Whether you are someone who spends hours in front of the mirror adjusting and styling their hair or just take a minute to brush your hair and rush out the door, your hair is an important part of your persona. Your hair adds to your personality and irrespective of how much time you spend on it, you know the importance. So, obviously, when you start losing your hair, there is cause for worry and when you are losing a lot of hair, then you will also have to consider some methods to get your hair back. 

If your hair loss has just started, then you might not have to hit the panic button entirely – there might be several methods, treatments and therapies that you could try, before you decide that the only way to get your hair back is via a transplant. With the advancements in the medical field, there are now several non-surgical methods that you can consider, and many of them will work really well, provided they are being done by experienced professionals. 

Let’s take a look at some of the most common and popular non-surgical methods for hair restoration:

• Laser –Laser therapy has been widely accepted and appreciated as a method to control hair loss and even instigate new hair growth. The laser penetrates the scalp and agitates the hair follicles at a molecular level, ensuring healthier follicles. Because laser is not an intrusive procedure, it is definitely recommended for people who have just started seeing hair loss. You will have to get multiple sessions, before you can start seeing any results and while there are devices that you can use at home, it would be prudent that you meet with a professional first. 
  
  
• SMP – SMP or scalp micropigmentation is a good option when you want to create an impression of volume. Although this procedure might not be the best choice for women, it will definitely work for men, particularly those who tend to maintain a short hairstyle. The process for SMP is similar to tattooing – small dots, matching the natural colour of your hair will be ‘tattooed’ all over your scalp and these should last you a long time. You might have to indulge in some maintenance procedures, but as long as you keep a short hairstyle, you should be able to create an illusion of volume quite easily.  
  
  
• Adhesive grafting – These days there are hair grafts that can be stuck to the scalp, using a high grade adhesive, which can tolerate heat, water and most styling products. This is a good way to create volume and because the grafts come in all lengths, you can choose to maintain any hair length. If the procedure is done well, it will seem like new hair is growing from the scalp. 
  
  
• Extensions – Although hair extensions might not sound like the best option for men, it is a great way for women to maintain the look of their crowning glory. The great thing about extensions is that you can get them in a range of colours and lengths and you can style them the way you want. You could look at permanent extensions or temporary ones that you can remove as and when you want. 

And then there are the surgical options for hair restoration, which would be better suited for people who have serious hair loss. However, before looking into these, it is imperative that you also consider the side effects of surgical hair restoration, which could range from a mild infection to serious bleeding and an absolutely horrible transplant. A hair transplant is not a decision you can make on a whim – you need to figure out whether you are a suitable candidate or not first. This will be dependent on a variety of factors including whether your hair loss has stabilised or not, whether you have a proper donor and recipient area and your present medical conditions. Depending on the extent of your hair loss, you will be suggested either FUT or FUE (which is definitely becoming the more preferred option with hair restoration surgeons). Once your recipient area has been defined, your new hairline will be carefully charted out and marked; grafts will be harvested from the donor area and these will be implanted into the recipient area. The experience and talent of the surgeon will come into play, because for the transplant to look natural, the direction of the hair has to match the actual hair and the distance of graft placement needs to be precise. 

If you are considering a hair transplant, it is best that you talk to an experienced surgeon and ask them for advice first.