Hair Transplants: Permanent Solution to Androgenetic Alopecia.

9 cases out of 10 of hair loss are of Androgenetic alopecia called male pattern baldness which occurs due to shrinkage of hair follicles and result into shedding of hairs. On average basis 80-100 hairs we lose daily but these get replaced by new hairs if your hairs are not getting replaced with new one it means you are affected from Androgenetic baldness.

If we count it on Norwood scale then if the person is having hair loss of scale three then it can be cured with the medicines alone but if the scale is one unit higher then it is next to impossible to cure by medicines alone. Along with the medicines hair loss can be controlled in grade 4 but bald areas can be regained with full hair only with hair transplantation.

Hair transplant is surgical method in which person’s own hairs are used to cover baldness. This surgery can be done with two methods. One is gold standard method called follicular unit transplant method in which strip of hair is taken from scalp and after dissecting in smaller groups implanted into thinning or bald areas.

Other is advanced method called follicular unit extraction method in which with small punches hair follicles are taken individually and harvested into bald areas.  It is quite safe and painless treatment done under local anesthesia.

Person can get natural and dense hair for lifetime without risks and complications. After few weeks patients may witness growth of  transplanted hairs but actual results can be obtained after complete one year.

Why Some Patients do not Shed after Hair Transplant Surgery?

Hair shedding is the common function of body as on daily basis 50-100 hairs shed. Human hair undergo through lifecycle which has three stages anagen, catagen and telogen that are active growth phase, transitional phase and resting phase respectively. So old hair shed and new hair grow is quite normal function of human body.

However some people suffer fr4om the hair loss which is not normal they undergo the treatments of hair restoration. But even after hair transplant some people shed hair and some not.

Why transplanted hair shed?

Transplantation is the procedure under which the hair follicles that are loss resistant and healthy are transferred from the donor area to the bald areas.

However the extracted follicles are loss resistant but still they shed after surgery. But there is nothing to be worry it is normal that in starting 2 -3 weeks transplanted shed and after that they grow again normally.

Hair follicles shed due to the trauma which they suffer during the surgeries and even they get blood supply from the vessels and when they extracted then for the time being their blood supply cut off. Transplanted follicles undergo trauma and shortage of blood supply for the time when they were outside the body they fall which is also known as shock loss.  Due to shock loss hair shafts shed but not the dermal papilla from where the new hairs grow so there is nothing to worry.

Reason for not shedding after surgery

As discussed shedding is normal but still it can be prevented due to which some patients do not shed after hair transplant. Extra care provided to grafts when they are outside the body can prevent the shock loss.

If transplant surgeries are done with minimal trauma and with shortest time gap between extraction and transplantation then this shedding can be prevented. For the time when follicles are outside body then these must be kept in optimal storage solution enriched with required nutrition and moisture for follicles to ensure the longer survival of grafts.

So there is need to ask for the pre and post treatment care before going hair transplant.