Today the only elegant and practical solution for hair loss (pattern baldness or some other forms of balding) is hair transplantation surgery. Hair transplantation surgery not only gives a person his hairs back, but also a new identity filled with confidence.

The main reason for hair transplant surgery becoming more and more popular is its unmatched success rate, aesthetic superiority and longevity of the results as compared to other treatments.

Hair transplantation is nothing but relocating the existing hair on the scalp so that it creates an illusion of head full of hair. Usually, people grow bald in front and on top of the head but the hair at the back of head are virtually never lost. Some of these permanent hairs of back are removed along with their root and transplanted in the front bald area. 

Hair transplant surgery can be mainly divided into 2 phases viz. Extraction and Plantation. 

In the extraction phase patient’s own hair are taken from the back of the head a.k.a. donor area. This can be done in two ways:

1. The strip method a.k.a. Follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) or Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) – In this method a chunk of skin containing the desired hair follicles is surgically cut out from the back of the head and hair follicles are dissected from this strip under high magnification. The resultant defect in the skin at the back of head is closed by stitches creating a linear scar at the back of head which is usually hidden by hairs but evident in short hairstyles.
2.  Follicular unit extraction (FUE) – In this method, the hair grafts are extracted from the back of the head one by one just as they naturally grow without disturbing their anatomy. This is done by an instrument called punch which cuts around the hair follicle graft to loosen it from its attachment with the skin. The hair graft is then harvested with forceps in an atraumatic manner. The process is repeated till the required number of grafts is harvested. The punch holes are left behind to heal by themselves without any stitches. This way we can cherry pick the good hair follicles according to requirement and also avoid the need of any stitches and also a linear scar on the back of the head. 

In the plantation phase the hair grafts harvested from the donor area are implanted in the desired bald area a.k.a. recipient area at a specific depth in the skin. We use special implanters for this purpose so that the hair follicles are not mishandled at any time and consequently one gets a robust result.   

A dressing is given after the surgery, which is removed after 2-3 days. The newly transplanted hairs will fall out after 2-4 weeks leaving behind hair follicles, which will produce new hairs in future. New hairs start growing after about 3 months and one can experience a 10% increase in hair growth every month. Complete result is achieved by the end of a year. 

The new hairs grow in the same natural way requiring styling and cutting from time to time as normal hairs would require.

FAQs

• Do the transplanted hairs look natural?
  • Hair transplantation is 10% science and 90% art. At our clinic doctor himself shapes the hairline with informed consent from the patient and also helps a patient to decide as to what will suit him/her the best. 
  • The USP of our clinic is a natural hairline, which is unique to a patient. Every patient treated at our clinic has a slightly different hairline so as to break the shackles of a stereotype “transplanted” hairline.
• How long does the procedure last?
  • This depends on the area of baldness to be covered. A regular session would require a full working day with short breaks in between the procedure. 
  • In cases requiring more than 2000 grafts a.k.a. “megasessions”, we divide the procedure in two days to avoid fatigue to the patient as well as the doctor’s team. 
• Is the procedure painful?
  • You will be glad to know that the procedure is not at all painful. At the start of the procedure we administer local anesthetic, which numbs the area of the head to be treated. 
  • We use cooling and vibratory distraction technique to make the numbing injections as pain free as possible. A little discomfort is all that the patients feel for a very short period of the procedure. 
• Is there an age criteria for getting a hair transplant?
  • After the initial consultation and making primary diagnosis of the client, the doctor will let you know whether you are a good candidate for hair transplantation procedure. As such there are no fixed age criteria for the same. 
• What is the recovery time after the hair transplant procedure?
  • Immediately after the procedure the patient is given a dressing, which stays for a day or two. There is hardly any patient who complains of pain after the procedure.
  • We like to see our patients after 2 days of the procedure to check the donor and recipient area. During this visit the doctor we will change or remove the dressing, as per the requirement.
  • In FUE donor area at the back of the head heals quickly within the first week. The recipient area harbors scabs from the procedure for about a week to 10 days post which we see our patient again and give the head a thorough wash to remove the scabs. After this visit the head looks completely clean and the recipient area has small transplanted hairs, which looks like a stubble or a short buzz cut.  
• How much time does it take for the complete result?
  • The transplanted hair look like a short buzz cut after 10-15 days of the procedure.
  • These hairs grow for 2-4 weeks after which they the hair follicles entre the resting phase and the hairs fall out. 
  • New hairs start growing from these follicles and start appearing from the skin after about 3 months.
  • One can expect about 10% increase in the hair growth every month and by the end of 9 months 85% to 90% result can be seen which continues to improve over the next 2-3 months. 
• How long do the transplanted hairs last?
  • Practically life long. If the hair grafts are meticulously taken from the permanent donor zone then there are very less chances that they will fall off in future provided the patient does not suffer from other conditions like lack of nutrition or thyroid disorder, etc., which lead to hair fall.
  • After 60-65 years of age thinning can be expected in these hairs as seen in a lot of elderly individuals. 
• Are any medications necessary after hair transplant?
  • Apart from the medications, which are given after the procedure to avoid infection and for pain management, no other drugs are required to maintain the growth of the transplanted hairs.
  • Of course the patients might be given medications to be taken for a long time but that is only to protect the already existing hairs from being affected by the thinning process. 
• Are repeat hair transplant procedures required?
  • Usually the first sitting is done as a stand alone procedure but more sessions can be done should the patient lose hair from other areas of scalp.
  • A second procedure can also be planned if the patient aspires for more hair density.
  • These can be easily planned 6-12 months after the first procedure as per the situation.
• How much does the procedure cost?
  • Every case is different. The cost of the procedure usually depends on multiple factors like the area to be transplanted, quality of hair, desired density, who does the surgery (doctor or technician), etc. Consultation is necessary to answer this question so that a clear picture about the financial aspect can be discussed.
  • At our clinic you can rest assured, that, your procedure will be done by the Doctor himself and not handed to any unregistered technicians.