Hair Transplantation - Principles and Methods

Hair transplantation is basically a procedure to transfer normal hair from one site of the body to another.

Its main use is in male pattern baldness. It is however also used in female baldness, to replace hair lost in trauma or burns and to reshape eyebrows.

The site from where the hair is taken is called the donor site. The site where it is planted is called the recipient site.

In male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia, the donor site is the back and sides of the head. This is the area of the scalp where the hair is permanent in nature, hair growing in these regions persist throughout life. It will be seen that even in the oldest or baldest man, hair still persists in these regions. This is because the hairs in this region are genetically programmed to last throughout life.

Hair transplant takes advantage of this bounty of nature. The hair from this permanent zone is transplanted into the bald areas. The new transplanted hairs will then last lifelong and thus give a permanent solution to baldness.

There are two steps to a hair transplant - taking the graft and planting. In the first step, the graft is taken from the donor area. There are two main methods for doing this - FUT and FUE. FUT is the older method - in this a strip of hair bearing skin about 1 cm in breadth and 10-15 cm in length is cut out from the permanent zone. The individual follicles of hair are then dissected out from this strip. The wound in the back of the head is closed with sutures. FUT and FUE can also be combined in a single patient.

In FUE, a special mechanized drill is used to drill out each hair follicle. A single needle like puncture is all that is needed. There is no cutting in this method and hence no sutures or scar.

The plantation method is the same. In this, a small incision is made in the skin and the hair is then inserted into this nick. The hair gets bound by mechanical action and also by fibrin clots into the area.

The procedure is done under local anesthesia. It is a very safe procedure with minimum inconvenience to the patient. Sometimes repeated sessions will be done over two or three successive days for large transplants.

Most transplants involve between 1000 to 2000 hairs. Some patients want larger and more dense hair, and in that case 5000 hairs or even more may be transplanted.

In case of FUE, body hair can also be transplanted. This is a big advantage of FUE. It allows for larger transplants than FUT.

The patient can go back home the same day. Minimal precautions are needed for this. The hair once implanted will grow like his own normal hair. It can be combed, cut, and even shaved - it will grow back normally. It will grey with age just like the other original hair.

Hair transplant can also be done in women. In fact women comprise upto 5% of cases in a typical hair transplant clinic. It can be used to increase the density of hair in the front of the head where it is most visible.

Overall the technique of hair transplant has given immense benefits to those who have grown bald prematurely. It helps to build confidence and self assurance in a person besides the cosmetic advantage.

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar is Hair transplant doctor in Guwahati at the Downtown Hair Transplant Clinic. You can read up more on him at his website Hair transplant Guwahati and also at Cost of hair transplantation in Guwahati

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