Hair Transplant

Hi, I am Dr Anuj Saigal, consultant Dermatologist and a Hair Transplant expert.

Whenever someone thinks of getting Hair transplant done, there are multiple questions that comes to the mind starting from where should I get it done? which technique should I choose? What will be the side effects? What will be the post of period like?

The most commonly encountered type of hair loss thata a practising hair transplant surgeon sees these days is Androgenetic alopecia which is otherwise called as male pattern or female pattern baldness.

Why do we get it?

Apart from the genetic factors, theer are other factors like lifestyle changes, the stress related factors, the diet, exercise, sleeping factors etc all these affect your hair loss.

Coming on to the treatment, there are lot of non-surgical treatments as well as surgical treatments available for treating the hairloss.

The non-surgical treatments include;

• Mesotherapy
• Stem cell therapy
• Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP)
• Laser
• Also we have Hair Restoration procedures or Hair Transplantation procedure.

Sometimes people come and ask me, whether "I am a candidate for hair transplant as I am too young" or "too old". So, the answer is yes. Anyone above the age of 18 or 19 till the age of 80-85, depending on the medical conditions, can go ahead for transplantation.

Whenever you visit a consultant plastic surgeon or a dermatologist, ideally first a scalp should be analyzed, certain investigations should be done for you to look into the cause of hairloss. If all is done and you are found to be a candidate for hair transplantation, then another question comes that which technique is suitable?

Your doctor should explain you both the techniques with the benefits and drawbacks of both the techniques. And we choose the technique according to the patient or according to the hair loss he or she is facing.

There are two techniques;

• FUE - Follicular Unit Extraction (Punch technique)
• FUT - Follicular Unit Transplant (Strip technique)

FUT is usually done for covering larger areas. The donor areas preserved for future settings. The transaction rate is very less because we separate each and every hair follicle under the microscope, taking care of that we don't damage the hair root.

While we talk about FUE, FUE is usually doen for smaller areas. It has other benefits like, it is a stitchless surgery. The post of period is much more comfortable as compared to the FUT technique. Although in FUT is an old techniquen and FUE is a latest technique. It doesn't mean that FUT is out dated. We select the technique acoording to the patient's condition. At times we do both the techniques together if the requirement id more.

How the procedure is done?

Procedure is done under the local anaesthesia. It takes around 7-8 hours to complete the procedure. The harvesting of the follicles is different in both the techniques. In FUT, we take a strip. In FUE, we punch out each and every hair follicle separately whereas the implantation remains the same in both the techniques.

How would be the post of period be like?

You can join your work the next day. We won't recommend any kind of bed rest post procedure. Swelling can be there for 2-3 days, you just need to wear a head band such as a tennis stars wear. BUt the head band is taken off after 2-3 days and the normal shampooing of hair is started. You can take the bath the next day. So, regarding the post of period, it is pretty much comfortable.

Which doctor should I choose? or which centre should I choose?

This is the another question that comes to patient's mind because these days its a big market and everyone is claiming that they are the best. So, in this case,

• First check the qualification fo the doctor. The doctor should be a plastic surgeon or a qualified dermatologist with an experince in Hair Transplantation.
• Secondly, look at the centre whether that centre has all the facilities required to deal with the emergency which might come up during the procedure.
• Thirdly, you should look at the pre-op investigation which doctor has done or not because the Pre-op investigation will cater to what will happen post surgery or during the surgery. If you have been investigated well, nothing wrong is going to happen.
• It is very safe and completely painless procedure. Even after the surgery, we will give you pain killers and anti-biotics and you will not face any kind of pain post procedure.

If you have any query regarding hair transplant, you can contact me via Lybrate or you can visit my clinic.