A hair transplant is a type of cosmetic surgery performed on patients who would like to resolve hair loss issues. Hair loss affects both genders, although it is often associated with men. Men form the bulk of hair transplant patients as their hair loss tends to be more noticeable and drastic as compared to hair loss in women.
The procedure is a minor surgery done under local anaesthesia in your specialist’s office and should therefore be treated as a major decision and given much consideration. As with any medical procedure, there are risks involved and anyone seeking to have a hair transplant should get as much information as possible to make an informed decision.
Causes of Hair Loss
Hair loss, also known as Alopecia, cuts across various age groups and can be caused by various reasons, some of which include:
- Hereditary factors
- Medical conditions
- Accidents
- Burns
- Hormonal factors
- Normal ageing
Hereditary Factors
Also referred to as Androgenic Alopecia, this is a type of hair loss that is passed down in families to both genders and is marked by receding hairlines in men and reduced scalp hair density in women.
Medical Conditions
Alopecia can be a side effect when treating specific ailments such as cancer. Chemotherapy recipients often experience hair loss during the treatment period. Some scalp diseases such as ringworm also cause bald patches on the scalp.
Accidents
Unexpected events like road accidents can cause severe head injuries that require skin grafting and can lead to disfiguration of hairlines and hair loss in injured areas.
Burns
Severe burns that penetrate deep into the skin layers can cause damage to hair follicles, leading to hair loss.
Hormonal Factors
Changes in various hormone levels in the body can lead to Alopecia. These changes are expected during menopause, childbirth and breastfeeding. Thyroid problems have also been known to cause hair loss.
Normal Aging
Age-related hair loss is common and can affect anyone but is most prevalent for people in their 40’s onwards.
Hair Loss Symptoms
Most types of hair loss occur gradually. However, hair loss can occur suddenly in some cases. Here are some signs that you are experiencing hair loss:
- Bald patches on the scalp
- The unanticipated loss of handfuls of hair when combing-can be as a result of a stressful event
- Hair loss in all parts of the body-mostly in the case of treatment like chemotherapy
- Swollen, irritated broken hair on the scalp-can be caused by ringworm
- Thinning of hair on the top part of the head-is an age-related hair loss affecting mostly men and a few women
Hair Transplant Procedures
Hair transplant procedures have improved in recent years owing to technological advancements and are now safer and more effective. The three main types of hair transplant procedures include:
- Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
- Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
- Bio FUE transplant
FUT Hair Transplant
Different people take hair loss differently; some accept it as a mark of age, while others find it embarrassing. FUT is a hair transplant procedure that began in the 1990s to provide a hair loss solution to thousands of men and women and restore their confidence. This procedure involves removing a thin strip of tissue from a donor site, usually the back of the head and planted in the bald part of the head. It can take several months to a year to experience the benefits of this procedure.
The FUT procedure, like any other cosmetic procedure, is costly, ranging between $4000 and $15000. The cost is determined by factors like the size of the area being covered by the transplant and the surgeon’s experience level.
FUT Procedure
This process can take a whole day, depending on the size of the operation and is carried out in the following steps:
- Numbing of the scalp- Local anaesthesia is applied to the scalp and a mild painkiller can be taken at this point.
- Identification of the hair line-Your doctor marks your hairline and identifies the donor site.
- Trimming donor site-Hair at the donor site is trimmed to a shorter length.
- Grafting- A graft containing hair follicles is extracted from the donor site.
- Stripping hair follicles- Hair follicles are removed from the grafted tissue for transplanting.
- Transplanting- Your surgeon attaches the hair follicles to the recipient part.
- Disinfection-An antibiotic ointment is applied and a bandage fixed to prevent infection during healing.
FUE Hair Transplant
The FUE method is an ultra-modern and less invasive hair transplant procedure, which involves taking individual hair follicle from a donor site and transplanting them to the recipient site. A remarkable thing about this procedure is that there is no scarring and the scalp heals quickly. A well done FUE transplant produces natural-looking results with hair growing in the transplanted site in a few months to a year.
FUE Procedure
The FUE process takes place in the following steps:
- Candidate assessment-Your surgeon examines your scalp to determine your eligibility for the process
- Application of Anesthesia-A local anaesthetic is applied to your scalp’s donor region
- Picking hair follicles-A needle is used to remove individual hair follicles for transplanting
- Treating hair follicles-Hair follicles are immersed in a liquid to maintain their natural qualities
- Implantation-Hair follicles are planted in the receiving area
- Disinfection-The scalp is disinfected and the patient is given aftercare guidelines.
Bio FUE Transplant
This type of transplant is an improvement of FUE transplant. It is only distinguished by the administration of hormones into the operated scalp to stimulate the growth of hair and hasten the healing process.
Bio FUE Procedure
- Separation of high growth platelets-These platelets have above-normal blood concentrations
- Infusion of platelets-The fast growth platelets are infused into the donor site for fast healing
- Treating hair follicles –Hair follicles are immersed in the fast growth platelets culture to minimize cell death
- Transplanting hair follicles-Hair follicles are transplanted in the recipient area and growth platelets infused for fast growth and healing
Cosmeticum Hair transplant in Turkey is a modern solution to baldness and are highly effective with long-lasting results which is done with expert doctors. Patients should have realistic expectations of the outcome, having done adequate research and discussed thoroughly with their surgeon.
