Hair loss problem can occur as a person grows older. Sometimes, early signs of hair fall can be noticed in some patients due to many reasons such as hereditary disorder, medical conditions like alopecia, thyroid or deficiency of vitamins and minerals in daily diet can also cause hair fall problems.
Out of all the treatment options available, hair transplant Surgery is one of the most successful with high success rate. It is a surgical procedure for hair loss patients in which the hair follicles are collected from the back of the patient’s head, which is also known as donor area as the hair growth is substantial in this area. These hair grafts are then transplanted to the recipient area where the hair fall problem occurs. These hair grafts fall within 2 – 3 weeks after transplant and new hair on the scalp starts growing, which is long-lasting.
After the transplant, patients head will have tiny dots where the needle has been used to place the transplanted hair and till new hair starts growing, the hair transplant will be quite noticeable. So, the patients often ask if transplant can be done without cutting the hair short so that it will not be noticeable, like if they have to attend some important functions, official seminars, meetings or any event. In such cases, doctors suggest performing long hair transplant.
Now, the question arises what is long hair transplant and how it is performed?
As the name suggests, the hair in this procedure is not cut short but transplanted with its original length to give immediate results. Long hair transplants are rarely performed but are equally effective. Hair implanted with this procedure generally falls after a period of 3 months and then new hair starts growing. Main merit of this method is that results can be seen immediately. It will take 10 – 15 days for hair to get its original volume and this kind of transplant only requires one session.
How it is different from normal hair transplant?
Long hair transplant is no different from normal hair transplant as it uses same procedure of hair extraction and implantation. The only difference is that the transplanted hair is not cut short and transplanted as it is. The hair growth takes place in the same way as in general procedure; hair follicles settle in the scalp and then, fall out to give way for new hair to grow back. Like in any other transplant, it is advised not to do any stressful activity while the hair follicles are settling down. It is also recommended to cover your head in the initial stage to protect it from sun damage. New hair growth will start in 6 – 9 months and it will be as good as natural hair.
Meanwhile, you should take utmost care and follow the instructions given by your doctor such as taking soft pillow while sleeping, not to bend your head down, avoid smoking and consumption of alcohol, taking nutritious diet and proper medication, etc. All of this will result in superior final outcomes.
A person may sometimes notice his/her hair falling at an abnormal quantity. Hair loss problems are very common these days because of increasing pollution, lack of proper diet, too much stress etc. This problem may also be hereditary in some patients. Men are most common victim of this problem but it does not always leave women in the safe zone. Hair fall problems can occur in various types or forms according to patient’s hair type which are as follows:-
•Hair thinning starting from the top of the head
•Hair fall in patches throughout the head
•Receding hair line
•Full hair loss
There are number of treatments available to solve this problem of hair fall. Out of all these treatments, hair transplant is the most practiced one and it also has 97% success rate which is not assured in any other treatment. Hair transplant is a surgical procedure where patient’s hair follicles are collected from the donor area of his head and are implanted in the recipient area where the hair loss occurs. Hair transplant uses the techniques known as FUT or FUE.
In FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant), the hair follicles of patient are collected from his head by cutting the strip of skin from the back of his head.
On the other hand, in FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), patient’s hair follicles are collected one by one from the back of his head with the help of a needle.
After collecting the hair, grafts are prepared from the same hair and implanted in the area where the balding occurs.
