Hair Transplant:
Who is a good candidate for Fue procedure?
Male and female patients are good candidates for Fue procedure due to being least invasive in nature, free from linear scar and quick recovery. Millions of men and women around the world are suffering from hair loss. This is due to many factors such as hereditary, hormones, psychological or other health factors. The most common type is androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. Non-surgical medications are recommended in the early stages of hair fall, but if they are not effective then surgical treatments are the last options. Hair transplant is the process of restoring a natural hairline with help of surgery and. This method is used to remove follicles (consisting of one to four strands) from bald resistant parts of the scalp and insert them to bald areas.
Evolution of FUT technique to modern FUE method
History of hair restoration surgery dates back to the early 1930s in Japan where surgeons used to transplant eyebrows and eyelashes of burnt and affected patients. This treatment could not get further recognition due to World War two. After two decades, a New York dermatologist Norman Orentreich successfully performed a hair transplant on one of his patients. These early transplants give very artificial and unnatural results. Medical experts spent two more decades on further advancement in transplant treatment. In the 1980s, small strips were introduced and being used by surgeons. The FUT method was very popular in the 1990s. FUE treatments were introduced in the early 2000s and experts are still working on it.
Popular baldness treatment methods
Two transplantation methods are available to perform surgeries. Both of these methods have different pros and cons. Follicular unit transplantation is the traditional method of transplant and it is also known as strip surgery. In this method, a strip is used to remove follicles from the donor area of the scalp. Follicles are separated from each other and surrounding tissue under a binocular microscope by an expert member of the surgeon’s team. Recipient’s sites are created in the baldness area of the scalp. Separated follicles are transplanted into these recipient sites. Stitches, stainless staples and sutures are used to close the wounds of the donor area. Recovery time is not more than a few days depending upon the health of the patient.
Best candidate for follicular unit extraction method
Follicular unit extraction is the latest and newly emerged procedure. In this treatment, follicles are harvested by the surgeon individually. Tiny round punch less than one millimeter is used to extract follicles by making small incisions on the scalp. Harvested follicles are later transplanted into the recipient area through the same process as in follicular unit transplant. This method is gaining popularity because it does not leave any linear scar on the skin. Hundreds of tiny white wounds remain on skin after the surgery, but they are not visible. As compared to other treatments of baldness, surgical replacement is a little bit expensive. Average cost required for transplant ranges from 75000 Rupees to 200,000 Pak Rupees. FUT is a conventional, but cheap method. FUE costs twice as much as FUT surgery. Most clinics guarantee that hairs will grow through inserted grafts. Hair transplant is not covered under health insurance like other surgeries.