Hair Transplant

What Is a Hair Transplant?

Used in the U.S. since the 1950s, hair transplantation is surgery that involves removing a narrow strip of hair-bearing scalp from the back of the head and using it to fill an area with thin or no hair.

Most hair transplants are performed in the doctor's office under local anesthesia.

To transplant hair, the surgeon first cleans the scalp, then injects an anesthetic to numb the area where a 3- to 4-inch strip of scalp will be removed. After removing the strip of scalp with a scalpel, the surgeon sets it aside and sews the scalp closed. This area is immediately hidden by the hair around it.

Next, the surgeon divides the strip of removed scalp into approximately 500 to 2,000 tiny grafts containing an individual hair or just a few hairs each. The number and type of graft used depends on the hair type, quality, and color as well as the size of the area where it will be transplanted.

After the grafts are prepared, the surgeon cleans and numbs the area where the hair will be placed, creates holes or slits with a scalpel or needle, and delicately places each graft in one of the holes.

Depending on the extent of the procedure, the transplant will take approximately four to eight hours. Sometimes additional sessions are needed if you continue to lose hair or decide you want thicker hair.

Expectations and Recovery

After hair transplant surgery, your scalp may be very tender. You may need to take pain medications for several days. Your surgeon will have you wear a surgical dressing over the scalp for at least a day or two. Your surgeon may also prescribe an antibiotic and/or anti-inflammatory drug to be taken for several days following surgery. Most people are able to return to work two to five days after surgery.

Within two to three weeks after surgery, the transplanted hair will fall out, but you should start to notice new growth within a few months. Most people will have attained 60% of new hair growth after six to nine months. Some surgeons prescribe the hair-growing drug minoxidil (Rogaine) to improve hair growth following transplantation, but it is not known how effective this is.

Risks and Costs of Treatment

The cost of hair transplantation will depend largely on the amount of hair to be transplanted, but it generally ranges from $4,000 to $15,000. The procedure is rarely covered by insurance.

As with any surgical procedure, hair transplantation carries risks, including bleeding and infection. Other risks that can occur with hair transplants include scarring and unnatural-looking new hair growth.

Around the time new hair growth starts, some people experience inflammation or infection of the hair follicles, called folliculitis. This can be relieved with antibiotics and compresses. Another potential risk is the sudden loss of transplanted hair, called shock loss. Fortunately, this hair loss is rarely permanent.

If you are bothered by thinning hair or balding, hair transplantation can significantly improve your appearance and self-confidence. However, it is important to understand that hair transplantation is just that -- transplantation of hair you already have to a place where it is more visible. It does not create new hair.

To minimize the risks and improve the success of surgery, it is important to undergo hair transplantation only if you are healthy. You should always discuss the potential risks and benefits of any surgery with your doctor.

Treatments For Hair Loss

Have you noticed strands of hair on your comb or down the drain when you wash your hair? Is this stressing you out? Stop and take a deep breath right now as stress will only worsen the situation. It is in fact, a major cause of hair fall. (Read more about causes of hair fall). According to hair experts, losing 50-100 strands of hair every day is fairly normal. It is only a cause of concern when you lose more than that. But you can stop hair fall in its tracks with these simple home remedies. Here’s how you can make them.

1. Onion juice

Onion is a rich source of sulphur which helps in hair growth by increasing collagen production. Using its juice on the scalp can help in controlling hair fall.

Steps:

• Chop one onion finely and squeeze out its juice.
• Apply the juice on your scalp and let it stay for 15 minutes.
• Now rinse with a mild shampoo and let your hair air dry.
• Use this twice a week to see results.

2. Garlic 

Like onion, garlic too has high sulphur content. This is the reason why it is used in traditional hair regrowth medicines. 

Steps:

• Crush a few cloves of garlic.
• Add coconut oil to it and boil the mixture for a few minutes.
• Let it cool down a bit and then massage it on your scalp.
• You can leave it on for 30 minutes and then wash your hair.
• Do this two times in a week.

3. Coconut

This ingredient has several benefits for your hair. Not only does it promote hair growth, but also conditions it. It has essential fats, minerals and proteins which reduce hair breakage. Coconut is rich in potassium and iron. You can use coconut oil or milk to prevent hair fall.

Steps:

• Warm a bit of coconut oil and massage it from your hair root to tip.
• Wash after one hour.
• Or, grate a coconut and squeeze out its milk by mixing in a little water.
• Apply it on the area where you notice thinning or balding.
• Let it stay overnight and wash off the next morning.

4. Henna

It is mostly used as a natural hair colour or conditioner but henna has properties that can strengthen your hair from the root. If you combine it with other ingredients, it makes for a better hair pack. 

Steps:

• Take 250 ml of mustard oil in a tin can and add 60g of washed and dried henna leaves.
• Now boil the mixture the leaves burn and then filter the oil.
• Massage your scalp with it on a regular basis and store the rest in an airtight bottle.
• You can make another henna pack by mixing dry henna powder with curd.
• Apply it on scalp and hair and wash off after one hour. If you desire beautiful hair, try these other home-made henna hair packs.

