Hair restoration

Hair restoration includes the medical and surgical treatment of various forms of hair loss, including non-surgical. The most common cause of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness.

Non-surgical options

• Minoxidil is approved for treatment of men and women with AGA.^[1]
• Finasteride (Propecia) is approved for medical hair restoration for men with AGA.^[1] However, the drug does come with side-effects.^[2]
• Hair Club offers a non-surgical hair replacement solution that uses a Strand-by-Strand process.^[3]
• Lasers have been proven in clinical trials to restore hair in both men and women.^[4]

Hair transplant surgery

Surgical hair restoration is the only permanent technique that can move hair from permanent zone to the balding area. First introduced to the United States by Norman Orentreich in 1952, hair transplant surgery has evolved over the decades. The original procedures involved using 4-mm grafts often left clients with an unnatural looking hairline,^[5] but since it was the only option available to address baldness, clients accepted the results and doctors were not motivated to improve the procedure, since there was consistent business. Hair restoration surgery is a procedure where natural groupings of one to four hairs, called follicular units, are extracted from the patient's donor site then moved to the area of balding, called the recipient area (see Follicular unit transplantation). Hair restoration surgery, or hair transplantation, has been traditionally used for the treatment of male patterned baldness, but it has gained popularity for treatment of female patterned baldness, eyebrow hair loss, and to restore hair in any part of the body. In addition to cosmetic purposes, hair restoration can be used for treatment of hair loss due to trauma or burns. Hair restoration should be performed by certified surgeons, who specialize in hair replacement. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery is a medical association of physicians who specialize in hair restoration.^[6]

Follicular unit transplantation

The most common hair restoration surgery technique is follicular unit transplantation (FUT). In FUT, follicular units are extracted from the back of the head, where hair tends to be more permanent, in a strip of skin called the donor strip. Once the strip is removed, the donor area is either sutured or stitched back up, ideally in a way that minimizes scarring. Removing adequate width of strip helps with minimizing the scarring. Measurement of scalp laxity with a laxometer can help a hair transplant surgeon remove the strip with the optimum size. If done properly, the remaining scar, called a line scar, will only be visible with short-cropped hair or a shaved head. After the donor strip is extracted, it is dissected into individual follicular units. These are then transplanted into the recipient area in the patient’s balding scalp where they become viable hair-producing follicles.^[7]

Follicular unit extraction

follicular unit extraction (FUE), Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) also referred as Follicular Transfer (FT) is minimal invasive procedure that involves removing healthy hair follicles directly from the scalp and grafting them onto bald area one by one. Automated extracted tool is used to implant grafted hair in recipient area. FUE is the modern and most advanced technique that results in more natural consequences with undetectable scarring. Currently there is an Advanced Follicular Unit Extraction procedure that expands donor area allowing hair surgeons to harvest body hair. Body hair can be harvested from leg, chest, beard, and almost any other region of the body. Body Hair FUE transplant allows to treat even severe baldness cases; it also allows eyebrow and eyelash hair transplant.^[8] In this technique, follicular units are extracted from bald resistant donor areas at a time by utilizing small round punch. Extracted hair are grouped into four to five hair called follicular unit grafts which are then transplanted onto bald area. On the upper part of follicular unit, a small circular incision is made in the skin with 1-MM punch. Placement is typically performed using forceps. A typical FUE procedure is carried out in eight hours. Within ten months, 90% permanent hair uptake is guaranteed. The patient is alert during the entire surgery. The tiny incisions left behind after the surgery that heals in few days. Recovery time is faster. This procedure neither causes scalpel incision nor linear incision. It is less painful and downtime is minimal. No stitches are required and donor area remains unchanged. Post operative care and instructions of physician must follow to ensure faster recovery and natural outcomes.

References

External links

Media related to Hair transplantation at Wikimedia Commons