Curious about whether hair transplants are permissible for Muslims? Hair transplantation is a medical process whereby hair from one part of the body is moved to another. This procedure is commonly employed to address hair loss or baldness. Additionally, we provide answers:
- Are hair transplants safe?
- How long does it take for your hair to grow back?
- Is a hair transplant permanent?
Whether or not hair transplants are considered halal, or permissible under Islamic law, is a matter of debate among Islamic scholars. Some argue that hair transplants are a form of self-improvement and are therefore permissible, while others argue that they involve altering the body and are therefore not allowed.
Ultimately, whether or not hair transplants are halal is a decision that must be made by an individual in consultation with their religious advisor. It is important to consider the specific laws of Islam and the guidance of a qualified religious authority when making a decision about hair transplants or any other medical procedure.
Let’s jump into the article.
Can Muslims Have A Hair Transplant?
Under Islamic laws, hair transplants are deemed to be permissible. The hair transplant is correcting a fault and does not alter Allaah’s creation.
Muslims across the globe take advantage of hair transplant surgery to rectify balding.
What Makes Us Bald?
Baldness in males and females is natural, but it will be less confusing if we focus on male pattern baldness.
Men of all ages can lose their hair through male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness is usually hereditary, and the gene is passed down the line, and sometimes it skips a generation before becoming apparent again.
It affects all races regardless of colour and differs in severity.
You can experience male pattern baldness in your late teens, and the advancement of baldness can be rapid.
Or, baldness can be a gradual process that starts with the thinning of the hair and a receding hairline. Whichever way it starts, for some of us, it is unacceptable.
What Can We Do
There are some ways to slow down the loss of falling hair. Having a diet high in protein, minerals, and vitamins will help your remaining hair stay in place.
Digestible proteins are essential, and one of the very best ways to consume is to digest protein is to use Whey protein.
Whey protein is suitable for vegetarians. Whey is from milk and is easy to digest while giving us the protein boost we all need.
If you opt for hair transplant surgery, whey protein could be a big part of your preoperative and postoperative requirements.
Your hair needs essential nutrients to thrive. Whey protein builds healthy hair cells and builds a sheath around the hair for protection.
Combined with a good multivitamin, your hair will look better and will be stronger.
Is A Hair Transplant Permanent?
That’s a great question to ask. Hair transplants rely on maintenance, as does your regular hair, and your hair transplant will become your regular hair when the healing process is completed.
Your maintenance will include a good diet with vitamin supplements. If you are very susceptible to male pattern baldness, your doctor could prescribe a medication called Propecia.
After hair transplant surgery, you will experience some hair loss. This is expected due to scalp shock.
It is nothing to worry about and should be minimal, and will not affect the expected outcome after the healing process has been completed.
What Does Propecia Do?
Let’s take a step back. Male pattern baldness is created by a hormone called DHT. Which is a product of androgen from the male hormone testosterone. When DHT levels increase in your blood, it causes hair loss.
It’s the same process for females.
Propecia blocks DHT preventing hair loss. You will need to take Propecia long term to prevent hair loss even after a hair transplant.
Is Propecia Safe To Take?
Propecia is considered a safe drug and has been prescribed for the past 20 years. It is reported that 2% of men taking Propecia experience side effects. Like cold sweats and dizziness.
If you are concerned about taking this drug long term, discuss this with your surgeon for more information.
Is A Hair Transplant Painful?
Hair transplants vary in techniques. Some hair transplants use a puncture technique where the scalp is punctured and the hair follicle inserted.
Keep in mind to achieve the desired effect from a hair transplant. You may need thousands of follicle grafts to correct your hairline.
It would be reasonable to expect some level of pain and discomfort after the surgery has taken place.
However, your hair transplant surgeon will prescribe pain killers to manage the pain until it subsides.
In addition to this, you will need to sleep in an elevated position for at least three nights and avoid sunlight on the scalp for a few months to allow the newly transplanted hair follicles to take root and start to grow.
Other procedures are now becoming revolutionary in the hair transplant industry.
New procedures include micro incisions with individual sutures. If you opt for this type of surgery, it is customary to expect you to return to work within a few days without visible scarring.
Are Hair Transplants Haram?
Hair transplants are not haram or forbidden in Muslim law, and the ruling is clear. Hair transplants are a way of correcting a fault and not an alteration to Allaah’s creation.
It’s worth mentioning hair extensions at this point.
Females frequently use hair extensions to give the false impression they have beautiful flowing locks.
Hair extensions are Haram and forbidden under Islamic law.
Let’s go through the steps of hair transplant surgery, so there is no ambiguity.
Hair is transplanted from your head by removing individual hair follicles. Once sufficient hair follicles are harvested, the following process begins.
An incision is made in the scalp, and the follicles are transplanted to the new area.
Islamic Fiqh Academy Gave The Following Ruling:
“Islamic rules permit the necessary and needed plastic surgery intended to:
- Restore the shape of body parts to the condition in which man was created, as Allah says: We have indeed created man in the best of stature (Surah At-Tin: 4).
- Revive regular tasks.
- Conceal the congenital disabilities like cleft lip, excessively diverted nose, birthmarks, extra fingers and teeth and adherence of fingers if such defects cause effective material or moral damage.
- Conceal the defects resulting from burns, accidents, diseases and the like. For example, desmoplastic, reconstructing the breast entirely if there was a mastectomy, or partially if it is big enough or small enough to cause a medical condition and hair transplant for women who suffer from hair loss.
Follicular Unit Extraction
This is the most up to date method of hair transplant surgery and is certainly worth considering.
With this technique, you can expect good results and a faster healing time.
Before starting the procedure, your hair loss areas are mapped, and the patient and doctor can agree upon a representation of the implants before commencing surgery.
The surgery is carried out under local anaesthetic, and meticulous precision produces the minor wound for the hair follicle to be implanted.
Can I Get Hair Transplant Surgery With Short Hair?
Using the FUE technique, you can implant longer hairs. This is particularly popular among female clients who wish to keep their long hair.
However, great care needs to be taken when attempting to style long hair. Any excessive pulling on the newly implanted hair follicles will cause damage resulting in the hair follicle not establishing a solid root.
Your hair colour will remain the same unless dyed. Consult your surgeon for advice on transplanting dyed hair.
Care And Maintenance
As one would expect, care and maintenance for your newly implanted hair follicles is a crucial step in the outcome of the hair transplant.
For the first few days, you will need to spray the transplanted hairs and moisturise the scalp. This will help with any inflammation and assist with the antibiotics prescribed by the surgeon.
Sleep in an elevated position, you can support your neck and back with a few good pillows, and you should be able to sleep fine. Keep in mind your sleep schedule may be interrupted if you are instructed to moisturise your scallop with a spray every two hours.
The medical team should send you home with some sterile pads to absorb any leakage of blood from the wound sites.
Ultraviolet light will damage the hair follicles and prevent them from growing. It is critical to avoid sunlight on the scalp for as long as possible during the healing process.
After a few days, you may be able to wear a lightweight cap to protect the surgical site from the environment. However, be aware that lightweight materials let through an amount of UV light that could cause damage and sunburn to the scalp.
Avoid any strenuous exercise. Exercise will increase your blood pressure and could cause bleeding from the wounds.
Conclusion
The laws of Islam are strict and to be adhered to. There should be no ambiguity when considering hair transplants, and they are not to be confused with hair extensions that alter Allaah’s creation.
You can have complete confidence in hair transplant surgery, and with care and maintenance, you can Inshallah achieve the results to restore your hair to its former glory.
