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!
