Losing hair from your head is never a pleasant experience and for most people, it is a matter of losing sleep over. Several people feel a drop in their confidence levels, because they feel that they bald patches, distract attention from their true talent or expertise, because all said and done, your hair does play an important role in your persona. However, these days, with the developments taking place in the world of medicine, there are so many methods by which hair can be restored.
When you go to a hair transplant surgeon, the first thing that will happen is that you will be given a thorough exam, in which the extent of your hair loss will be determined first. There will be a proper check on the donor and recipient areas and that will help the doctor chart a course of action for you. For most people, there are only two main types of hair transplants – the FUT (follicular unit transplant) or the FUE (follicular unit extraction) and while these are the most popular methods, there are several other methods by which you can get your hair back.
• Grafts – As mentioned earlier, these are the most popular methods of hair transplant, and there are variations in the same. However, the basic tenet is the same – hair grafts will be removed from one part of the head and implanted into another. In FUT, an entire strip will be removed from the scalp and the follicles will be removed carefully and then implanted into the recipient area. The area from the strip was removed, will then be stitched and the same will heal naturally in a matter of days, leaving behind nothing more than a linear scar. In FUE, using a suction like tool, grafts are removed individually and implanted instantaneously.
• Tissue expansion – Imagine a balloon being placed under a piece of fabric and then air being pumped into that balloon – quite obviously, when the balloon is blown, the fabric will also rise. Something similar happens with the process of tissue expansion – a tissue expander, which is almost like a balloon, is placed under the scalp, where there is healthy hair growth. Over a period of multiple weeks, the expander is filled with saline, which allows the expander to do what it is supposed to do – expand. This also leads to the expansion of the hair bearing tissues, which creates more grafts for implantation.
• Flaps – This is perhaps one of the only procedures in the world of hair transplant that allows for maximum scalp coverage in the littlest amount of time. The procedure is fairly simple – the bald area of the scalp is removed and the part of the scalp with the healthy hair is pulled across the now exposed scalp. Although there is a lot more scarring in this process, because the chances of healthy hair growth are higher, the scars normally get hidden under the new hair.
• Robotic hair restoration – While most people think that robotic hair transplant is the same as an FUE procedure, the fact is that this is a procedure that is used in conjunction with FUE. A robotic device assists the hair transplant surgeon in choosing the right grafts, ensuring optimum extraction and the highest number of usable grafts. The robotic assistance ensures that there is minimal time and effort utilisation and best as well as most natural results.
• NeoGraft and SmartGraft – The NeoGraft and SmartGraft methods are an improvement on the robotic hair transplant procedure, because in these procedures, almost the entire procedures are handled by a computerised system. The basic concept is the same as it is in an FUE procedure, but in the NeoGraft and SmartGraft, the selection process, the extraction and the implantation is also done via computers. The processes ensure better precision, but there has to be an equally experienced doctor at the helm.
Now that we have looked at the
types of hair transplant, it is also important to understand which ones are better and more importantly, which would be more suited for you:
• Why FUT – When there is a really large area of the scalp that needs to be covered in the minimal number of sittings, then this is the choice to be made. This is also a better choice when you want to harvest a larger number of grafts in a single session. Removing the strip from the scalp allows the surgeon to remove the grafts with a certain amount of ease.
• Why FUE – If the area that needs to be covered is smaller and you want a much more natural look, with minimal scarring, then this is the way to go. This is actually a favourite with most hair transplant surgeons, because they harvest individual grafts. Harvesting individual grafts means that the doctor can maintain density in the donor region, while ensuring proper density in the recipient area as well. The scarring in this process is also minimal and when done well, the procedure gives very natural results.
• Why robotic hair transplant – Because the procedure is pretty much the same as a regular FUE, the benefits are also pretty much the same. The system is much more sophisticated in comparison to a normal FUE and the results are generally a lot more precise. The robot ensures that the maximum number of viable grafts are extracted and there is minimal scarring. However, there is one drawback of the robotic method – only 1500 grafts per session can be extracted in one session.
• Why NeoGraft or SmartGraft – There are levels of similarity betwee
FUE and NeoGraft and SmartGraft, in that the basic procedure is pretty much the same. But because these are automated methods, the chances of incorrect extraction or twisting of the grafts during extraction are minimal. In SmartGraft the tools used ensure that there is no damage to the extracted grafts. In the hands of an experienced doctor, the chances of a natural looking hairline are extremely high.
If you are considering a hair transplant, it would be wise to talk to an experienced hair transplant surgeon, before deciding the best course of action.