head of hair | Health And Wellness Tips

What Is Hair Transplant Micro Grafting?

Hair transplant procedures have changed in the decades since they were first done. The earlier methods of using hair plugs were not satisfactory. People looked like they had doll’s heads, with hair sticking out of their hair in clumps. Now hair transplants are more natural looking because of a procedure called micro grafting.

Most hair transplant surgeries today involve micro grafting to some degree. Micro grafts hold about three or four hair follicles. Older style hair grafts often held more like a dozen hair roots. These new micro grafts are only possible because skilled surgeons have refined the methods of extracting them.

Micro grafts are useful in hair transplant surgery because they can give the hair a quite natural appearance. The hair emerges from the scalp in the most natural way, with the same number of hairs that nature intended. If the procedure is done correctly, no one can tell the difference.

Natural looking hairlines have been difficult to achieve with hair transplant surgery. Micro grafts make it possible for a brand-new hairline to be attained that does not call attention to itself in the least. This is quite an accomplishment after the stares that many people endured in the past because of bad hair plugs.

However unnoticeable and natural micro grafts appear, they do not give you a full, thick head of hair. For that, many hair transplant surgeons will use micro grafts for the hairline and the front and edges of the hair. Then, they will use mini grafts farther back on the scalp.

These mini grafts used in hair transplant surgery contain three to eight shafts of hair. They give the hair fullness in areas where they will not stand out as looking fake. It is a common circumstance to have the mini grafts in the central and crown of the scalp and micro grafts at the hairline and around the edges.

If a person had this arrangement after a hair transplant and then shaved the micro grafts, the mini grafts would look decidedly unnatural. However, with the micro grafts on the leading edges, they blend in and give the hair fullness. They serve an important function.

Previously, when hair plugs were used, doctors did the hair transplant surgeries much differently. They used an instrument called a trephine to cut circular grafts from 2mm to 5mm in diameter. These plugs were inserted into the balding area.

Now, a multi-bladed knife can be used to cut long thin strips of donor tissue. The strip of scalp will be about an inch wide and five inches long. Then, the hair transplant doctor pulls the skin together where this was taken out, and stitches it together.

Finally, the micro grafts will be finished by being divided into individual grafts by using a stereomicroscope. The surgical team will make a variety of grafts from eight-shaft mini grafts to one or two shaft micro grafts. These will be moved during hair transplant to the recipient sites so that the hair will have a natural hairline with fullness on top.

Hair transplant today would not be the same without the use of micro grafts. They make for more natural-looking results. Also, the pain factor goes down with the use of the smaller grafts. They have proven to be an excellent discovery.

How Eating Well Can Help During Pregnancy

There are a number of aches and pains that come with pregnancy. While back in the day many doctors just brushed them aside and said that is part of pregnancy, now a days more and more doctors are recommending a well balanced diet to help. Here are just a few pregnancy aliments that a good diet can help.

A common complaint during pregnancy is tooth and gum problems. To help keep your teeth healthy and your baby’s teeth healthy, make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin C. Always keep some sugarless gum near you or chew on some nuts and cheese.

It is also not uncommon for many women to feel dizzy or lightheaded during pregnancy especially if they have gone to long without eating. This is why it is so important to eat through out the day and snack also. Keep your snacks as healthy as you can and stay away from junk food whenever you can. These foods will give you a quick rush of energy but ultimately leave you feeling worse than you did before you ate them. Keep yourself hydrated also. Snacking and drinking will help boost your blood sugar and keep you hydrated which can help you fight dizziness.

Sometime during your second trimester, you may find yourself awakening in the middle of the night to leg cramps. Leg cramps can come from not getting enough calcium. Some say that the leg cramps implicate a shortage of magnesium while some say that dehydration can be the cause. Either way makes sure you are getting enough calcium and magnesium. If you suffer from leg cramps you might find it helpful to drink a glass of milk, or have a piece of cheese before you go to turn in to bed at night. Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day to keep yourself hydrated also.

Swelling is another pain in pregnancy. While severe swelling could be a sign of preeclampsia, there is a certain amount of swelling that is normal and healthy during pregnancy. In fact more than seventy five percent of all pregnant women experience some sort of swelling. The most common cause is too much water retention. Staying away from salty foods and drinking extra water will help you keep the swelling to a bare minimum.

