Discussion of some alternatives to hair transplantation

Hair transplantation is a highly effective method of medical hair restoration. In it the hair-bearing portion of the scalp is removed and transplanted on to the hairless one. What results is natural hair where there was none.

The risks involved in hair transplantation are minor and can include bleeding, infection and scarring. Pre-transplantation anxiety is less easy to quell due to the numerous misconceptions surrounding it. It is normal for patients to become jittery, especially while the hair transplantation surgery is in progress. The long time it takes tends to make the person undergoing surgery restless. Patients report varying degrees of discomfort at the donor site and of the forehead swelling up. The swelling, however, is temporary and recedes within days of surgery. A good surgeon prepares patients well in advance, so as to raise their comfort level and ensure speedy recovery.

Hair transplantation is the only permanent method of hair restoration. There are also some medicines that, when used regularly over an extended period, slow down and, in some cases, even reverse baldness.

Among the medicines that assist medical hair restoration Minoxidil, marketed as Rogaine, is a popular one. It is applied on the scalp twice daily and acts variously on patients, depending on their constitution and the extent of baldness. Having applied the preparation the scalp should be massaged thoroughly, and the treatment pursued over an extended period.

Finasteride, marketed as Propecia, is another medicine which is sold in pill form and taken once a day. The Propecia hair loss treatment is known to work well in cases of male pattern baldness, but only if it is used over a long period of time.

There is also the camouflage solution. As the term implies these colored creams, sprays and powders camouflage the thinning hair areas on the scalp creating the illusion of hair in and about the area where it is thinning.

Hair transplantation techniques have seen various advances in recent times. All these ensure painless hair transplantation.

The Woods technique of follicular relocation offering painless hair transplantation is really quite different from traditional surgery, which is painful and can cause scarring. The Woods method involves transplanting of only hair and not the excess tissues, as is the case with the older techniques.

This means that the transplant site needs only to nourish the follicles, resulting in a higher take rate and a much lower risk of a fallout caused by localized shock. The method has benefited over 2,000 people so far.

Propecia is a safe and reliable method of hair restoration. It prevents the conversion of the male hormone testosterone into di-hydro-testosterone (DHT). The production of testosterone in the testicles is unceasing during a man’s lifetime. As new supplies pour in the testosterone that was present earlier gets converted into DHT – a waste product. While it is getting ejected the DHT clogs the hair follicles of the scalp. As clogged air follicles are unable to hold hair it starts to fall.

The Propecia hair loss treatment blocks the conversion of testosterone into DHT. This hair restoration method uses a steroid type II alpha reductase, which works on the testosterone and synthesizes it in 5-alpha DHT.

Marketed as a pill, Propecia is taken once a day and the treatment continued for at least three months. The Propecia hair loss treatment, however, works only in the case of male pattern baldness.

The side effects of Propecia are minor, such as hypersensitivity, swelling of the lips and itching. Propecia side effects vary according to the patient’s constitution and disappear after the first few days of treatment, as the body gets adapted to its use.