It’s inevitable for most men and some women that they will lose hair as they age. By 35, about two-thirds of men have experienced some hair loss, and that grows to 85% by the time they reach 85. It’s no surprise then, that many people visit a hair loss specialist at some point in their lives.

A hair loss specialist may simply be a barber or hair stylist who has additional training in hair restoration techniques, but many hair loss specialists are actually doctors and surgeons who offer medical treatments to restore hair. These can include prescription medicines to help restart hair growth or surgical treatments such as a hair transplant surgery.

Surgical treatments can be invasive and can require some long recovery periods, but they also are the treatments that have the most likelihood of long-term success. There are two main types of hair transplant surgeries: follicular unit strip surgery, or FUSS, and follicular unit extraction, or FUE.

In follicular unit strip surgery, a surgeon takes actual strips of scalp from areas where hair is still growing and transplants them onto bald areas. FUSS is very invasive, leaving a scar on your scalp and also requiring a long recovery time. It is more likely to cause complications, and the fact that the surgeon has to stretch your scalp to cover the area used for a transplant limits the amount of times it can be done.

Follicular unit extraction, on the other hand, is much less invasive, requires a shorter recovery time and is less likely to cause complications. That’s because it does not involve actually cutting into your scalp. In the FUE procedure, a surgeon will harvest hairs in naturally occurring groups. This is usually up to four hairs but can b as much as seven or eight. He or she then takes those groupings of hairs and transplants them to areas of the scalp that are bald. The surgery can take up to eight hours, but it leaves you with naturally growing hair.

If you are experiencing thinning hair or complete baldness in spots as you age, it can be to your advantage to visit a hair transplant clinic for one of these treatments. Though they can be expensive and painful, a successful transplant can restore your self confidence and make you feel better about yourself.