A Permanent Solution To Your Hair Loss: FUE Hair Transplant

Hair Transplant Surgery Clinic, FUE Hair Transplant

With hair loss being a common concern amongst men and women, it is not surprising that more people are seeking help for hair loss treatments to fix their thinning crowns and receding hair lines.

According to The Straits Times, patients undergoing hair regenerative treatments and hair transplants have increased about 10 per cent annually in the last three years.

While there are non-invasive medical hair loss treatments like Minoxidil, Finasteride and low-level laser therapy, not every patient sees results to these treatments. As such, they turn to hair transplant surgery clinics where today’s hair transplant technology promotes hair thickness and fills in a receding hairline.

And FUE, or Follicular Unit Extraction, is a popular hair transplantation technique in Singapore that is often considered by many to address hair loss woes.

How does a hair transplant work

It is a minimally invasive procedure that involves harvesting hairs from a certain area of the scalp, referred to as the “donor site”, and transplanting them onto the balding part of the scalp, called the “recipient site”.

Hair loss is commonly caused by genetics, primarily dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In a process called miniaturization, DHT can bind to receptors in the hair follicles, causing them to weaken, become thinner and shorter with every hair growth cycle. Over time, DHT-affected hair follicles will become dormant, and this leads to the complete end of hair growth.

In both men and women, the overproduction of DHT is a major factor for androgenetic alopecia.

But all hope is not lost, because there is an area on the scalp that is resistant to DHT. Known as the “safe donor zone”, this can be helpful in ensuring the effectiveness of hair transplants. A hair transplant surgeon will move DHT-resistant hairs to the recipient site for a better chance in growing a thicker, fuller head of hair.

The procedure of FUE hair transplant

In FUE hair transplant, the procedure involves extracting individual follicular units of one to four hairs from the safe donor zone, which are then transplanted into the scalp.

Step 1: The donor area of the scalp is shaved.

Step 2: Using a micro-sized instrument, the units are removed through small circular incisions or micropunches (between 0.8mm to 1.1mm in diameter) to isolate the graft.

Step 3: These grafts are extracted, preserved and prepared for placement, while ensuring they remain in optimal condition for the treatment to be effective.

Step 4: Tiny incisions are made in the recipient site before strategically placing in the follicular grafts using special microsurgical forceps or implanters.

When placing the follicular units, this step is carried out with precise aesthetic goals in mind to achieve the most natural-looking results.

Both the process of FUE extraction and the implantation of grafts are extremely time-consuming, as each graft is selected and harvested one at a time, with the implantation also done one graft at a time. A typical procedure can take between 8 to 10 hours and requires the highest amount of skill, manual dexterity and patience.

The grafts are implanted in a similar way to Follicular Unit Transplantation or FUT hair transplant, which differs by having a strip of skin removed from the back of the scalp¹.

Quick recovery time and minimal visible scarring

The advantage of FUE is that scarring tends to be much less visible. Since the incision made is minimal, with the use of a very precise micropunch during extraction, tiny scars are created and are made much less visible after healing.

This is ideal for individuals with light-coloured or short hair, or those who are concerned about leaving behind any visible evidence of a hair transplant surgery.

Plus, recovery time is quicker. The small holes created for FUE heal within a shorter period of time, as compared to FUT which uses the hair strip method. With this technique, grafts can also be extracted from the chest, legs, arms, and beard for added density, especially in individuals with insufficient scalp donor hair.

Hair growth post-FUE

After the transplant, the new follicles will be nourished by blood vessels and are expected to grow hair in the balding or thinning area.

However, during the first few weeks, the grafted hairs tend to shed naturally, and there is little to see in terms of hair growth. This ‘shock hair loss’ phenomenon is a normal, natural and temporary process which occurs as part of the hair growth process.

Within the next several months, your hair will grow back and continue to thicken over time. Most hair transplant patients can see the bulk of their growth between 5 and 12 months after the surgery.

Results are lifelong; you can trim, cut and treat your transplanted hairs as per normal. This also means you will need to take a proactive approach to protecting and maintaining your hair, to ensure its health.

Optimising the outcome of FUE

This procedure may be suitable for you if you have adequate donor hair and your recipient site has healthy blood vessels to boost hair growth. In addition, the number of hair grafts transplanted usually determines how much your FUE hair transplant costs.

The goal is to end up with a natural-looking hairline with improved hair density and texture. Achieving a natural hairline is dependent on factors such as the angle of placement and the thickness of the donor hair.

Which is why a key factor in determining the success of your hair transplant is the experience and skill level of the surgeon.

An experienced hair transplant surgeon will provide you with realistic advice on whether the procedure will work out for you or not. This is crucial because you have a limited number of grafts on your scalp.

If you do not have enough healthy hair to harvest, it will leave you worse off than before – where you will have less hair at both the donor and recipient sites.

The expected thickness of transplanted hair also depends on the thickness of existing hair. When your surgeon is able to thoroughly examine and make a proper assessment, this can help to manage expectations, correctly diagnose and treat your hair loss problem effectively.

Turn back the clock on years of hair loss

Some types of hair loss may not be amenable to surgery, which can also aggravate some of these conditions, so seeing a dermatological surgeon with specialisation in hair transplantation surgery is important.

At Angeline Yong Dermatology, patients will undergo a thorough examination and consultation with Dr Yong, which includes a trichoscope examination and the patient’s medical history, before discussing a treatment plan. A hair-pull test can be conducted to measure the severity of hair loss.

Our dermatology clinic offers both the FUT and FUE procedures, as well as other hair loss treatments. Because every patient is different, Dr Yong will advise on the suitability of treatments depending on individual characteristics and price preference.

A skin dermatologist accredited by the Ministry of Health, Dr Angeline Yong sub-specialises in hair disorders and hair transplantation. Prior to opening her private practice, she was the founding consultant and lead of the hair transplant service in the National Skin Centre.

Consult with AYD today for a specialised range of treatments that are tailored to you!

Reference:
1. Dua A, Dua K. Follicular unit extraction hair transplant. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2010;3(2):76-81. doi:10.4103/0974-2077.69015

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A Permanent Solution To Your Hair Loss: FUE Hair Transplant