Hair Transplant

INTRODUCTION

It goes without saying that a woman’s hair is her crown and glory. This is a well repeated verse since time immemorial. In fact it can be even said that hair is every woman and man’s crown. However, this beauty may not last forever and there are various factors that can cause thinning of the hair in men and women.

INDICATIONS

• Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenic Alopecia)
• Female Pattern Baldness
• Hair loss from previous surgery or trauma
• Hair loss due to congenital conditions ie cleft lip
• Hair loss due to previous burn injury

PRE-OPERATIVE PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT

During the initial visit, the plastic surgeon will assess the patient in the following aspects

• The cause of hair loss whether is due to androgenic alopecia, a diseases, medications or because of physiological process. This is a very important step as incorrect indication for hair transplantation will result in unsatisfactory outcomes for the patients.
• At least one week prior to the procedure, the patient will be advised to stop traditional herbs or medications that can lead to post-operative bleeding. It is important to get the appropriate medical advice prior to doing so.

PROCEDURE

• On the day of the procedure the patient will be advised to wash the hair gently at home and avoid shaving the hair. Shaving will only be done in the operation theatre by the surgical team.
• In the procedure room, the patient head will be cleansed with saline and hibitane solution.
• The hairs will then be shaved using a machine to an adequate remaining length.
• Local anaesthetic will be injected to create a scalp block.
• Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) of the hair follicles will be performed and all follicles will be placed in a petry dish containing Hartmann solution.
• Subsequently, the hair will be transplanted into the recipient site using either a needle technique or hair planter instrument.
• After completion of the procedure, the transplanted hair area will be dressed and bandage applied to the head overnight
• Wound inspection will be performed in the following day.

RISKS

Hair transplantation is a low risk procedure with high satisfaction rate for the patients. The risks if this procedure are the formation of cyst at the hair transplantation site, failure to achieve adequate hair growth and scarring at the graft donor site.

POST-OPERATIVE EXPECTATIONS

The normal hair cycle consists of three phases namely the Anagen, Telogen and Catagen. During these cycle, the hair will undergo a period of growth followed by regression and eventually it will fall. Similarly for transplanted hair, the same cycle will resume.

The patients will be informed that after a short period of rapid growth, the transplanted hair may fall off. This process is a normal physiological process. The transplanted follicles will subsequently regrow new hair follicles.

Proper pre-operative planning will prevent a potential complication of unsightly island of hair in the future as the non-transplanted hair continues to fall off. A correctly designed areas of hair transplantation will ensure the patient has long-lasting desirable outcomes.