Pregnancy is also a time where you skin might taken on the appearance of a teenager getting ready to hit puberty. Some women suffer from dry skin, which can be cured by making sure you drink plenty of fluids to increase moisture. If you have flakey skin, eat more omega-3 rich foods or seeds and nuts. There are some people who suffer from some skin discoloration and too much blotchiness could be a folic-acid deficiency. This is another reason why it is so important to make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamin.

Lastly, we have all heard about the great head of hair some women are blessed with during pregnancy since hormones prevent hair from falling out at its normal rate. There are some women though who find that their hair is less than stellar during pregnancy. This could be due to the lack of vitamins that you might be getting. Through out pregnancy it is important that you get enough vitamin A, B and C. Vitamin A will keep your hair and scalp healthy. Vitamin B will help with your hair growth and vitamin C is needed for strength. Make sure you are getting enough of this in your diet.

Eating healthy throughout pregnancy does not only ensure your chances of a healthy pregnancy but it will also help you avoid some of the more uncomfortable aspects of pregnancy too.

Temporary Hair Color-Dont Commit It Doesnt Have To Be Permanent

Sometimes we don’t want to “commit” to a permanent new hair color and for those of us temporary hair color is a great option.

There are many reasons we might use temporary hair color. Sometimes we just have a social event that we want to channel our inner rebel for. Others we want to add a little color but we are afraid we won’t like it and don’t want to make full time commitment.

There are several types of color that can be added and will wash out, as well as the exact way you apply this type of hair color as well as how long it will generally stay in your hair.

Of course, your exact hair color when you start as well as the texture of your hair, will determine how long it is likely to stay in your hair.

Here are a few options:

1. Wash in type of hair color. These can literally be washed into your hair when you are in the shower. They usually last for a few weeks. You can find various colors available and since it is so easy to apply you don’t have to worry about messing it up.

The downside to this type of hair color is that it might be more difficult to only add it in specific areas of your hair. So, if you just wanted to add highlights rather than doing your whole head of hair, it might be more challenging with this type of hair color.

2. Gel. This adds hair color to your hair and it is easier to control just what part of your head gets the color and which part does not. For that reason, gel is the perfect option if you only want to add some highlights and you aren’t interested in doing all parts of you hair.

This type too, tends to wash out in anywhere from one or two shampoos to one or two weeks. Read the label carefully and you will likely get an idea of how long it is likely to stay.

3. Sprays. This too can allow you to only add color to one part of your hair, though it will be more difficult than using the gel to add highlights since the spray can go pretty much anywhere and it will be hard to control.

4. Another thing to keep in mind when trying to find a good temporary color is that one of the biggest advantages for these types of hair colors is that they may be less toxic.

All the more reason to carefully look over the label before you buy it. Also consider how long the product will remain in your hair. If you do want something for just a few days, focus on a product that will allow you to wash it out in one or two washings.

Today, we have a lot more options when it comes to “spicing up” our looks. We are no longer stuck with the idea of having to grow old gracefully, or even boringly. We can add virtually any color we want for pretty much any time frame we want.

Have fun with the many options of temporary hair color. You pick the color and how long you want it in your hair. Isn’t it nice to have options?

Did I Inherit A Hair Loss Gene?

Men who start to go bald even before a mid-life crisis may have their mothers to blame, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the main construction manual for a full head of hair is located on the X chromosome, which sons always inherit from their mothers.

This genetic storage space contains the so-called androgen receptor gene, a long time balding suspect. Looking at men who were losing their hair at a relatively young age, a team led by Markus Nothen, PhD, of the Life & Brain Center at Bonn University, Germany systematically examined all of the genetic patterns within the X chromosome to see why certain hairlines recede faster than others. Its not a pretty picture.

The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, claims that a single alteration in the androgen-receptor gene is the major reason why some men end up going bald before their fathers. Nearly half of bald men would not be bald if they did not have this genetic variation. The hair loss in these younger men, he added, was much more severe than in the men who still had a reason to use a comb in their 60s.

The two approved medicines to treat hair loss (Rogaine and Propecia) need to be taken for a long time to see results. With Propecia, doctors sometimes advise their patients not to expect any results before at least six to eight months. And both need to be used indefinitely to maintain its effect. Once you stop, hair loss will continue.

Although there are only two medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hair loss, many people are interested in other, alternative treatments. The herb saw palmetto has been used for many years in Europe to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate and there is some evidence that it may also be effective in treating hair loss.