In this article, Dr. Francisco Javier Jimenez Acosta from Mediteknia (Las Palmas) helps us clarify the most common doubts about hair transplantation.
Before beginning to solve the most frequent doubts on the subject, we tell you some interesting data about Hair Transplant:
- In some forms of alopecia it is necessary to go to surgical treatment to achieve optimal results.
- The technique of capillary grafting using micrografts (this is hair by hair), is a minimally invasive surgery performed under local anesthesia, does not require admission, and the patient is reincorporated into his normal social-work life after a few days.
- Currently, the most common technique used is hair transplantation using follicular micrografts.
- The technique of hair transplantation has improved considerably in recent years, to such an extent that we can say that it is a procedure that allows to obtain totally natural results.
This treatment is carried out by the Dr. Francisco Javier Jimenez Acosta in the Mediteknia Clinic in the city of Las Palmas, recognized dermatologist with more than 20 years of experience in this specialty. With it, we solve the main doubts on the subject:
Interview with Dr. Francisco Javier Jiménez Acosta, dermatologist at Mediteknia (Las Palmas):
Q: What is the hair transplant treatment?
R: The technique of hair transplantation is based mainly on the relocation of hair from an area of the scalp that does not suffer the process of baldness, this is the donor area. After this, that hair is taken to the receiving area, which is the area without hair or lack of density. Once the medical treatment is done, the transplanted hair will keep the same characteristics of its original location, that is, it does not follow the baldness process and it is not lost.
The capillary implant is based on a specific area of the body: the area of the neck. The hair follicles of this area are genetically resistant to baldness, hence it is almost never affected by it. The transplant is done with the follicles of the same patient, removing them from the area where "left over" and putting them in the area where they "are missing". Through this technique, individual follicles are implanted, one by one. It is a very laborious intervention, lasting many hours, which allows the patient to obtain a satisfactory and totally natural result.
P: For which patients is capillary transplant treatment indicated?
R: It is indicated for androgenetic alopecia, which is the most common alopecia. Both men and women with androgenetic alopecia can undergo hair transplantation as long as they have an adequate donor area. Transplantation can also be done on some types of scarring alopecias.
P: Are there different types of hair transplants?
R: There are two types of hair transplant depending on how the follicles are obtained from the donor area. There is the technique of the strip and the FUE technique. The latter is the most recent and preferred by most patients because it leaves no linear scar. The disadvantage is that you have to shave the donor area to extract the grafts with the FUE technique.
P: Is the intervention painful?
R: If you are careful with local anesthesia, the transplant is not painful. Obviously if the local anesthesia is not placed properly or in insufficient quantity it can hurt, so it is very important to know how to put the local anesthetic correctly. We use vibration devices and blunt microcanulas that make the application of anesthesia dry practically painless.
P: In order to perform a micrografting, do you have to stop hair loss in advance?
R: As the androgenetic alopecia is progressive, the patient should know that the micrografting must be combined with a medical treatment to prevent the loss of non-transplanted hair hair over the years.
Q: Can implanted hair fall?
R: Over the years, something may be weakened by aging itself, but it does not suffer the consequences of androgenetic alopecia, since follicles are obtained from an area that is not sensitive to androgens. Therefore we can say that the implanted hair does not fall.
P: After a microtransplant, when do I start to see the results?
R: At 6 months the result can be assessed although the maximum result can be seen one year after the transplant.
P: Can the hair transplanted in a microtransplant be dyed?
R: Yes you can dye. Actually the patient will not notice what hair is transplanted and what is not. Well it's the same hair; we're just changing it.