Treating Hair loss

Hair loss is devastating for any individual whether the person is a man or a woman. There are various medical and surgical treatments available for treatment of hair loss. Modern day science has come up with the method to restore hair and bring back the attractive look by the surgery called Hair Transplant.

This is the procedure in which hair roots (follicles) are extracted from back of head under local anesthesia with the help of some special micro punches and implanted in the bald area. This procedure can also be used for moustache, eye brow, beard hair and to fill the scars caused by any accident and surgery. The modern day Hair Transplantation gives the patients a natural appearance by mimicking the natural hair.

The exact procedure is called "FUT " i.e. Follicular Unit Transplant. The Follicular Units consist of one to five hair which are natural groupings of hair in which they grow. "FUT" can be done by Strip technique or FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) technique.

FUE is the method by which adequate cover can be given for all grades of baldness without any stitches or scar marks as the grafts can be extracted from the head as well as body in multiple sittings. It is ideal for revision cases i.e. those who have already gone surgery by strip method. Multiple sittings can be given on consecutive days on later on to gave add on hair.

Advantages of FUE technique:-

• Stitchless
• No linear visible scars.
• Less pain.
• No numbness at site of donor.
• Less bleeding.

The procedure.

Initially the surgeon will analyze the patient’s scalp and discuss about his preference and expectations. This would also include an overview of whether the patient requires a single or multiple sessions (depending upon the case).

Prior to surgery the patient is advised to refrain from using any medicines, or alcohol, which might result in intraoperative bleeding and resultant poor acceptance of the grafts. The patient is also prescribed Pre-operative antibiotics to prevent graft infections.

Surgery

Hair transplant is performed by giving local anesthesia in the donor and recipient area. In this procedure, individual follicular grafts containing 1 to 5 hair are extracted and implanted in the bald area. The surgery lasts for about 6 to 7 hours.

Post-operative care

No dressings are done over the transplanted area. However the donor area is covered with dressing which is removed after one day. The vulnerable area is shielded from sun for 2 to 3 weeks. Hair wash is started after 4 days & shampoo is done from 5th day onwards but there is no restriction on movement of the patient. He/ she can go to market, watch movie or just do anything else immediately after the surgery.

Risks Involved

There may be mild swelling in the area of implanted hair which lasts for 4 to 5 days only. The implanted hairs have their own hair cycle in which they fall off in about 2-3 weeks. The same hair follicles start growing after 2 to 3 months and the best results are seen after one year.The transplanted hair follicles do not fall under the effect of male hormones but the patient may require some medicines to stop the hair loss in rest of the area.