Hair
loss and hair fall are two separate things.
Hair fall is a natural daily occurrence. Human
head contains over 100,000 hairs and one normally
sheds 100 to 150 hairs a day, every hair is
genetically programmed. In general 85% of the
hair on your head grow approximately 1 centimeter
per month for about 2 to 6 years and then fall
off. Hair loss is primarily caused by a combination
of ageing, a change in hormones and a family
history (genetic) of baldness. As a rule, the
earlier hair loss begins, the more severe the
baldness will become. Hair loss can also be
caused by burns or trauma, in which case hair
replacement is considered a reconstructive treatment.
However, hairs on back of your head are genetically
programmed and scheduled to last long. Approximately,
30 percent Indian men will show signs of male
pattern baldness by the age of 20. The incidence
of male pattern baldness increases 10 percent
per decade through a man’s life. The causes
of female loss range often from iron deficiency
to thyroid abnormalities to childbirth. For
both sexes, hair loss causes diminished self-esteem,
stress, anxiety, depression and feelings of
social inadequacy.
Baldness
is often blamed on poor circulation to the scalp,
vitamin deficiencies, dandruff excessive hat-wearing.
All of these theories have been disproved. If
hair is a symbol of a person’s youth, the loss
of it can act as a reminder of approaching old
age for men entering their forties.
Female
Pattern Hair Loss
The
most common type of hair loss seen in women
is androgenic alopecia, also known as female
pattern alopecia or baldness. This is seen as
hair thinning predominantly over the top and
sides of the head. It affects approximately
one-third of all susceptible women, but is most
commonly seen after menopause, although it may
begin as early as puberty. Normal hair fall
is approximately 100-120 hairs per day. Fortunately,
these hairs are replaced. True hairs loss occurs
when lost hairs are not re-grown or when the
daily hair shed exceeds 125 hairs. Genetically,
hair loss can come from either parent’s side
of the family.
Hair
Transplantation
In
hair transplantation, it’s this non-miniaturized
hair on the back and sides that is surgically
moved to the top of the head in the form of
a tiny skin graft. Because the hair on the permanent
horseshoe is genetically programmed to grow
a lifetime, it will continue to grow even though
it’s been transplanted to a different site.
This is medical fact, and has been repeatedly
proven for more than thirty five years.
For
some patients, a hairline may need recreation;
for others, more extensive hair replacement
maybe required. A few patients may want to correct
sparse eyebrows or a scar on the scalp. All
these individuals, both men and women, are good
candidates for the procedure.
How
is the procedure performed?
Under
local anesthesia, the donor hair grafts are
harvested from a strip of skin taken from area
between two ears. The strip is divided into
small units of skin (grafts), each containing
one to three hairs - the follicular units. Then
recipient sites are created in the area of hair
loss by making small slits in the bald skin.
Each site is no bigger than the opening created
by the needle used when blood is drawn from
your arm. Then each of the grafts is carefully
placed into each recipient site. The donor site
in the back of the head is not visible. Three
to four months later, the transplanted hair
begins to grow and continues to grow a half
inch per month for the rest of your life.
Why
do some transplants look “more natural” than others?
Although
hair transplantation has been performed for
almost 35 years, it’s never become as popular
as you might expect. With good reason… it sometimes
looks conspicuous and unnatural! One reason
is that old fashioned grafts were simply too
big. They contained 10 to 20 hairs, and when
they grew, tufted doll’s head resulted… However,
if the grafts are made very, very small, with
only one follicular unit per graft, the density
of the hair can be more evenly distributed and
exactly approximate nature’s way. This is the
basic principle that’s used in what’s commonly
called follicular unit grafting.
What’s
the difference between a micrograft and a follicular
unit graft?
Micrografts
and follicular unit grafts are often confused.
Micrografts are simply grafts which contain
either one or two hairs. They are cut randomly
from the donor strip with no attention paid
to the follicular unit groupings. Follicular
unit grafts are actual isolated follicular units
that naturally grew in groupings of one, two,
or three hairs. In other words, one three haired
follicular unit graft could be divided into
3 one haired micrografts.
How
is the perfect frontal hairline created?
We
use only single grafts in the front hairline,
often 100 to 200 of them. Single hair follicular
unit grafts are placed in the front rows, and
behind them two hair grafts, and behind them
the three haired grafts – thus attempting to
duplicate the subtle feathered look of a natural
thinning hairline. The grafts are delicately
handled, refrigerated and submerged in nutrient
solution throughout the entire process.
How
much pain should I expect? Are there any complications?
Essentially
none. Most patients describe the session as
easier than a visit to the dentist. Complications
rarely occur, but occasionally numbness in the
donor site may persist for two or three months
after the procedure.
What
happens after hair transplant surgery?
Patient
can resume light work from third day onwards.
Sutures on back of head are removed after 7
days. However patient should not do any exercise
fro three weeks or shun any activity which will
increase pressure in transplanted area. Mild
swelling on forehead is possible which disappears
after day or two.
You
can have head bath 4th day onwards. Crusts,
scabs and effluvium fall off in next 4 weeks.
No special care, medicines or frequent visits
to doctor are required.
The
hairs will fall out of the newly transplanted
follicles within two to six weeks after the
procedure - this is normal!