Overview

This is a kind of surgery that moves hair you already have to fill an area with thin or no hair. Its aim is to restore a more youthful appearance for those distressed by hair loss, particularly androgenetic alopecia. This is a blessing for the bald person or the person who has a little hair and wants more.

This activity at Prasidh Hospital, Hyderabad reviews the evaluation and management of patients undergoing hair transplantation and explains the role of the inter-professional team in improving care for patients who undergo this procedure.

Overview

This is a surgical technique, which removes hair follicles from one part of the body, called the 'donor site', to a bald or balding part of the body known as the 'recipient site'. Earlier, this technique is used to treat male pattern baldness. In this procedure, grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding (such as the back of the head) are transplanted to the bald scalp. This procedure can also be used to restore eyelashes, eyebrows, beard hair, chest hair, and pubic hair and to fill in scars caused by accidents or surgery such as face-lifts and previous hair transplants. It is different from skin grafting in that grafts contain almost all of the epidermis and dermis surrounding the hair follicle, and many tiny grafts are transplanted rather than a single strip of skin.

As hair naturally grows in the form of groups of 1 to 4 hairs, current techniques harvest and transplant hair "follicular units" in their natural groupings. Thus modern hair transplantation may achieve a natural appearance by mimicking the original hair orientation. This hair transplant procedure is called follicular unit transplantation or FUT. Donor hair can be harvested in two different ways: strip harvesting, and follicular unit extraction or FUE.

The main objectives are as follows:

• To identify the anatomical structures, indications, and contraindications of hair transplantation.
• To describe the equipment, personnel, preparation, and technique in regard to hair transplantation.
• To review the appropriate evaluation of the potential complications and clinical significance of hair transplantation.
• To summarize inter-professional team strategies for improving care coordination and communication to advance hair transplantation and improve outcomes.

Why Chose Us

Hair transplant can improve your appearance and self-confidence. Good candidates for a hair transplant must include:

1. Men, who is having male pattern baldness
2. Women, who are having with thinning hair
3. Anyone, who is having lost some hair from a burn or scalp injury

Hair replacement isn’t a good option for:

1. Women, who have a widespread pattern of hair loss throughout the scalp
2. The person, who doesn’t have enough “donor” hair sites from which to remove hair for transplant
3. people who form keloid scars (like thick, fibrous scars) after injury or surgery
4. people whose hair loss is because of medication such as chemotherapy

Treatments

This is a procedure in which a plastic or dermatological surgeon moves hair to a bald area of the head. The doctor usually shifts hair from the back or side of the head to the front or top of the head. This typically occurs in a medical office under local anesthesia. Pattern baldness is mainly responsible for hair loss most of the time. This comes down to genetics. The remaining cases are because of a variety of factors, including:

1. diet
2. stress
3. illness
4. hormonal imbalance
5. medications

There are 2 kinds of transplant procedures:

1. slit grafts and
2. micrografts.

Slit grafts contain 4-10 hairs per graft, while micrografts contain 1 to 2 hairs per graft, depending on the amount of coverage needed. After cleaning your scalp, a surgeon uses a small needle to numb an area of your head with local anesthesia. Two major techniques are used to obtain follicles for transplantation: FUT and FUE.

In follicular unit transplantation (FUT):

The doctor would use a scalpel to cut out a strip of scalp skin from the back of the head. The incision is typically several inches long. This is then closed with stitches.

After that, the surgeon separates the removed portion of the scalp into small sections using a magnifying lens and a sharp surgical knife. When implanted, these sections would help achieve natural-looking hair growth.

In follicular unit extraction or FUE:

The hair follicles are cut out from the back of the head through hundreds to thousands of tiny punch incisions.

The doctor makes tiny holes with a blade or needle in the area of your scalp that’s receiving the hair transplant. They gently place hairs in these holes. During 1 treatment session, a surgeon may transplant hundreds or even thousands of hairs. After that, the graft, or bandages will cover your scalp for a few days. A hair transplant session might take appx. four hours or more. Your stitches will be removed within 10 days of surgery.

You may require up to 3-4 sessions to achieve the full head of hair you desire. These sessions usually occur several months apart to allow each transplant to fully heal. Your scalp may be sore, and you might need to take medications following hair transplant surgery, such as:

pain medication

Pain medication is given for the following things:

1. antibiotics to reduce your risk of infection
2. anti-inflammatory medications to keep swelling down
3. Most people can return to work several days after surgery.

It’s very normal for the transplanted hair to fall out 2-3 weeks after the procedure. This makes way for new hair growth. Most people will notice some amount of new hair growth 8 to 12 months after surgery. Many doctors use to prescribe minoxidil (Rogaine) or the hair growth medication finasteride (Propecia) to improve hair regrowth. These medications help slow or stop future hair loss as well. Side effects from a hair transplant are generally minor and clear up within a few weeks of surgery. They may include:

1. bleeding
2. infection
3. swelling of the scalp
4. bruising around the eyes
5. a crust, which forms on the areas of the scalp where hair was removed or implanted
6. numbness or lack of sensation on the treated areas of the scalp or head
7. itching
8. Infection or inflammation of the hair follicles, which is known as folliculitis
9. shock loss but typically temporary loss of the transplanted hair
10. unnatural-looking tufts of hair

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