HairTransplantation

About Hair Transplantation

Hair has been of social and psychological importance throughout the centuries. It plays an important role in human social and sexual communication. It is considered as a measure of attractiveness among people. It is natural for people to take care of their hair and be worried if they face severe hair loss.

Hair loss (alopecia and scalp problem) is very common. Out of 10 males, 6 are suffering from hair loss. Hair loss of any kind frequently causes major distress for the patient and can lead to anxiety and depression. Even in females, hair loss is very common. It occurs in bunches across the scalp, not just specific area.

What is Hair Transplant?

Hair transplant is a treatment option for Male Pattern Baldness and Female Pattern Baldness. Hair follicles are taken from occipital scalp and transplanted in bald area. Hair is taken from hair bearing area (usually from scalp) that is not affected by miniaturization process of androgenic alopecia.

This is Male Pattern Baldness

This is Female Pattern Baldness

There is an increase in awareness about hair transplantation in Nagpur since people with alopecia are looking for a hair transplant clinic in Nagpur.

Why hair transplant is needed ?

When any person suffers from hair loss, he/she feels devastated as the society considers them unattractive, less likable, and less successful. It even comes to a point where the person can have anxiety and depression. By consulting a hair specialist doctor in Nagpur, they can opt for hair transplantation treatment.

Types of Hair Transplantation

Follicular Unit Transplantation

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) was revolutionary advance occurred when surgeons observed that hair grows on scalp in tiny, naturally occurring groupings of 1-3 hairs follicles are called –Follicular unit. To get natural looking results of hair transplant, we have to do transplantation in follicular unit manner, Hence this technique basically is known as FUT.

Traditional Stripe Method of FUT

Step 1: Donor Harvesting

The goal of donor harvesting is to remove tissue of scalp from the permanent donor area in a way that limits trans-section of hair follicles. In addition, minimal scar should be minimal and possibly detectable. A strip of scalp having with about 1-2 cm and length of about 20-25 cm is removed from permanent donor area.

Step 2: Graft Preparation

The strip- harvested donor tissue is converted into grafts in two steps.

A. Slivering: Donor strip is cut into thin slices or slivers containing a single row of follicles. This procedure is performed under microscope or magnification.
B. Grafts or FU dissection: from these slivers, individual units containing 1-4 follicles are separated under magnification.
C. All grafts are store in retaining solution usually Chilled Ringer lactate solution.
D. Temperature is maintained below 4 degrees.

Step 3: Creating Recipient Sites

Recipient site incisions vary in size from 0.65 to 1.2 mm wide, with smaller incisions used for 1to 2 hair FUs and larger incisions are used for the 3-4 hairs FUs or curly hairs. While making slits the surgeon should create a pattern that imitates nature. The incisions also have to enter scalp at same direction and angle as the pre-existing hair follicles.

Step 4: Placing Grafts:

The skill and ability to place grafts successfully is a critical step in hair transplant surgery. The potential for graft trauma leading to poor growth occurring at this step is high.

Fine tipped Jewelers forceps are used for placing grafts in slits. During this procedure loop magnification is essential to avoid injury to hair follicle.

Time Frame for Results

1. Transplanted follicles usually shed by about 2 to 6 weeks at which patient looks like they did before surgery.
2. They start growing back after 3 months of surgery and after 4, visible results are seen. But these hairs are thin and sparse.
3. Between 6 to 8 months, transplanted hairs looks like normal hairs.
4. Improvement continue for up to 1 year and after that improvement usually taper off.

Follicular Unit Extraction Method (Minimal Invasive Technique)

The main procedural difference between FUE and traditional strip FUT technique is the way the graft is extracted or obtained from the donor area. With FUE ,each FU graft is harvested individually with small micro-punch 0.8 to 0.9 mm punch is used to make a small circular incisions in the skin around the upper part of the follicular unit, which then extracted(Pulled) directly from the scalp, leaving a tiny hole. This process is repeated till until surgeon has enough grafts to do the procedure.

Once they are harvested, the rest of the procedure (recipient site creation and transplantation of grafts) is essentially same for both techniques. The difference between these two procedures lies in the appearance of the donor area and the difference in the number and fragility of the grafts produced. Though linear scar is not created, the thousands of tiny punches can causes visible white dots or moth-eaten look in the donor area in some patients FUE is sometime is marketed as a noninvasive, scar less procedure where patient can shave their head if desired is misleading.

Advantages of FUE

Linear incision is not required hence no linear scar in the donor area
It is usually preferred techniques in patients with history of hypertrophic scars or keloid tendencies
Useful in patient with tight and inflexible scalp or scars from previous surgery
Useful for harvesting body hairs from beards, chest ,limbs and back, pubic and axilla

Disadvantages of FUE

Total number of grafts harvested is less because with FUE one needs to leave behind about 50% of the grafts behind to avoid creating a bald patch in the donor area.
Grafts are more delicate and fragile because they are striped off protective tissue during extraction process. Hence they are more prone for dehydration, trauma and poor growth.
Final disadvantage is that the entire donor area has to be shaved in order to extract the FUs. This can create a significant inconvenience for many patients.

When hair starts growing?

Actually hair growth starts after 3 to 4 months of surgery. With 6 weeks of surgery all transplanted hairs sheds away. The new hair growth is visible after 3 months when new hairs are like vellus hair. Visible changes are seen after 4 month but new hairs are immature. Normal hair growth takes almost 6 to 8 months and maturation continues up to 2 years.