Know everything about Hair Transplant

Hair transplant is a procedure that includes dermatologically adding hair to the bald areas of one’s head. It is a cosmetic process that ensures improving one’s appearance and self-confidence.

Many individuals opt for a hair transplant because of a condition called pattern baldness. This condition is responsible for the majority of cases of hair loss, stemming from various factors including- genetic traits of baldness, certain dietary factors, medication-induced hair loss, stress, any kind of illness, and even hormonal imbalance.

Hair transplants are of two significant types. Essentially, the surgeon will remove hair follicles from the denser areas of one’s head known as the donor area, to the section requiring the hair transplant. The two main types of hair transplant include:

• Follicular unit strip surgery or FUSS- Also, referred to as Follicular unit transplantation or FUT, the procedure involves the surgeon removing a strip of skin from the donor area and closing the incision with stitches. The next step is to use a microscope to separate a portion of the donor skin into small sections or tiny follicular units and implant them in the desired area to achieve a natural look.
• FUE hair transplant (Follicular Unit Extraction)- is a certified and successful process of hair transplant. This is an effective process that can aid in transplanting hundreds, if not thousands of hair follicles in one session. The surgeon produces little holes with the aid of a needle or blade in the area of the scalp requiring the transplant. The hair follicles are then, placed in these little holes with utmost care and precision. After this, the individual is required to wear a bandage or gauze covering their head for a few days.
• Hair Transplant costs can be quite steep across the world, however many choose India for its excellent facilities and its affordable cost. The hair transplant price ranges from 35-100/graft on average depending upon the type of procedure followed.

When you invest in a hair transplant, you must also take proper aftercare precautions to gain the maximum benefit without damaging your new hair. The newly implanted hair follicles are still fragile and vulnerable, hence one must follow strictly the dos and don’ts of such procedures.

Hair transplant surgery is relatively a safe procedure with very few cases of complications. Surgeons are aware of the possible complications and their respective solutions, however, most of these complications can be avoided with proper guidance and prevention.

There might be general complications occurring during the surgery. These may include adverse reactions to anesthesia, Intraoperative complications like bleeding, syncope, and pain. Postoperative complications may include chances of infection, pain, edema, or itching.

Pain during and after the hair transplant is common and can be managed with the proper use of techniques and analgesics. Some factors that can induce pain are- wide strip bleeding, wound tension, and inadequate anesthesia during the sessions. Postoperative itching is also common, and drying up of the wound can be the reason. Saline sprays are a good way of relieving itchiness.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), can cause complications like depletion in the donor site, hypopigmentation, buried grafts, acute effluvium, epithelial cysts, overharvesting, numbness, and persistent pain, keloid/hypertrophic scars. Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) can create complications like bleeding, folliculitis, infection, numbness, postoperative pains, hiccups, suture extrusion, hypertrophic scars, keloid, effluvium of donor's hair, and arteriovenous fistula. Complications may also arise due to individual reasons. A person may have a poor hairline due to genetics, low-density unnatural appearances, edema in the recipient areas, cysts, and necrosis.

However, when expert surgeons perform the surgery, the chances of complications diminish. At Pristine Care, your hair transplant will be carried out by experienced surgeons in the best of facilities which reduces the chances of complications to a great extent.

This has been thoroughly researched and concluded that hair transplant cannot cause cancer. Hair is not an organ, and the person receiving a hair transplant is at no risk of getting cancer. Cancer is influenced by factors such as genetics, environment, smoking, bad nutrition, etc.

Many patients and experts have questioned if hair transplants can cause cancer. To understand this, we must understand what skin cancer is. Often organ transplantation has around a 65% chance of developing skin cancer. However, many people propagate the idea that a hair transplant is a type of organ transplant leading to the conclusion that a hair transplant can cause cancer.

FUE hair transplant can cost from Rupees 35-75/graft. FUT hair transplant can cost from Rupees 25-35/graft. Robotic hair transplant can cost around Rupees 60-100/graft, and synthetic hair transplant can cost from Rupees 100 to 180/graft.

To provide a comprehensive guide for hair transplant treatment costs in India, the price for hair transplants is further elaborated. FUE transplant surgery, depending on the number of grafts, for example- 500, can cost up to Rupees 15,000-22,500. The FUT hair transplant cost can range from Rupees 12,500-17,500 for 500 grafts. Robotic and Synthetic hair transplants start from Rupees 60,000 for 500 grafts.

Yes, the hair transplant results are permanent. When the hair follicles are grafted into your scalp, especially in the area where the hair is thinning, it takes some time to heal. Initially, it is normal for your hair to experience hair fall in the first three months. It can take almost 6-12 months to entirely heal, and fill up the bald patches. With this, the hair follicles grow and become permanent. However, just like the natural process, at some point due to old age or other reasons, these hair follicles may also stop producing as much hair as they previously used to.