5. Hibiscus

Also called shoe flower, hibiscus nourishes hair, prevents premature greying, treats dandruff and also controls hair fall.  

Steps:

• Crush a few flowers and mix sesame or coconut oil to make a paste.
• Apply on the scalp and hair and leave it on for a few hours.
• Rinse off with cold water using a mild shampoo.

Try these other hibiscus hair packs too.

6. Amla or Indian gooseberry

For people suffering from hair fall, amla or the Indian gooseberry is a blessing. It is packed with vitamin C and antioxidants that can reverse hair loss if it is in its initial stage. 

Steps:

• Use either amla juice or powder and mix it with lemon juice.
• Apply it on the scalp and leave it to dry.
• Rinse hair using lukewarm water. Here are some more hair packs with amla for hair fall.

7. Egg

Egg has several ingredients that can prevent or control hair fall. It is a rich source of sulphur and ahs phosphorous, selenium, iodine, zinc and protein. All these promote hair growth. 

Steps:

• Take the white of one egg and mix in a teaspoon of olive oil.
• Beat to give a paste-like consistency and apply to the entire scalp and hair.
• Keep it on for about 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse with cool water and a mild shampoo. Here are some easy tips to help avoid hair loss. 

What Causes Hair Loss

Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair loss shouldn't cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair. As people age, hair tends to gradually thin. Other causes of hair loss include hormonal factors, medical conditions and medications.

Hormonal factors

The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition called male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness. In genetically susceptible people, certain sex hormones trigger a particular pattern of permanent hair loss. Most common in men, this type of hair thinning can begin as early as puberty.

Hormonal changes and imbalances can also cause temporary hair loss. This could be due to pregnancy, childbirth, discontinuation of birth control pills or the onset of menopause.

Medical conditions

A variety of medical conditions can cause hair loss, including:

• Thyroid problems. The thyroid gland helps regulate hormone levels in your body. If the gland isn't working properly, hair loss may result.
• Alopecia areata. This disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks hair follicles — causing smooth, roundish patches of hair loss.
• Scalp infections. Infections, such as ringworm, can invade the hair and skin of your scalp, leading to hair loss. Once infections are treated, hair generally grows back.
• Other skin disorders. Diseases that can cause scarring, such as lichen planus and some types of lupus, can result in permanent hair loss where the scars occur.

Medications

Hair loss can be caused by drugs used to treat:

• Cancer
• Arthritis
• Depression
• Heart problems
• High blood pressure

Other causes of hair loss

Hair loss can also result from:

• A physical or emotional shock. Many people experience a general thinning of hair several months after a physical or emotional shock. Examples include sudden or excessive weight loss, a high fever, or a death in the family.
• Hair-pulling disorder. This mental illness causes people to have an irresistible urge to pull out their hair, whether it's from the scalp, their eyebrows or other areas of the body. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves patchy bald spots on the head.
• Certain hairstyles. Traction hair loss can occur if the hair is pulled too tightly into hairstyles such as pigtails or cornrows.

About Acne

About Acne:
Acne is a disease in which the hair follicles on your skin become clogged and infected. This results in one of the three types of acne lesions to form.

The production of excess sebum is the culprit. It causes the follicles to become blocked. The medical community is still uncertain as to what triggers this excess production. Sebum is produced by the sebaceous oil gland and everybody needs a small amount to achieve healthy skin. Sebum helps protects the skin from harmful bacteria by washing it away.

Types of Acne Lesions:

The three types of acne lesions are whiteheads & blackheads (also known as closed and open comedones respectively), papules & pustules, and cysts.

Whiteheads as the name suggests, look like white bumps. They form under the skin and never reach the surface. This makes them very hard to eliminate. Blackheads grow upward and break the skins surface. This enlarged follicle and the oxidation of the dead cells, sebum, and bacteria have a black color, hence the name.

Papules form when a whitehead burst and the bacteria spreads to the surrounding tissues under the skin. This causes your body’s immune system to increase its fight on the infection making the inflammation worse. They appear as small, firm, red bumps. Pustules form as the body’s immune system continues to fight the infection by sending pus to the area. They appear similar to a papules with the addition of a yellowish white head.

Cysts are the third and final type of acne lesion. They form when a pustule worsens and expands further down under the skins surface. They appear red or purple and are very painful. This is the most serious of all types of acne lesions.

Types of Acne:

Acne can not only be classified by the types of acne lesions, but further broken down by acne type; depending on what types of lesions you have. People whose acne consists of whiteheads and blackheads would have what is called comedonal acne. A mix of blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules acne lesions is called acne vulgaris and is the most common type of acne. The third type of acne is called cystic acne and it is when someone has all three types of acne lesions with numerous cysts.

Who Can Get Acne:

While most people associate acne with teens, anybody can experience some type of acne at any age. That said certain groups of people are more likely to experience acne. They include teens, people under stress, people who have a family history of the disease, people taking certain drugs and adult women.