Hair Transplant
For both men and women hair loss can be quite concerning since hair plays an important role not only in a person’s appearance, but also in how a person feels about themselves. Recent advances in hair transplant methods have made hair transplant surgery an effective option for patients to receive highly realistic and natural looking results. The surgery itself is a walk in walk out procedure with minimal downtime and once it is done the hair will continue to grow for a person’s lifetime.
Overview
Almost 50% of men experienced some degree of hair loss by the time they reach 50. For women these numbers are somewhat different as usually ageing plays a more important part. More often than not, hair loss is much more than just a receding hair line. The effects can deeply affect someone’s confidence and self esteem. Contrary to popular believe, hair loss is not caused by a vitamin deficiency or poor circulation in the scalp. The main drivers for hair loss in both men and women are a combination of the following:
- Genetics
- Hormonal changes
- Ageing
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Luckily we live in a day and age where a solution is available for this common struggle. Our specialist John Papangelopoulos has done over 3000 procedure and has more than 20 years experience in the field.
The procedure is both straight forward and meticulous. Hair transplant surgery involves the relocation of hair bearing skin to the bald or thinning area. Hair follicles are harvested individually (FUE, Follicle Unit Extraction) or multiple follicles are obtained at once as a thin strip of skin (FUT, Follicular Unit Transplantation). Once the follicle units are harvested, they will be placed into sites (needle-sized holes) that are made in the recipient area. These newly placed follicles will start to produce new hair in 2 to 3 months and will reach ‘maturity’ in about a year.
Our specialist Ioannis Papangelopoulos has done over 3000 procedure and has more than 20 years experience
All You Need to Know
When performed by our very experienced surgeon, this procedure will normally be safe. However, the outcome is never 100% predictable. As in any surgical procedure, infection may occur. Also, risks that come with the use of general anesthetics will be there. To minimize these risks we need the patient to be in good physical health.
The Consultation
When you book a consultation for a hair transplant, you get the chance to ask anything you’d like regarding the procedure. Our dermatologic surgeon will guide you through the entire process, from initial information to aftercare. Since having a hair transplant can be a major decision for you, it’s important make yourself as familiar as possible with the procedure. In this light, we recommend to go prepared for your consultation. It is a good idea to have a list of questions written down beforehand. Ask as many questions as you need to. If there is a question you don’t understand then ask your surgeon to explain it until you do.
Here are some example questions to help you:
Will the results look completely natural?
How long does the procedure take?
When will my hair start to grow?
Do I have enough donor hair?
Before the procedure
2 Weeks before procedure – inform your surgeon in case you are taking medicine that can cause problems for the effectiveness of the procedure. These can be blood-thinners, broad beta-blockers or other medicine that your surgeon will inform you about.
1 Week before procedure – stop taking Vitamin B and Vitamin E, and multivitamin pills that contains these. These vitamins will increase bleeding during the procedure. Do not take Aspirin or any other anti-inflammatory pills. It is also highly recommended to stop smoking one week prior to surgery until two weeks after the procedure. Smoking causes constriction of blood vessels and blood flow to the scalp. This will affect the healing process in a negative way.
A couple of days before the procedure it is recommended to start avoiding alcoholic beverages. Alcohol thins the blood and therefor can cause irregular bleeding.
Take Photo’s – by taking photo’s of your scalp before the procedure, you get a visual confirmation on how successful the hair transplant has been. As you might know it’s sometimes difficult to recall how you looked a week or a couple of months ago. By taking photo’s you get a very accurate idea of the results.
During the procedure
The procedure involves removing healthy hair follicles directly from a donor area on the scalp (usually at the back of the head where the hair is plentiful) and grafting them onto the bald or thinning areas.
The treatment is carried out under local rather than general anaesthetic, eliminating risks and downtime associated with other hair transplant procedures. And, because the treatment is minimally invasive, there is no detectable scarring and, in most cases, patients are able to return to work the next day with permanent results.
The method uses a specialised punch device, ranging in diameter from 0.6mm – 0.9mm, to extract follicular units complete with neccessary glands. This seperates surrounding tissue from the unit, meaning minimum trauma and better results, as well as minimal risk of any detectable scarring. Transplantation of all the vital elements of each hair follicle means a better survival rate and better growth. The treatment is performed under a high powered microscope using specialy designed instruments, allowing the surgeon to work with the upmost precision for natural-looking, undetectable results.
After the procedure
How you will feel after the surgery and during your recovery will depend greatly on the extent and complexity of the procedure. In most cases you can resume going to work within a couple of days. Also you can wash your hair gently after 2 days.
For the first week you should take it easy on physical activities that may increase the blood flow to your scalp. If stitches were needed, these will be removed after 10 days.
In a couple of weeks after your surgery your newly transplanted hair may fall out. This is a very normal thing and it will be temporarily. It will regrow again after 5 to 6 weeks.
The Surgeon
Dr Ioannis Papangelopoulos – General Secretary of Hellenic Society for Hair Transplant
Dermatologist, Dermatologic Surgeon
Dr Papangelopoulos is an internationally renowned specialist with over 20 years of experience in the field. He performs hair transplants in several European countries, including Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta. Over the years he has performed over 3000 procedures and is regarded as a true veteran in the field.
Am I a suitable candidate?
Since everyone has a finite number of useable hair follicles, the patient should have enough hair on the sides or back of the head to transplant. Also, your medical history will play in an important part in deciding whether you are a good candidate for a hair transplant. A consultation with our surgeon should clear up all your questions and give you an idea of what results to expect.
Will the procedure be painful?
Hair replacement surgery is very personalized, so the answer to this question is very dependable on the individual. A FUE procedure is relatively painless and the graft will heal in a couple of days. However, not every procedure is the same, and in some cases of a FUT procedure healing can take up to a couple of weeks. Both procedures happen under general anesthetics so the surgery itself will be completely pain free. Pain directly after the surgery and in the healing process can be suppressed with pain killers.
Is the transplant permanent?
Hair transplantation is a permanent solution to hair loss. The transplanted follicles will continue to grow hair for the rest of your life.
*The final price for your surgery will be given to you during your Plastic Surgeon consultation, and before you confirm the surgery, to ensure the maximum transparency.
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