Hair fall is one of the major concerns of people who are ageing. The feeling of distress when you start seeing your hair is thinning and scalp is more visible day by day may have an impact on one’s self-esteem. Remember that you are not alone as more than 50% of the population suffers from hair loss globally and the recent availability of hair transplant comforts the worries of individuals suffering from the problem. The hair loss treatment has evolved along the years into the current most popular modality which is hair transplant by Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular unit extraction (FUE). The outcome is generally positive and yields a high success rate, but it is strongly dependant on the skills of the treating doctors. Thus, choosing the right clinic and doctor is very important and hair transplant by Mediviron can provide you with a smooth sailing journey to gain back your confidence.
For a better understanding, FUT and FUE are the techniques to obtain the hair grafts and the implantation of grafts subsequently is basically the same for both the techniques. FUT is also known as follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS), as suggested by the name, the doctor will remove strips of your scalp from the back of your head by using a scalpel. The collected strips will then be split into approximately 2000 grafts for transplant later. As for FUE, the doctor will shave off the hair on the back of your head and individual follicles will be harvested one by one as grafts, but the grafts collected will be lesser than FUT technique. The scar produced by FUT is a linear scar whereas in FUE there will be multiple small circular scars at the donor region. Generally, FUT will be recommended on a larger scale of transplant and FUE is suitable for smaller transplantation or eyebrow transplantation. A good surgeon will tailor the treatment modality and decide on the best method after a detailed discussion with the patient.
The number of grafts required for the transplant depends solely on the Norwood Classification of hair loss. The surgeon will harvest the optimum amount of grafts after evaluating the pattern of hair loss according to the Norwood Classification. Generally, Norwood Class 2a needs 800-1400 units; Norwood 3, 3 Vertex or 3a needs 1000-1800 units; Norwood 4 or 4a needs 1600 to 2400 units; Norwood 5 or 5a needs 2000-2800 units; Norwood 6 needs 2400-3000; lastly, Norwood 7 needs 2500-3200 units. These figures are the number of grafts needed in the first transplant session, the graft units needed in the subsequent transplant may vary accordingly. The first hair transplant is to establish important goals such as reinforcing the frontal hairline as a permanent frame, providing coverage to the thinned or bald area and also adding sufficient density so the transplant looks natural enough.
It usually takes approximately 10 to 12 months to see the full-blown result of this treatment, the second session can only be considered once the grafts from the first session have already grown in. More graft units are needed for the second session to achieve greater density and more refined hairline. It is also to replace the hair loss from the first session.
After the surgery, you may notice the area will be swollen or you might feel pain at the transplant sites, the surgeon will take good care of your issues and prescribe the appropriate medications to relieve these symptoms. The surgeon will also advise you on some aftercare tips to make sure you can enjoy the maximum effect after the hair transplant surgery.
