What is hair loss?

• Hair loss can be defined as severe hair fall with slow hair regrowth. Severe and permanent hair loss can result in bald patches and a receding forehead hairline. 
• It is caused by a number of reasons. In most cases, if identified in time, hair loss is reversible or can be easily managed by non-surgical hair loss treatments like hair PRP and Regenera Activa supported by medication. But in cases of irreversible hair loss and bald patches, a hair transplant procedure is required.

What Are The Causes of hair loss?

Causes of hair loss are:

• Genetics
• Ageing 
• Gender- bald spots and hair loss is more common in men
• Medical conditions like alopecia areata, scalp psoriasis
• Hormonal imbalance conditions like Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), thyroid abnormalities 
• Medications
• Diet poor in  biotin, iron, protein, or zinc
• Stressed lifestyle 
• Childbirth
• Cancer therapy
• Poor hair care regimen
• Traction alopecia due to pulled up hairstyles
• Infection of the scalp

What Are The Symptoms of hair loss?

Hair loss, aka alopecia, can be sudden or gradual affecting the scalp. Hair loss includes:

• Male pattern alopecia, aka androgenetic alopecia, is the gradual thinning of hair on top of the head. This is the most common type of hair loss in men and is associated with ageing. It presents as a receding hairline on the forehead.
• Frontal fibrosing alopecia affects women and is common in older women.
• Alopecia aerata is circular or patchy hair loss on the scalp, beard or eyebrows. The skin of the scalp may become itchy or painful before the hair falls out.
• Overall, hair thinning of hair due to sudden loosening of hair. Hair fall is due to physical or mental shock resulting in severe hair loss while combing or washing. 
• Hair loss due to fungal infection with scaling patches that spread over the scalp accompanied by redness and swelling with or without pus discharge.

Are You Eligible for a Hair Transplant?

• The patient can opt for a hair transplant: 
• In cases of severe hair loss resulting in bald patches and receding forehead hairline
• In patients not responding well to non-surgical treatment options 
• Ideal patients for hair transplant are:
• Patients above 18 years of age 
• Androgenetic alopecia patients with healthy hair follicles donor sites
• Patients having a good volume of healthy hair follicles for transplant
• Patients with thick hair textures are also considered ideal for hair transplant
• Certified doctors will analyse the scalp and hair with the help of different diagnostic tools and will guide the patient on deciding the best option as per the concerns.
• Treatment protocol will also be dictated by your hair type.
  

Why choose MEDSTAR for hair transplant? The MEDSTAR Advantage 

Our patients benefit from surgical options for hair transplants like FUE and FUT under one roof at Medstar Aesthetics and Multispeciality Centre in Dubai. The patient can easily choose the best-suited option as per the convenience and concern. We have experienced surgeons and a hair transplant team for the guidance, recommendations and treatment of hair loss with the help of hair transplant procedures. We also provide a complete range of analysis and examination procedures of the scalp for the best results.

• Pre-op instructions:
• Stop taking blood-thinning medications 5-7 days before the procedure or as advised by the doctor
• Stop smoking at least 10-14 days before the procedure
• Wear a button shirt for easy removal after the procedure
• Shave the donor and recipient areas 4 days before the procedure
• In the case of grey hair, color them 7 days before the appointment for a better visibility
• Do not apply hair styling products like gel before the appointment
• Wear a cap to protect hair from dust
• Arrange someone to drive back you to home
• Post-op instructions:
• Apply ice cubes for redness, pain, and swelling. If required, take prescribed medications.
• Avoid scratching or rubbing or using the comb on transplanted grafts for the next 7 days
• Prevent wetting of the head, use shower caps during bath
• Sleep with the head raised slightly above the body
• Change bandages as instructed and keep the area transplanted and recipient site clean and dry
• Avoid sun exposure, gym, and saunas for the next 7 days
• Do not worry about graft loss during 2nd-week post-treatment, they will regrow again in 2-3 months.
• Do not use hair styling products or hair cosmetics for the next 7 days
• Eat a healthy diet

After the surgery, the patient will feel pain in the scalp for several days. Medications are prescribed for relief from pain and to avoid any infection. The patient will be advised to wear a bandage over the scalp for a couple of days. The patient can return to work after 2-5 days post-treatment. Grafts fall out after 2-3 weeks and regrow back within 2 -3 months resulting in permanent healthy hair growth.

Is hair transplant permanent?

Yes, hair transplant surgery has permanent results. The transplanted hair will undergo ageing and thinning like normal hairs. Extra hair loss treatments like hair PRP might be required to achieve the desired hair growth and volume. Final results also depend upon the factors like:

• Patient’s age 
• The health of hair and hair follicles
• Response of scalp 
• Type and texture of hair

Is a hair transplant painful?

The hair transplant procedure is performed under local anesthesia so it is a virtually painless procedure. After the procedure, the patient will feel pain, redness and swelling on the scalp for a couple of days and is advised to take prescribed medications to get relief from these symptoms. Also, to reduce swelling and redness, ice can be applied after the procedure.

Which is better: FUT or FUE?

FUT and FUE can be compared as follows:

The results of FUT and FUE are natural and healthy hair growth. The doctor will help you to decide on the type of hair transplant according to your scalp condition, concern and budget.

What are the risks of a hair transplant?

Normal side effects of hair transplant are redness, swelling, and pain in the scalp and donor site for a couple of days. Medications are prescribed by the doctor for relief from temporary symptoms. Other possible risks associated with hair transplants are:

• Allergic reaction to anesthesia
• Surgical complications like bleeding or wound infection
• Scarring resulting in reddened, raised and itchy scars
• Reduced sensation due to nerve damage during the hair transplant
• Necrosis of skin grafts

How much healing time is required after a hair transplant?

The healing time required after a hair transplant depends upon the type of procedure used for the hair loss treatment. Follicular unit extraction requires less time for healing than follicular unit transplant procedure. FUE transplants are completely healed in 10-14 days, while FUT takes 2-3 weeks to heal after the hair transplant procedure.

What is the cost of a hair transplant?

The cost of a hair transplant treatment depends upon the following:

• Type of hair transplant procedure performed
• Number of sessions required to achieve the desired hair growth
• Size of the targeted area for the hair transplant

Can Hair Transplant be done for African Hair Types?

The short answer to that is, “Yes”, but the treatment protocol has to be modified to get better results.

Ethnic groups from Africa have what is called Afro-textured hair, or, kinky hair. These hair types are also common among certain populations from South East Asia. The key characteristic of these hair types is that the hair grows in a helical pattern making traditional Hair Transplant techniques like FUE difficult to perform. For hair types 3A to 4B, our doctors recommend using FUT, which gives very good results.