Which is the better technique - FUE or FUT?

 

The choice of FUE or FUT varies according to patient profile and budget considerations. FUE may be a great choice for one patient but unsuitable for another. FUE requires more surgeon involvement while FUT relies more on technicians and hence is often cheaper - both give excellent results in the correctly selected patients. Please read the hair transplant section for more information.

 

How long does the hair take to regrow after transplant?

 

Generally after a transplant the implanted hair will fall out over 4-6 weeks. The roots (hair follicles) remain in the scalp and after a period of rest begin making new hair which is initially quite thin. This process may start as early as the third month of transplant or may take 9-12 months in some patients. On an average 6 months is when some hair regrowth can usually be seen. The hair will gain thickness with each cycle and generally after one year a patient can expect good density in the transplanted area.

 

Can anything be done to make the hair regrow faster?

 

The answer is yes. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) can be combined with hair transplantation - at the time of transplant (so called ‘Biostimulated FUE’) as well as monthly sessions afterwards for 4-6 months. This has been shown to hasten hair regrowth by as much as 50%.

 

Are these hair permanent?

 

Whether these hair are permanent or not depends on many factors. If hair are extracted using good surgical technique from the ‘safe’ donor area then it is reasonable to assume that they will last many decades and give lasting results. If however hair have been harvested from areas of the scalp prone to miniaturisation then they may be lost after a few years.

This is one reason why it is preferable to do multiple smaller sessions (1500-2000 hair follicles) of hair transplant than one ‘mega’ session (3000-5000 hair follicles) or ‘giga’ session (> 5000 hair follicles). In these larger sessions hair are often indiscriminately harvested from the donor area leading to poor results later in life. Some transplant surgeons combine beard and body hair  to make up numbers after taking 2000-3000 hair from the scalp. This is a better practice if one is very keen on a mega or giga session. Another reason against doing large sessions is surgeon, patient, and technician fatigue leading to poor surgical technique in the latter part of surgery.  Decreased graft survival due to more ‘out of body’ time is another concern with large sessions. Many of the world’s authorities on hair transplantation do not do large sessions for the reasons mentioned above.  ‘Mega’ and ‘giga’ sessions are an asian phenomenon in the recent years - primarily done for marketing reasons. Hair transplantation is not a one time process - a person getting a transplant in their 30’s will most likely require another transplant in 7-10 years for other areas of hair thinning, and thus it is essential to have a long term plan for hair conservation. Exhausting all available grafts in the 30’s or 40’s is not a good idea in the long run.

 

Can someone else’s hair be used for hair transplantation?

 

No, the body will reject these hair. Only a person’s own hair can be used for hair transplantation.

 

What is the down time after surgery? Do I need to stay home?

 

It takes about a week to recover from a hair transplant. There may be mild discomfort in the first 1-2 days of the post transplant period and some facial swelling on the 3rd or 4th day which usually lasts only a few days. A loose cap can be worn from the 3rd day onwards and if one does not have a public dealing job work may be resumed as long as it does not involve heavy exertion or sweating. There is some crusting in the implanted hair which gradually clears over 1-2 weeks. The donor area heals by the 7th day and by the 14th day it is often hard to make out the donor sites from a social distance (3 feet).

 

Will the final hair that regrow be just like my natural hair?

 

Yes completely. The hair that regrow are completely natural and it is often impossible for even the transplant surgeon to tell the difference between pre-existing hair and transplanted hair. These hair will grow like their surrounding hair and can be groomed, styled, and cut as desired.