Hair Transplantation

Hair transplantation involves the transplant of bald resistant hair follicles from the back and sides of the head to a person’s bald or thinning areas. The transplanted hair follicles will typically grow hair for a lifetime because they are genetically resistant to going bald (unknown as to why). Hair transplantation techniques have evolved from using large plugs of skin and mini grafts to using large numbers of small grafts that contain from between 1 to 4 hairs.

Today’s most advanced techniques transplant the naturally occurring 1 – 4 hair follicular units in their natural groupings resulting in a natural appearance after transplant. This hair transplant procedure is called "Follicular Unit Transplantation" and is gaining popularity with hair loss sufferers. Modern techniques allow more than 40 grafts per square centimeter providing a very natural regrowth appearance.

As with any surgical procedure surgeons may recommend patients to refrain from any alcohol, medications and encourage healthy eating and exercise in order to increase the success factor of the grafts and speed post-operative recovery. Costs for hair transplants vary from surgeon to surgeon however are usually based on a graft by graft costing.

Generally the majority of the transplanted hairs fall out within the first few weeks due to the relocation trauma or shock. After several months new hairs commence growth from the moved follicles. Hair will grow normally and continue to thicken over the course of 6 to 12 months.

Liposuction

Liposuction or liposculpture/lipoplasty is a cosmetic surgical procedure that removes fat from different areas of the human body such as the thighs, arms, abdomen and buttocks. The fat is usually removed via a hollow tube called a cannula which is aspirated to assist in the fat removal. The procedure is frequently completed on the abdomen and thighs in women and abdomen and love handles in men.

As mentioned in my first post Liposuction is usually opted for when diet and exercise cannot achieve the desired loss of unwanted weight and fat. The amount of fat that is removed from a Liposuction procedure is usually less than 10 pounds. The amount to be removed is a decision by the physician and patient. Excessive Liposuction can result in an unnatural look and may increase surgical risk.

The surgical procedure may be performed under general or local anesthesia. The success and safety of the procedure can be increased by ensuring your overall health improves in the lead up to the surgery and the doctor will generally encourage you to give up smoking, drinking and continue your exercise and healthy eating regime. Some of the surgical techniques used are:

• Wet liposuction - A small amount of fluid, less in volume then the amount of fat to be removed, is injected into the area.
• Super-wet liposuction - infusate volume is in about the same amount as the volume of fat expected to be removed. This is one preferred technique for high-volume liposuction by many plastic surgeons.
• Tumescent liposuction - a large amount of fluid is injected into the area, perhaps as much as 3 or 4 times the volume of fat to be removed.
• Laser Assisted liposuction
• Suction-assisted liposuction (SAL)
• Ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL)
• Power-assisted liposuction (PAL)
• External ultrasound-assisted liposuction (XUAL or EUAL)
• Water-assisted liposuction (WAL)

Recovery from a liposuction procedure can take from a few days to several weeks and plenty of rest, water and healthy diet may assist the body during it’s mending phase. Pain, numbness and swelling may last a little longer however regular consultation with your specialist physician is vital to ensure recovery progresses as expected.

Modern Makeovers

Modern Makeovers tend to be primarily focussed on surgical procedures because they are fast and precise. For example if you have some love handles that you really want to get rid of, the natural solution is diet and exercise. This may take a significant amount of time and effort however generally low cost.

The modern makeover will be a surgical procedure such as liposuction and possibly skin reduction in order to reach the desired result. This is usually completed relatively quickly apart from the recovery time and with precise sculptoring of the body. Instant results, however, generally higher costs than natural methods and the risks associated with any type of surgery.

I'll try and research many of the modern makeover techniques available today with a focus on the modern woman and what she has available to her today.