Hair Transplant

Biggest cosmetic problem faced by current day world is loss & eventually thinning of hair as well as complete baldness. In men, hair loss and baldness are most commonly due to genetic factor in which the hairline gradually recedes to expose more and more of forehead. In women baldness is not common, hair loss in women is commonly due to hormonal changes and more likely to be a thinning of hair from the entire head. Hair Transplant surgery can be done on both men and women.

Hair Transplant is a surgical procedure used to treat male pattern baldness (Androgenetic Baldness). It can also used to restore hair lost due to any reason leading to non scarring alopecia.

Local anaesthesia is used in a hair transplant surgery & the patient remains conscious during the procedure. Extraction of hair is done from the part of the body where hair is denser, usually from the back of the scalp. Extracted hair are then implanted to the bald or recipient site.

Techniques of hair transplant.

  • F.U.T (Follicular Unit Hair Transplant)
  • F.U.E (Follicular Unit Hair Extraction)
  • Combination Technique (F.U.T + F.U.E),

FUT Vs FUE

Follicular unit hair transplant (FUT) is the gold standard for hair transplant procedures. According to international data 91 percent of hair transplant processes all over the world are done using the FUT process. The basic steps in the process involve removal of a strip from the back portion of the head (where hair growth is permanent), separation of the hair follicles one by one, and then individual implantation in the area of baldness or thinning. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) a reliable hair transplant procedure that involves no scars. The hair graft is taken directly from the scalp using small punches of 0.8 mm to 1.5 mm. These grafts are then implanted into the region of baldness. Similar to head, other areas like back of the head, chest hair, hair of the temple region, beard region can also be used for transplantation. This procedure is more time consuming and is generally limited to 1800-2000 follicular units at a time. The procedure is exclusively meant for those who desperately do not want scars on their head.

In Hair Transplant by FUT more number (more then 2000, sometimes upto 4000) of follicles can be harvested in one sitting while this may not be possible in Hair Transplant by FUE. FUE is useful for small sessions. Examples include eyebrow, hairline, and other touch-up procedures.

In Hair Transplant by FUT strip harvesting follicle dissection is done under direct vision using magnification so chances of follicle damage are very negligible. While Hair Transplant by FUE is blind technique of harvesting follicles, so there are more chances of follicle damage.

In Hair Transplant by FUT you get a linear scar which is almost invisible (tricophytic closure) while there is no linear scar in Hair Transplant by FUE. But multiple small circular scars are given after extraction of follicles using circular punch.

In Hair Transplant by FUE we can harvest body hair follicles while it is not possible in Hair Transplant by FUT. This is greatest advantage of Hair Transplant by FUE.
Hair Transplant by FUE is good procedure for small number of follicles to be transplanted like for beard, moustaches and for successive stages of hair transplant.

Usually cost of Hair Transplant by FUE is much more then Hair Transplant by FUT because it involves more time and expensive disposables to be used in this technique.

Generally, both the techniques yield approximately the same final results. There is not much of a difference in parameters like density, distribution, and appearance.

Procedure

In the usual follicular unit strip procedure, the surgeon harvests a strip of skin from the back of your scalp (a baldness resistant area). The excised strip is about 1–1.5 x 15–30 cm in size. The gap is closed by using a special technique which is known as trichophytic closure. This technique enables us to give a nearly invisible scar at donor site. The production of graftable follicular unit requires a two stage process of first slivering and then dissection of the follicular unit from these slivers. Both of these stages are accomplished with the help of most advanced dissecting microscopes by highly trained technicians at our centre. The follicles dissected are immediately preserved within special cooling solutions and are made ready for transplantation. The surgeon then uses very small micro blades or fine needles to make slits for receiving the grafts, placing them in a predetermined density and pattern, and angling the wounds in a consistent fashion to promote a realistic hair pattern by inserting the individual grafts in natural angle & sites.

The whole procedure can take 5-6 hours or more depends on the numbers of graft used. You can take break for lunch & for washroom. You are completely conscious & comfortable all the time. You can watch television or listen music of your choice.
Small dressing and head band is given after the procedure. Detailed post operative instructions will be provided in writing.