Is Hair Transplant Different for Curly and Straight Hair?

1 September, 2021 | Hair Transplant | Author : Shveta Virmani

Hair fall isn’t a selective anomaly in human beings. People with straight and curly hair experience the wrath of hair fall and try to see effective and permanent ways to fix the issues. If you are considering undergoing the best hair transplant in India, the chances are that you’d like to assess whether it suits your hair type or not.

To think that a hair transplant is only a viable option for straight hair is a total lie. Whether or not you are an ideal candidate for hair transplant surgery depends on the quality of your hair follicles and the specialist you are consulting. The texture of your hair doesn’t play any significant role in it.

This article will discuss everything there is to know about the difference between curly and straight hair transplantation and all the details concerning it.

Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye:

Takeaway

1. Curly Hair Transplant vs. Straight Hair Transplant

While it is true that hair transplantation is possible on both curly and straight hair, you need to understand that the procedures are different.

The Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is more viable for curly hair, while the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is more effective for straight hair.

Let us walk you through each of them separately.

| Also Read: FUE vs. FUT |

For Curly Hair

As mentioned, hair transplant surgeons suggest FUT as a superior choice for curly hair transplantation. It involves removing strips of scalp containing the hair follicles from the donor site and then implanting them into the recipient site on the scalp.

Advantages:

The first and most essential highlight or advantage to curly hair transplantation is that a single graft contains many viable hair follicles that can be transplanted into the “problem” area on the scalp. This makes the transplantation process easier.
Compared to straight hair, the patient requires fewer grafts and fewer future touch-ups following successful transplantation surgery.
Curly hair transplant also rewards a voluminous regrowth of hair on the treated areas, making the scalp look a lot fuller and covered, making it look more natural.
Hair transplantation in curly hair takes a lot less time as opposed to the ones with straight hair.

Disadvantages:

One of the most significant downsides to deal with curly hair transplants is extracting the hair follicles from the grafts. It is a highly complex procedure, which can only be done by experienced professionals.
Curly hair transplant also rewards a voluminous regrowth of hair on the treated areas, making the scalp look a lot fuller and covered, making it look more natural.
Getting it done by an unprofessional or less experienced surgeon can make the transplanted hair look very unnatural due to improper implantation and placement.

For Straight Hair

FUE is an ideal procedure for patients with straight hair, mainly because of the refined approach and improved results. This procedure involves extracting individual hair follicles from the recipient area instead of cutting out a strip of the skin with the grafts intact.

Advantages:

Undergoing the FUE procedure for hair transplant in itself is a lot more rewarding compared to FUT. It heals quickly, leaves behind less permanent scarring, and is a more refined procedure too. So, people undergoing straight hair transplantation already have those benefits.
It is a minimally invasive procedure, ideal for patients who get restless thinking about scarring and incisions.

Disadvantages:

The FUE procedure for straight hair requires more grafts than the FUT procedure for curly hair. So, not only does the hair transplant cost in India for FUE is high, but you also need more grafts to make the transplantation look natural.
Straight hair transplantation gives a less dense look than curly hair transplant due to the flat texture of the hair after regrowth.
FUE is a time-consuming process because it involves the extraction of individual follicles, followed by implantation.

2. Is It Possible to Change My Hair Type Through Transplant?

If you consider switching from curly to straight hair or vice versa through hair transplantation, it is a far fetched dream. Unless you are getting your donor hair follicles from someone with a different hair texture (which is done rarely), you will not witness any changes to your hair’s texture and appearance.

This means that if the hair on your donor site is curly, the transplanted hair on your recipient site will regrow as curly hair and not straight.

When you undergo hair transplantation surgery, you fill out the spots that either have visible bald patches or show signs of extreme thinning. All that your surgeon is doing is taking viable and potent hair follicles from another part of your scalp and transplanting them into the areas that need a little help.

So, expecting drastic changes in the new hair’s texture will be a complete bummer for you. Remember that these are some of the preoperative discussions that your hair transplant surgeon will discuss with you.

| Also Read: How Long Does A Hair Transplant Last? |

3. Results and Recovery

Whether you have curly hair or straight hair, the road to recovery depends on the type of procedure you have undergone.

Generally, an FUE hair transplant has a shorter recovery timeline compared to a FUT hair transplant. This is mainly because FUT involves making a large incision on the donor site that requires proper aftercare to ensure quicker healing without risking infections or other complications.

During the recovery period, your surgeon will suggest:

Taking all the prescribed medications and applying the topical ointments for faster healing of the donor and recipient sites.
Avoid heavy physical activities for up to two weeks to ensure proper healing.
Use only medicated hair care products to prevent risks of infections or severe allergies.
Sleep with an elevated posture for comfortable healing for the first few days after the surgery.

Most patients generally get back to their normal lifestyle and work within a week to ten days after the surgery. However, it is always advised to keep the scalp covered to prevent it from directly exposing the UV rays from the sunlight and the dirt and dust outside.

4. Cost of Hair Transplant in India

The hair transplant cost in India will depend on the patient’s condition. If it is a curly hair loss, the number of grafts required for the transplant will be less, so the cost will be less. The opposite is the case with straight hair.

Usually, the cost per graft for FUT starts from INR 20 and INR 30 for FUE hair transplants.

So, the total cost will depend on:

The number of grafts required for the hair transplantation.
Charges levied by the surgeon and the clinic for the surgery
City you are getting the surgery in
The extent of the surgery

Take Away

If you are getting self-conscious about your hair loss and visible balding, considering hair transplant surgery is a pretty great choice. All you need to ensure is that you consult a reliable and highly experienced surgeon known around the country.

When looking for the best hair transplant in India, Medlinks is everyone’s first choice. As they use cutting-edge technology for promising treatment standards and satisfactory results, higher success rates are also assured.