A hair transplant is an extremely important decision to decide on, and the patient must be completely satisfied with the hair transplant results. There are certain ways to measure how one can identify a successful hair transplant. Many surgeons recommend getting a hair transplant as soon as they observe signs of balding and hair-thinning for the best results. Here are some ways to measure the hair transplant results:

• A hair checkup- It is important to get a hair check-up every 6 months, to ensure that the process of transplant is unaffected.
• Taking pictures of the difference- A mirror may not provide the best insight into the difference a hair transplant has made. Taking pictures regularly, especially from an overhead view can prove accurate results.
• Observing closely the hairline- If you observe over time that your hair is thinning, or there are irregular bald spots and patches, or even a recede in your hairline, inform your doctors immediately. They will be able to assist you in providing suitable medication.

Hair loss might occur due to several reasons ranging from androgenetic alopecia to genetics. A hair transplant is an excellent way for restoring your hair to its maximum health. Those eligible for a hair transplant surgery, include:

• If you have baldness or a receding hairline on the crown of your head, with dense coverage on the side, a hair transplant is most suitable for you. Hair that is transplanted from the denser part of the back of the head to the frontal region has chances of the best hair transplant treatment.
• It is generally a trend seen among the population that those whose hair is thinning, especially women, and the pattern of baldness observed among men, make good candidates for a hair transplant.
• People who have faced a burn or scalp injury can benefit from a hair transplant.

Typically, people facing baldness in certain areas opt for a hair transplant. Here are some examples of those who are advised or not recommended to get a hair transplant:

• Men and women with Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA). These people have thinning hair and considerable hair loss in the frontal regions, and even at the back of the scalp. The considerable miniaturization that predicts active uncontrollable hair loss is not recommended as a good candidate for a hair transplant.
• Those with significant hair loss probably don’t have adequate hair follicles in their donor place to cover the balding region which means they have furnish and demand mismatch.
• Patients with trichotillomania, a psychological disorder that is not under the control of the patient. They are guaranteed to lose their transplanted hair after a certain time, as they lost their native hair, rendering the surgery unsuccessful.

After your hair transplant system, your scalp is bound to be sensitive, and your doctor will be prescribing you medicines effective in pain, along with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills. You must take all these medications on time, and are prescribed not to touch or do anything to the recipient area of the hair transplant surgery.

The patient will also be required to wear bandages or gauze around their recipient area, to maintain the incision, avoid infections, and will be asked to remove it as per the advice of the surgeon. One is to remove it with the utmost care, to avoid swelling. The post-treatment for a hair transplant also includes not using shampoo and rinse your hair for a minimum of 2-3 days. Post that, the rinsing should be gentle and both the recipient and donor areas must be cleaned gently. It is necessary to use an antimicrobial shampoo and conditioner, and wash the implanted area two times a day. Other hair transplant care after surgery includes:

• Non-consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, and pain killers.
• Using an elevated position while sleeping.
• Not indulging in exercises or any activity that makes one sweat profusely.
• Avoid direct sunlight, at least 3 weeks after the procedure.
• No swimming in pools or at sea beaches.
• Using only the shampoos and conditioners recommended by the doctors.

The doctor prescribes legitimate medicine for your pain, after the completion of the hair transplant. The recovery stage is crucial and must be taken just as seriously as the hair transplant surgery because many fall susceptible to its side effects. The side effects that one must observe and aim to avoid include:

• Bleeding Scalp: Bleeding is one of the most frequent hair transplant facet effects. Bleeding is a side effect of unusual situations after the surgery has taken place.
• Scalp Infections: Other hair transplant side effects encompass scalp infection.
• Thinning of hair growth: A frequent and subjective side effect is thinning of the transplanted hair.
• Itching: A good 2-3% of the patients out of the 10% are subject to an itchy scalp. Thus, itching is also one of the most frequent hair transplant side effects.
• Scarring: After the transplant, scarring is additionally in the listing of hair transplant side effects.
• Cysts: These are the size of a small pimple, are likely to occur to protect the natural healing, and are not bad for the hair transplant. A cyst is additionally one of the major hair transplant aspect effects.
• Hiccups: This side effect is extremely rare, almost 5% out of 100, but something a patient must look out for.
• Pain: Sometimes, surgeries can also be painful to a certain extent, and it is not uncommon to experience pain as an aftereffect.
• Swelling: Swelling is surprisingly a rare outcome of a hair transplant surgery.
• Numbness: The patient is most likely to feel numb, as this side effect is unavoidable.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) states in its guidelines, that only those specialists classified as dermatologists and plastic surgeons learn and execute hair transplant surgeries. However, dermatologists are originally best suited for this role, because of their previous experiences, studies, and even their profession including the management of hair clinically. Hair transplant is a surgical process it is impertinent that the patient gets it performed by a duly qualified specialist.

There are various ways to perform a transplant, which requires the removal of hair from one place to the other. The most frequent and easy way is grafting. To attain the maximum benefits, you will need to have thicker areas of hair on your head.

The surgeon utilizes small pieces of skin with healthy hair, also known as grafts, from various portions of the body. The place where the graft is taken from is known as the donor site. It is commonly found to be in the back of the patient’s head. The doctor strikes the grafts on hairless parts of the scalp. The transplanted area or skin should heal completely in a few months, leading way to natural hair growth. We recommend using the expert advice of the surgeons to proceed with a hair transplant.