What Our Patients Says​

At present, there are only two FDA approved medicines;

Minoxidil lotions 2% and 5% – It has to be applied daily twice over the affected area for many years.

5-alpha reductase inhibitors 1mg tablet – one tablet daily.

These medicine are relatively safe with safety data of more than 10 years & do not have  very serious side effects.

However, these treatments need to be taken for longer duration thereby making the cost of therapy a bit expensive.

the results are visible as long as the therapy is taken & are not very much effective in excessive baldness.

the aforesaid medicines are very useful in following situations.

1. Early hairloss & thinning.
2. After hair transplantsurgery to promote hair growth & to prevent further hair loss in the remaining scalp.
3. In those cases where hair transplantation can not be done.

No, there is no non surgical method for hair Transplant

Both techniques are used for the purpose of hair loss evaluation

Trichogram: Semi invasive method in which hair plucked from the scalp are microscopally  examined & provides information about the state of proximal end of hair shaft & distal end.

• Therefore it is a record of different phases of hair cycle.
• Useful tool for clinical evaluation, diagnosis & monitoring of treatment response.

Trichoscan: Non invasive method

• Gives a magnified view of hair & scalp skin.
• It estimates hair density & hair thickness.

Hair weaving

Non invasive procedure

Temporary cosmetic method of treatment.

In this a wig/hair extensions are attached to the existing hair with pins and clips to provide the appearance of a full crown and voluminous hair.

Disadvantages

• The hairs do not grow and the person who undergoes hair weaving, will have a fixed hairstyle.
• Cannot be daily removed therefore hair washing becomes difficult thus compromising hair hygiene.
• This can lead to SCALP INFECTIONS like folliculitis, dandruff and bad smell.
• It can damage normal hair follicles.
• It can lead to Traction Alopecia i.e since weaves are tied to original hair, there is a constant pull on natural hair leading to hair loss.
• Also, frequently the pins and clips become loose and have to be tightened-thus leading to maintenance expenditure.

As explained earlier, there are only two medicines for male pattern baldness and the only permanent method for treatment is hair transplantation.

Yes. The transplanted hair is removed from back of the scalp (i.e. donor site) and transferred to bald site (recipient site).

The transferred tissue is not “rejected” as it is not foreign tissue. The transplanted hair maintains it’s own characteristics; colour, texture, growth rate, and curl, after transplantation and re-growth.

The vitality of the grafted follicle is maintained by the rich blood supply to the scalp.

Yes. Women are increasingly having hair transplant operations and can undergo the procedure.

With latest updates in instruments and techniques truly natural results can be achieved by transplanting small grafts very close together. It has been found that hair grows from the scalp in groups of one, two, and three hair follicles – called follicular or hair units. These hair units are transplanted resulting in a denser and more natural result.

In the 1970s, large circular grafts containing 15-20 hairs were transplanted, resulting in noticeable and unnatural results. This is not the case anymore.

It is very important for the patient to make sure that the doctor who performs hair transplantation has had previous formal training. Dermatologists and Plastic surgeons with proper specific training in hair transplantation are best suited to perform the surgery.

A number of doctors claim to perform the surgery with very little or no training in the field. This is particularly true of the old technique of punch transplantation which is easy, but yields disastrous results. Avoid getting hair transplant in absence of qualified dermatosurgeon or plastic surgeon.

The very best candidates for hair transplants are men in their late 20s-30s and 40s. Very young people – who are in their late teens or in their early 20s need proper counselling since baldness and the future pattern of hair loss is not yet established.

Also, these young people are often obsessed about hair loss and end up getting operated early for very small patches, leading to many hair transplants. 

Remember: Hair Transplantation is a Treatment for Baldness, not for small areas of thinning of hair!! Such early baldness should be treated by medicines.

The procedure is relatively simple and is performed as an outpatient procedure. Patients can go home the same day-no admission is necessary.

No surgery is with out any complications. You will be given a detailed consent sheet with a full list of complications which you will have to sign prior to the procedure. You are welcome to ask for any clarifications on any doubt you may have.

However, the complications are extremely rare and the procedure very safe.

Remember: This is an operation in skin only, reaching up to a depth of only 5 mm.

You will be given analgesics to prevent pain and antibiotics to prevent infection. Mild swelling of forehead may be noticed after the surgery, which can be easily controlled with ice packs or anti-inflammatory medicines. Allergy to local anesthetic, infection of operated site, delayed healing, delayed hair growth can happen rarely.

Pustules (small boils or pimples) may occur in the second month and represent reaction to hair; they do not represent infection. They are self limiting and subside with in 2-4 weeks.

During surgery, diluted anesthetic solution is injected in the donor site for anesthesia and to minimize bleeding. The water in the solution may descend down due to gravity and result in swelling on 2-3rd post-operative day.

However, this is mild, temporary (lasting ~2 days) and can be prevented by using a tight plaster on forehead. It is easily treated by the use of ice compresses or steroids orally.

The number of the sessions will depend on

The area of scalp treated,

The number and size of grafts used,

The density which the patient desires,

The individual characteristics of the patient, e.g. coarse hair will provide a more dense look than fine hair.

It should be clearly understood that hair transplantation gives you new hair in a bald area, but it can not prevent future loss of existing hair. Hence, if the patient has significant hair remaining at the time of surgery, he will need to use medicine to prevent further hair loss.

Alternatively, he may undergo a second hair transplantation if he loses further hair.