Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplant
One of the most common hair transplantation after Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). In FUE procedure, a small punch is used to remove the hair scions, one after another, separately, from the scalp and then implanted naturally into the thinning or bald areas of the scalp. This process of hair transplantation is more common amongst those who wants to keep their hair short.
FUE hair transplant surgery do leave tiny pinch hole scars on the scalp which can be obscured with the hair growth. Due to the scrupulous process, FUE takes longer time to finish.
What are the advantages of FUE Hair Transplant?
Following are some of the benefits of FUE Hair transplant:
- It has no linear scar as in FUT and is concealed with the growth of hair.
- It has more natural look results
- Donor hair grafts are not limited to scalp and can be taken from any part of the body.
- Lesser pain treatment
- Healing days are generally 2-3 days
- Sports activities can be resumed after a week
- Economical than FUT treatment
For more information about FUE Hair Transplantation at BMACS, or book a consultation or an appointment, please call us at 02036330332
Some Precautions to be Taken Before the Operation
There are some following instructions which the patient needs to follow before the hair transplant operation:
- Completely avoid supplements such as Vitamin B & E and Aspirin, since last four days before the procedure.
- Completely avoid alcohol during the last four days before the procedure.
- Sleep well the night before.
- Properly wash your hair.
- Be comfortable by dressing up comfortably and bring extra pair of clothes.
- Completely avoid coffee/tea or any caffeinated drinks from the night before the surgery.
Steps of the Hair Transplant Procedure
On the day of the operation, BMACS doctor will inspect the patient’s head. The patient’s picture will be taken and the hair will be trimmed to prepare them for the hair transplantation. If the patient has any questions, they can ask in the meantime. Following are the steps taken, there after:
Step 1. Local anaesthesia will be injected at the back of the neck to numb the area so that the operation process will be painless. In most of the cases, patient s fall asleep during the procedure.
Step 2. Starting the implantation phase by harvesting the healthy hair follicles and opening the channels. In the long process of 2-4 hours, the healthy follicles are collected by using micro-motors of 0.6 to 1mm in diameter. These hair follicles are stored in Hypothermosol FRS the storage solution.
Step 3. In this step, the hair follicles collected will be counted and the patient can have lunch and rest.
Step 4. One of the most important process of FUE hair transplantation procedure by then doctor, the equivalent number of channels to hair follicles collected will be unlocked. The process will take almost 1.5 hours.
Step 5. Now the hair follicles are planted into the opening channels using customised channel needles which is 2-3hours process.
Precautions and care to be taken after operation
There are some important precautions to be taken after the operation:
- Never go out without wearing a comfortable loose hat.
- Do not lift anything heavy, playing any sports and sexual intercourse.
- Avoid sunlight in the first month post operation.
- Take medicines on time as advised by the doctor.
What to expect just after the operation?
Small amount of bleeding can be expected at the back of the neck just after the operation. It is not uncommon so do not worry.
1-10 Days Post Hair Transplant Procedure
The patient should expect mild swelling around the forehead area just after the procedure for three days.
They can also experience blood clots at the openings which subsides in 5-7 days. The recipient area will be pink for a few weeks.
The shells will fall out somewhere between 7-10 days.
11-90 Days Post Hair Transplant Procedure
After three weeks of the process, the patient will experience the temporary phase, which is dormant, known as the Telogen phase. In this phase, the patient will lose 15%-85% of the grafted hair. This is absolutely normal and nothing to worry about.
5-6 Months Post Hair Transplant Procedure
During the Telogen phase, the process gets slow down as the hair follicles rest under the patient’s scalp. After several weeks, the patient can see some new hair growing on the scalp. The average time period of new hair growth is three months but it differs from patient to patient.
Due to the new hair growth, the patient can experience an acne-like itching in the area of operation. This is due to the new hairs which are trying to grow through the scalp. This should be considered as normal. There might be some an ingrown hair condition as well which is temporary and should be considered as a good sign in the process.
8-10 Months Post Hair Transplant Procedure
During this period, the patient will experience the most prominent results. The hair will be thicker and longer. The scalp will have greater density of hair than the initial stage.
12-24 Months Post Hair Transplant Procedure
After an year of the hair transplant, the patient will see the final result. There may still be the time for perfections over a year.
12-24 months is an average time mentioned here for the perfections. Now the hair will keep on growing as normal and the patient can style it in any way. They can use any shampoos or hair products, as per their wish. No precautions need to be taken.
For more information about Hair Transplantation at BMACS, or book a consultation or an appointment, please call us at 02036330332