Hair Transplant

HAIR TRANSPLANT

Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that moves individual hair follicles from a part of the body called the 'donor site' to bald or balding part of the body known as the 'recipient site'. It is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness.

In this condition, grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding are transplanted to bald scalp.

Since hair naturally grows in follicles that contain groupings of 1 to 4 hairs, today’s most advanced techniques transplant these naturally occurring 1–4 hairs "follicular units" in their natural groupings. Thus modern hair transplantation can achieve a natural appearance by mimicking nature hair for hair. This hair transplant procedure is called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT).

Principle of Hair Transplantation

The principal behind Hair Transplantation stems from the permanency of some hair. While some hair on your scalp has a transient life span, other hair tends to endure for a lifetime. It was found that permanent hair could be moved to any part of the body where it can continue to grow and behave as if it were still in its original site. So this means that by transplanting hair from the back of our head to the front, this hair will continue to behave the same way as if it were in its original position and will not fall. This is the main reason why the result of a hair transplant is considered permanent.

Causes of Hair Loss

Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair loss shouldn't cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair. As people age, hair tends to gradually thin. Other causes of hair loss include hormonal factors, medical conditions and medications.

·         Hormonal factors

The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition called male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness. In genetically susceptible people, certain sex hormones trigger a particular pattern of permanent hair loss. Most common in men, this type of hair thinning can begin as early as puberty.

Hormonal changes and imbalances can also cause temporary hair loss. This could be due to pregnancy, childbirth, discontinuation of birth control pills or the onset of menopause.

·         Medical conditions

A variety of medical conditions can cause hair loss, including: Thyroid problems, Alopecia areata, Scalp infections, Other skin disorders like lichen planus and some types of lupus, can result in permanent hair loss where the scars occur.

·         Medications

Hair loss can be caused by drugs used to treat: Cancer, Arthritis, Depression, Heart problems, High blood pressure etc.

·         Other causes

A physical or emotional shock, Hair-pulling disorder etc

Procedure

Strip Harvesting Transplant Method

It involves removing a strip containing a large group of follicular units from the donor area. These follicular units are then separated under special microscopes, in a way that possible damage is completely minimized. Each follicular unit contains one to four terminal hairs as they naturally grow on each individual’s scalp. Recipient sites are created, ensuring that when these sites will be filled up with the hair, will give a natural result with sufficient coverage. 
  

Follicular Unit Extraction Method

It involves removing one follicular unit at a time directly from the donor area. This is achieved by the use of a specialized punch of less than a 1mm diameter. The main difference between the Strip and FUE hair transplant methods is the way that hair is harvested from the donor area.

Significance

Hair transplantation can significantly improve the appearance and self-confidence in patients who are balding.