Hair loss (Alopecia) is a commonly encountered problems in the current world with increased stresses, depletion of nutritious food habits and increase in fast food and junk foods. Most of the times the hair loss is hereditary and males might develop a pattern know as Androgenetic Alopecia. Not only does it have a genetic component but also it occurs due to 25 Dehydroxy testosterone levels. The hair starts thinning over a period of years before the person starts to experience the cosmetic issues with hair loss. Progressively the hair thins out and finally stops developing and the pores close to create a permanent hair loss. When the area of permanent hair loss increases more of the scalp skin is visible giving rise to the pattern of hair loss. Mostly men develop hair loss from the frontal hair line and temporal areas to then reach the crown of the head.
Management of hair loss should ideally begin at the thinning stage. During this stage, Dr Nisheet recommends medical and conservative management. The person can start supplements after a thorough work up and also start with Minoxidil 2%, 5% or 10%. These patients benefit from PRP (Platelet rich plasma) where in the patients own blood is withdrawn and then processed to retrieve the growth factors and reinject them into the scalp. This not only improves the hair texture but also starts progressively thickening of the hair strands.
Once the pores are closed and a large area of baldness develops, the only option is hair restoretion surgery or hair transplant. It is done under Local anaesthesia. The procedure is minimally discomforting and has minimal risks in patients who are chosen well for surgery. Also, since hair is harvested from the permanent zone of hair, the chances of having stable results for a very long period are higher, unless the patient develops some medical issues in due course of time wherein there could be loss of transplanted hair. The most commonly followed technique is FUE (Follicular Unit extraction technique). Here, individual follicle is harvested with the help of a punch and then transplanted into the recepient site. The other technique is FUT where in a strip of scalp is harvested and then individual follicles are separated outside the body. The transplantation process is similar to FUE. The results are more or less similar in nature, just that FUE doesn’t require any big cuts and stitches.