Everything You Need To Know About Grey Hair Transplants

Hair naturally turns grey as we get older. If you have lost hair and are greying, you can undergo a hair transplant. This is commonly performed to a hairline, crown which has thinned or receded.

Having grey hair shouldn’t be an issue if you are planning on having a hair transplant. Just let us know that you have grey hair especially if you dye it. We will ask you to stop dyeing your hair and we will give you a dye to use in preparation for surgery with us

Dr Fernando, Hair Transplant Surgeon and Director at The Treatment Rooms London

Why does hair turn grey?

Hair turns grey when hair follicles stop making melanin. Melanin is a chemical that gives hair its colour, and when the pigment cells that produce melanin begin to expire, your hair strands will turn different shades of grey, until they eventually turn white. 

Approximately 50% of people will go grey to a significant extent by the age of 50, and a smaller percentage will go grey prematurely – this is before the age of 20 for white people, before the age of 25 for Asians, and before the age of 30 for people of African descent. 

Certain health conditions that can contribute to hair turning grey, including:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Vitiligo, the pigment cell-destroying condition
• Rare tumour conditions

Can you transplant grey hair?

It is possible to transplant grey hair. In fact, you can transplant hair of any colour.  is a common misconception that when hair turns grey it’s no longer healthy. If this were the case, it wouldn’t be suitable for transplantation. Rest assured grey hair is perfectly healthy and is suitable for hair transplantation.

Hair transplantation requires hair follicles that are healthy enough to take root in the recipient area for the procedure. As there is nothing unhealthy about grey hair, there is no reason why it can’t be used for a hair transplant.

Does a grey hair transplant look good?

There are many factors that contribute to whether a hair transplant looks thick and natural. One of the main factors is the hair-skin colour contrast. The higher the contrast (dark hair, light skin) the less dense a result will look. As grey hair tends to be light in colour, the hair-skin colour contrast is actually less and we find patients with grey hair end up having a thicker looking result- meaning hair transplant surgery often looks even better in those with grey hair.

Can a hair transplant remove grey hair?

A hair transplant cannot change the colour of your existing hair, and this is due to genetics. You should not view a hair transplant as a treatment for grey hair. If your hair is grey or beginning to turn grey, the transplanted hair will also be grey. 

The key thing to remember is that your transplanted hair will have the same characteristics as the hair from the donor area of your hair transplant – therefore, there will be no difference – if you are going grey, your transplanted hair will continue to go grey in the same way.

Does transplanted hair go grey?

Regardless of which hair transplant technique you use – either an FUE hair transplant or FUT hair transplant – the newly transplanted hair is not immune to the ageing process. It will follow the same process as the other hairs on your head, therefore they will ultimately turn grey as well. 

But the same benefits of an FUE or FUT hair transplant also apply. If you have grey hair, a hair transplant can help you to attain a more youthful experience with a fuller head of hair.

Can you dye transplanted hair?

If you coloured your hair before your hair transplant, there is no reason why you can’t dye your hair after a hair transplant – as we have discussed, your transplanted hair will be genetically identical. However, you should wait until the healing and recovery period of your newly transplanted hair is over. The healing usually takes around 14 days, but then it can take three months for your new hair to grow. After this time, you will be able to dye your transplanted hair. We generally recommend waiting as long as possible after having a hair transplant before dying your hair. 

Hair transplant for older patients

There isn’t really an age limit on hair transplants. Most clinics will cater to older men and women, as long as they are in good health and are suitable for surgery. Even people over the age of 80 can have a hair transplant, although it should be considered that there is more risk attached to the procedure with elderly patients with underlying health conditions.

Before undergoing a hair transplant, you will always discuss the process with your surgeon, to understand the results you can reasonably expect from the procedure. If you wish to dye your grey hair following a hair transplant,  rest assured that after the transplanted hair has fully grown, it will be strong enough to withstand colouring. 

Hair transplant surgery at The Treatment Rooms London

The Treatment Rooms London caters to older patients who wish to have a hair transplant. We offer hair transplants using the FUE or FUT techniques. The FUE hair transplant takes individual hair follicles from the back of the scalp and transplants them to prepared holes at the recipient site, while the FUT hair transplant uses a larger hair graft from the back of the scalp, which is implanted at the recipient site. For more information, please read our guide ‘How Does A Hair Transplant Work?’.

Put your hair transplant in the hands of the hair restoration experts at The Treatment Rooms London. From your initial appointment through to aftercare; we place the comfort of our patients as the highest priority. Book a consultation today through our website, or call 020 8706 0076.

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/abcs-premature-graying