PROCEDURE
Hair transplant is essentially a procedure that is performed by a plastic or a dermatological surgeon to move hair from a site with fuller hair (Donor Site) to a bald patch with no or very thin hair on the head (Recipient Site) of an individual. This procedure of hair transplant is performed under local anaesthesia at the doctor’s clinic/hospital. Dr. Norman Orentreich was the person who performed the first hair transplant surgery. This initial surgery took place in the year 1952. Thus, the hair transplant procedure is not new but has been there for a long time, giving good results.
The basic scientific principle that lies behind this procedure of hair transplant is, ‘Theory of Donor Dominance in Androgenic Alopecia.’ According to this theory, when a graft (a strip of skin containing hair) is taken from an area of the human body that is expected to be permanently hair-bearing and is then transplanted to an area suffering from baldness, then after some time, the transplanted graft will grow hair in its new site, in a manner similar to the one that would have been observed had the graft been in its original old space.
The sides and back of the head area are generally considered for the hair extraction but there are several other sites as well which are selected to be the recipient sites for hair transplantation. Some individuals also prefer hair transplantation for their eyebrows, eyelashes, moustache, etc.
Male or Female pattern baldness (Androgenic Alopecia) and excessive thinning of hair make both men and women opt for hair transplantation in order to regenerate their good appearance as they once had with hair on. Although, genetics plays a major role in determining whether an individual will or will not have the above-mentioned conditions. The various other factors that could lead to excess hair loss and baldness are as under -
Hair transplant is usually and preferably performed on individuals with the following conditions -
Or any individual who has lost a good portion of hair from his head due to a burn or any other injury related to his/her scalp Hair transplant is best suited for individuals with the above-mentioned conditions. This procedure not only brings back the lost hair but also fills the individuals with a much-needed dose of self-confidence and self-esteem that they might be lacking due to the lack of hair on their heads.
Hair transplant is not a recommended procedure for individuals with the following conditions -
Hence, the individuals planning to undergo a hair transplant should carefully check the above-mentioned conditions before landing on a concluding decision.
Hair transplant surgery is not a one-step procedure but rather a multi-step procedure. The various steps that are followed in order during a hair transplantation surgery are as under -
PREOPERATIVE PREPARATION – The patient is made to shampoo his head with a Betadine Surgical Scrub. This has to be done on the day prior to the surgery as well as on the day of the surgery (as per the doctor’s recommendation).
DONOR AREA PREPARATION – The hair in the donor area is trimmed short and a solution of local anaesthesia is injected just below the donor area. Normal saline is then injected into the entire zone. To minimize bleeding and achieve the best results of anaesthesia, it needs to be ensured that the donor area is made turgid.
HARVESTING – This step involves harvesting the donor strip from the donor site using a single or multi-bladed knife. It is taken care of during the harvesting process that the roots of the hair are not damaged. Once, the process of harvesting is done, the gap is closed with staples or sutures.
GRAFT PREPARATION – The freshly harvested donor strips are then immersed in chilled normal saline to improve their survival rate. If necessary, a single large strip is cut into smaller pieces called slivers before finally cutting individual grafts.
RECIPIENT AREA PREPARATION – The recipient area is numbed as well using anaesthesia. The next step involves the usage of normal saline to tumesce the recipient area. Similar to the donor area, there is also a need to make sure that the recipient area should be made turgid to minimize bleeding and pain before holes/slits are made. The holes/slits are made by taking into consideration and care the direction of existing hair. To make the hairline look natural, it is made in a ragged saw-toothed.
GRAFT INSERTION – The next step involves placing the grafts into the slits/holes that were made in the previous step. The grafts are inserted using angled forceps. It is to be noted that while inserting the grafts into the holes/slits, slight pressure is inserted to make sure that the grafts flush with the skin surrounding the recipient area. This process takes around five to seven hours to get completed. To ensure faster completion, more than one person can be employed to do the task.
POSTOPERATIVE CARE – The patient is usually discharged on the very same day of the surgery. It is up to the surgeon’s will to put a bandage on the recipient site or not, but it must be put and removed with utmost care. Swelling is normal after the surgery is over. The doctor may advise the patients to take steroids for quite a few days post-surgery. Usually, the patient is made to wear a headband to ensure that the face is prevented from getting swelled up. Certain precautionary measures need to be followed that are recommended by the doctor to the patient.
There are namely two techniques that are employed for obtaining hair follicles. These are Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
In FUT, the surgeon removes a long and thin piece of scalp from the back of the patient’s head. Later individual follicular units are removed from this strip. After the harvesting process is done, the wound is closed by the surgeon which leaves behind a linear scar.
On the contrary, in FUE, each follicular unit is harvested from the scalp in a random fashion by making microscopic circular incisions. This technique leads to a comparatively thinner scarring line as observed in the case of the FUT technique.
There are namely two techniques that are employed for obtaining hair follicles. These are Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
IAfter a period of about two to three weeks post-surgery, the epidermis of the transplanted hair, present outside the skin, falls off leaving behind the hair follicles to rest. One can expect new hair growth in a period of about 4 - 5 months post the hair transplant procedure. The individuals can notice the complete results of the hair restoration surgery after 6 to 9 months. It is to be noted that the transplanted hair will be comparatively a bit less dense in the areas that were completely bald before the hair transplant surgery took place. While the areas that had a noticeable number of hair follicles will appear to have much denser hair.
There are namely two techniques that are employed for obtaining hair follicles. These are Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
Although the procedure of hair transplant is considered a safe one, yet there are few side effects that a person who went through this procedure may notice after the procedure has been done. The side effects that are common and get away soon are mentioned as below -
The average cost of a hair transplant surgery varies with the technique that has been used for obtaining hair follicles for transplantation. The average cost also depends upon the size of the recipient site and the total number of grafts that are needed to achieve the desired results.
The average cost of a hair transplant surgery varies with the technique that has been used for obtaining hair follicles for transplantation. The average cost also depends upon the size of the recipient site and the total number of grafts that are needed to achieve the desired results.
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