Are Hair Transplants a Remedy for Trichotillomania Damage?

Trichotillomania is a mental health condition where a person continuously pulls their own hair out. The condition can be automatic, where the person does it without being aware of it; it can be a focused stress relief mechanism, or both, depending on the level of stress and the situation. Trichotillomania can also be accompanied by other nervous behaviors like nail-biting and picking at your skin.

People may think that it’s a harmless disorder. However, the disorder tends to make people want to pull out their hair only in a particular area. If it occurs long enough, it can destroy the follicles in that part of the head. People need to be aware that the condition can result in scalp damage and a permanent bald spot. The good news is that if the person manages to get their trichotillomania under control, a hair transplant can repair the damage.

Hair Transplants Aren’t a Cure for Trichotillomania

Hair transplant specialists won’t want to treat a patient unless the person has overcome trichotillomania, as a hair transplant doesn’t address the primary causes of the mental disorder. The hair transplant healing phase can also be negatively affected by a person who still pulls out their hair.

The person must first seek the care of a psychologist or psychiatrist to help with the underlying causes of the disorder. Once they have overcome the urge to pull their hair out for at least a year or two and trichotillomania is no longer an issue, a hair transplant to cover the permanently damaged area can be a welcome remedy.

Types of Hair Transplants at Bangkok Hair Clinic

At Bangkok Hair Clinic, we offer three types of hair transplants that can treat the permanent damage caused by the disorder:

FUE Shaven Hair Transplant

The most popular hair transplant technique is the shaven FUE technique, as it has the highest rate of success. This technique harvests individual hair follicles from the back of the head, where they’re typically denser and more plentiful. The follicles are then individually implanted into the thinning or bald areas of the scalp using specialized tools that reduce the trauma and streamline the procedure.

The procedure takes about six to eight hours, depending on the number of grafts required to cover the targeted area, the scalp characteristics and the condition of the hair. The follicles are arranged in a tray once they are removed from the back of the head and reimplanted in the same order they were removed to minimize the amount of time they are outside the body. You can return home after the procedure; recovery takes only one to three days.

FUE Non-shaven Hair Transplant

Our FUE non-shaven hair transplant is popular with people with a very public lifestyle or a career in the spotlight. It’s also popular with people who only require a small number of grafts, such as to cover a bald spot caused by trichotillomania. The technique retains the look of the hair on the back of the head, making it seem as if the patient hadn’t undergone a hair transplant procedure at all.

This type of hair transplant takes longer than a FUE shaven transplant, and it’s limited to 1,500 to 2,000 grafts per procedure. The reason for the length of time is because of the care and delicacy of taking out individual follicles between other follicles to preserve the natural look of the head of hair. However, the recovery time is shorter, and you can return to your everyday life and even wash your hair the day after the procedure.

DHI Hair Transplant (FUE with an Implanter)

The latest innovation in hair transplant technology uses a specially designed tool called a Lion Implanter to streamline the transplant procedure and reduce the amount of time the follicles spend outside the body. The implanter increases the survival rate of the hair follicle cells by up to 10-15%. The implanter also allows the doctor to more precisely control the orientation and growth direction of the implanted hair follicles, resulting in a more natural-looking and denser head of hair.

Visit Bangkok Hair Clinic

If you’ve overcome trichotillomania but notice a persistent bald area where you used to pull out your hair, make an appointment at Bangkok Hair Clinic for a consultation and examination. We’ll examine your scalp and provide options that can easily repair bald spots. Make your appointment today.