Discussion on hair transplants before & aftercare

There are many reasons for male pattern baldness, including heredity and stress. Follicular unit transplantation is a method of medical hair restoration used in the case of male pattern baldness. In this technique hair is transplanted from the permanent zone in the back of the scalp onto the balding regions. Only naturally occurring follicular units are used. While removing follicular units the donor tissue is removed in one piece to avert damage. Single-strip harvesting is an important feature of follicular unit transplantation.

Great care is taken during hair transplants and thereafter. The follicular units are held in 0.9 saline chilled to 59°F and not allowed to stay out of the chilled solution for longer than five minutes. The surgeon places a few follicular units on the back of his hand, his gloves preventing heat transfer from the hand to the implants. The hair transplants are then placed on the scalp. The speed of the operation depends on both the quality of the hair and the surgeon’s skill.

A month before hair transplant surgery the patient must grow his/her hair long enough to be combed and consult the surgeon about the medication to be taken. S/he must also be informed in case there is a skin infection in or around the problem area. The patient must stop drinking and smoking a couple of weeks before surgery and avoid using any chemical on the hair. It must also be washed with an antiseptic soap or shampoo and the use of skin creams avoided. In some cases the patient reports for surgery on an empty stomach, or he could be put on a surgery-specific diet. On surgery day the hair is washed with an antibacterial shampoo and the prescribed antibiotics administered.

Hair transplantation is a highly effective means of restoring hair on the scalp and performed by a qualified surgeon with a proven track record. The entire process takes around four hours.

The procedure of hair transplantation involves harvesting a strip of hair from an area of the scalp that is rich in hair and transplanting it onto the bald patch. The donor strip usually measures 1-1.5 x 15-30 cm.

The surgeon uses a fine needle to puncture the sites for receiving the grafts and placing them in a predetermined density and pattern. Only then are the individual grafts placed in the appropriate places.

After hair transplantation the patient should avoid using shampoos and protect the operated area from the sun. The operated zone can also start shedding hair due to the relocation of the hair. This must not worry you as new hair strands begin to re-grow in a few months.