattern Baldness is a genetic condition, often transmitted through the mother’s side of the family, but it can also come through the father’s side of the family. Obviously, it can happen in the best of families.

How Does Male Pattern Baldness Start?

Male pattern baldness normally begins for most men at the age of 30. In some cases, some men may begin to notice balding patterns as early as their late teens or early 20s, according to the American Hair Loss Association. While many people think there could be underlying causes that lead to progressive baldness, oftentimes, hair loss in men and a thinning crown are a result of genetics and hormones. As men age, hair loss is caused by a genetic sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone.

However, if you have an underlying health condition such as lupus, a thyroid disorder, or a hormonal imbalance that leads to hair loss, you may still be a candidate for hair transplant treatment.

Is There a Cure for Male Pattern Baldness?

While there is no cure for male pattern baldness, there are many FDA-approved treatments that can help slow down the speed at which your hair loss progresses. From over-the-counter medications to massage therapy, scalp treatments, and even wigs, men experiencing hair loss have multiple options when it comes to addressing their baldness. If you want to invest in a more permanent solution, however, a hair transplant could be the most beneficial option for treating your hair loss.

Is a Hair Transplant to Treat Male Pattern Baldness Expensive?

On average, hair transplant treatments can cost around $10,000, but because it is often a cosmetic procedure, it is rarely covered by healthcare insurance companies. We recommend patients speak with their healthcare providers to determine their eligibility for using insurance for their hair transplant treatment. Dr. Barrera also prioritizes patient satisfaction to help them achieve their hair restoration goals and is happy to work with patients to formulate a payment plan that fits their budget.

What are the Contraindications of a Hair Transplant?

Although a hair transplant is an overall simple procedure, there are some health conditions that may disqualify patients from being a candidate for treatment, including:

  • Total alopecia
  • Heart disease
  • Kidney or liver failure
  • Diabetes
  • Scalp disease
  • Total hair loss due to chemotherapy
  • Lupus not in remission

In order to determine your candidacy for a hair transplant, schedule your consultation with Dr. Barrera today.

Why Should I Choose To Have A Hair Transplant In Houston, TX?

“With the advances in hair transplantation over the past two decades, truly natural results without detectable scarring can be consistently accomplished,” states Dr. Alfonso Barrera. He himself has undergone the procedure 3 times over the years. Why 3 times? Because as we age we, unfortunately, continue to lose more hair, and it is not uncommon to need additional grafts, so long as we have sufficient donor hair.

Modern Techniques Of Hair Transplantation Surgery

The modern technique of hair transplantation involves the use of very small and numerous grafts that is Micrografts (1-2 Hair follicular unit grafts) and Minigrafts (3-4 hair follicular unit grafts) in large numbers 1000-2500 or even 2800/ session.

Each graft contains then 1-2-3 or up to 4 hairs. The 1 & 2 hair follicular unit grafts are transplanted at the front hairline and beyond that a mixture of 1-2-3-or 4 hair follicular unit grafts.

Generally, a strip of scalp is taken from the donor area, out of which we make the grafts. The donor area is closed with sutures, if done carefully and closed without tension there is generally minimal scarring at the donor area. The sutures are removed in about 10 days.

Dr. Barrera Shows Before And After Photos Of Patients

There are Two Main Techniques of Donor Hair Harvesting:

  1.  Horizontal Donor ellipse also called FUT ( Follicular Unit Transplantation) in which a horizontal narrow strip of scalp is harvested and carefully sutured.
  2. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) in which the donor area is shaved and the hair grafts are harvested with a very small round knife ( punch) one by one.

Dr. Barrera’s preference is the Horizontal donor ellipse ( strip ) also called FUT because these grafts are taken from the safest donor hair area ( the most durable hair roots the patient has) and by carefully dissecting the strip under magnification and background lighting, we make sure they are intact.
Also, this requires trimming the hair only on the horizontal strip which is immediately closed and completely concealed the same day.

FUE is extracted from a wider area of the back of the head, a  less safe area requires shaving most of the entire head, and upon harvesting the hair follicles one by one with a tiny sharp round punch, some of these follicles come out incomplete (not intact) these do not grow hair as well as those grafts which are complete (intact). Additionally takes longer to camouflage the area (In view that the area was shaved).

back of male patient’s head before and after follicular unit hair transplantation back of male patient’s head before and after follicular unit hair transplantation

When Will I See Results From My Hair Transplant?

The transplanted hair initially grows for about 10 days and then most of it falls out only to re-grow after 3-4 months. By the 5th to 6th month usually, you see significant improvement. It is important that the patient understands this in advance so he or she does not panic with this natural course. So the hair goes into a rest phase initially and after 3-4 months goes into the growth phase and after that, the hair grows for as long a period of time it was genetically programmed to grow on the donor area, a most encouraging finding.

So again for the first 3-4 months, the patient will not look any better, in fact often may look a little worse, because some of the existing hair if there was any on the grafted area, often will also shed to some degree.

Dr. Barrera feels that this gradual improvement (growth) is actually a good thing as even people that see you every day do not notice much happening and gradually your hair just looks better.

Hair Transplant Before And After


View Our Male Pattern Baldness Gallery →

Micrograft And Minigraft Treatments

Dr. Uebel in 1991 in Brazil introduced the use of micrografts (1-2 hair grafts) and minigrafts (3-4 hair grafts) in large numbers (1000 -1200 grafts) to cover large areas of hair loss such as the entire top of the head in cases of (MPB) Male Pattern Baldness.

Dr. Barrera since that time has been gradually refining Dr. Uebel’s technique by using finer micro blades and further increasing the number of grafts transplanted in a single session –up to 2,500 and even 2800 grafts per session.

Do You Need To Be Under Anesthesia To Have Hair Transplant Surgery?

Dr. Barrera performs all aesthetic surgery procedures including hair transplantation surgery at his Accredited Ambulatory Surgical Facility (AAAASF) under IV sedation and local anesthesia, without the need for general anesthesia (painless during the procedure and minimal pain afterward). This provides added safety and faster recovery.

How Long Until I Can Go Home After My Surgery?

After undergoing a hair transplant in Houston, TX, most patients are able to go home within the first hour of recovery from the 1 to 2-hour procedure with minimal discomfort.

For further information or questions do not hesitate to contact Dr. Barrera or his staff.

Why Should I Choose Dr. Barrera For My Hair Loss Treatment?

Dr. Barrera is frequently invited as a visiting professor and a guest speaker on hair transplantation and aesthetic surgery. Additionally, he has written numerous scientific articles in national journals, and chapters in plastic surgery textbooks by invitation and has written a book on hair transplantation.

He has furthermore described multiple other applications for these follicular unit grafts as restoring natural-looking hair on the face and scalp on people who had accidents, burns, tumor removals or birth defects being able to restore natural-looking frontal hairlines sideburns, eyebrows, mustaches, beard and more recently other body areas.

Schedule A Consultation For A Hair Transplant In Houston, TX

If you’re interested in learning more about Hair Loss Treatment and Male Pattern Baldness in Houston, TX, please contact us at (713) 468-5200 to schedule a consultation with our practice.