Crown Hair TransplantCrown Hair TransplantFrequently Asked Questions
The most common cause of hair loss lies in the genes we inherit from our parents. The extent and rate of hair loss varies from person to person. Severe illness, malnutrition, smoking, vitamin or mineral deficiency can accelerate this process. Exposure to harsh chemicals, sub-standard hair-colors and poor salon treatments can aggravate hair loss. There are a few auto-immune or skin ailments that can also cause hair loss. Hair fall is a normal cyclical process. Shedding 50-100 strands of hair every day is perfectly normal. But if you lose more hair than the normal limit over a sustained period of 3 months, then it is time for a medical consultation.
Hair transplantation or hair restoration is a minimal invasive surgical process of removing hair follicles from a safe donor area i.e. the side and back of the head and implanting them in the balding recipient areas.
The transplanted hair retains its own characteristics, color, texture, growth rate after transplantation and can be cut, styled and shaved. A skilled surgeon’s artistry ensures a dense, natural cover on the bald pate and the person looks at least 8-10 years younger.
Any person who suffers from hair loss and feels embarrassed or unhappy with it must get a hair transplant. Most candidates are unmarried men who look much older than they are or young professionals and businessmen who interact with people on a daily basis. Hair transplant not only makes a person look much younger but also boosts confidence and self-esteem.
The ideal candidate for hair transplantation has healthy hair on the sides and back of the head. It is always advisable to start the proess when the patient still has hair on the sides and back of the head and not when he is completely bald. This helps the surgeon to use the existing hair to camouflage the bald patch and maintain the existing hair with medical treatments.
Good candidates for hair transplantation are patients:
With well-defined male pattern baldness
With hair loss from scarring, scalp injuries or cosmetic surgery procedures
Who wish to restore or thicken eyebrows, moustache, beard
Who have undergone hair transplantation earlier
Post a brief conversation with the patient, the surgeon does an clinical examination using the latest trichoscopy equipment to confirm the candidature of the patient. The surgeon considers a host of factors to confirm the eligibility of a candidate for a hair transplantation.
Hair transplants can be performed at any age post the early 20s when hair loss makes its first appearance. Hair loss is an ongoing process and the decision to go in for a hair transplant depends on several factors e.g., the donor recipient ratio, the thinning of hair, the balding in the family across generations, the psychological impact of hair loss etc. However, a conversation with the surgeon would help the patient and his family to take a decision. Medicines like finasteride and minoxidil slow down the progression of baldness in young patients.
Any person who is physically, mentally and medically fit to undergo a multi-hour surgery can undergo hair transplant surgery. At Crown we’ve successfully performed multiple hair transplant surgeries on patients in their 60s and 70s too. We take great care to ensure that the aesthetics of the hair transplant and placement of the hairline is in sync with the ageing features of the face.
Medical comorbidities like high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac ailments and chronic medical conditions need to be in control and managed by your physician as they can hamper the surgery and the results. The surgeon will determine the patient’s fitness for surgery in collaboration with the patient’s treating physician to ensure a safe procedure.
A patient can undergo multiple hair transplants depending upon his donor and recipient area. The surgeon may recommend more than one session to obtain the optimal results. A second or third hair transplant can be performed a few years later to accommodate future hair loss. At Crown we always try to preserve adequate donor reserves that may be needed to compensate for progressive hair loss.
On an average the surgery can take anywhere from 4-10 hours. The duration of the surgery depends upon the number of hair follicles transplanted and the technique used. The surgeon will provide adequate breaks to make the patient feel more comfortable and relaxed.
While most clinics promise hair transplants as a permanent solution to hair loss, the truth is the patient will need multiple sessions over the years. The density achieved in the first hair transplant will not remain forever as the hair will thin out making the area look sparsely covered. So, the patient may need medications and sessions in the future.
Hair transplantation is a super-specialization which is acquired after a great deal of study, apprenticeship and years of perfecting it. It not only involves extreme precision, experience, talent, skill but also regular practice which hones it into a fine art.
Most dermatologists and plastic surgeons delegate bits and pieces of the procedure as they are generalists who hop from one operation theatre to another as hair transplant is one of the many surgeries, they are involved in. Just as multiple cooks ruin the soup, too many hands compromise the end result.
Crown is run by a hair transplant surgeon who follows international protocols. We pride in doing only one surgery per day. If due to some unforeseen circumstance, the surgeon is not available then the surgery is postponed.
The unique feature about Crown is that the consultation, the surgery and the post-operative care is managed by Dr. Mayank Singh only. No part of the surgery is delegated to any other doctor or surgeon. Professional implantologists work on the scalp under instructions and supervision of the chief surgeon.
The patient undergoes a minimal invasive process under local anesthesia. Crown prides in using the state-of-the-art technology and globally accepted techniques due to which patient discomfort is negligible. Post surgery there might be a tingling pain which is kept under control with pain management medication.
The patient must ensure that he strictly adheres to the post-operative care instructions. After 72 hours of the surgery, the bandages on the scalp will be removed by the surgeon and a medical shampooing will be done at the clinic.
Post the surgery, there will be mild redness and swelling which in 4-5 days will become tiny scabs across the scalp. These scabs will need gentle cleaning after 10-12 days of the surgery.
Post the surgery the patient will be advised to wear a surgical cap for the initial 10 days which can be covered by a loose cap. The patient is advised to avoid any strenuous physical activity for at least three weeks after surgery.
The newly grafted hair will shed-off in 4-6 weeks. New hair growth will begin in 2-4 months and a significant difference in appearance will take up to 4-6 months. In many cases it will take up to 1 calendar year for the hair to become dense and long.
Hair transplantation is not an overnight miracle. Patience is the key.
A patient can go back to his normal routines within 48-72 hours post the surgery. The patient is advised to avoid any vigorous physical activity. It takes a period of 7-14 days for complete recovery but most patients return to work within 7-14 days of the surgery with a cap on their head so that the scalp is covered well and protected.
Most patients go back to work 48 hours after the bandage is opened. But a lot depends upon the type of procedure on the scalp and the patient’s occupation. The mild redness, swelling and visibility of scars persists for a few days. Therefore, it is always advisable to cover the scalp when stepping out of home. The surgeon will discuss this in detail during the consultation and post the surgery too.
If the patient is not addicted to tobacco, alcohol or drugs then there is nothing to worry about. We advise all patients to stop consumption of alcohol atleast 96 hours before the surgery. Alcohol in the blood stream increases the chances of bleeding during the surgery which compromises the end result.
The surgeon during the consult might also request the patient to stop a few medications which can adversely impact the surgery. This is done in consultation with the patient’s doctors. If the patient is addicted to tobacco or smoking then he may be asked to stop it atleast 7-10 days before the surgery. Non-adherence can result in undesirable results.
Post the surgery the patient will have to abstain from smoking, drinking and drugs for a period of atleast 4 weeks to ensure that the results are not compromised.
As stated earlier, hair transplantation is an art. When done at a cosmetic surgery center, it may look like a patchwork which defeats the entire purpose. At Crown, Dr. Mayank Singh has performed over 4000 hair transplants successfully. Patients, their parents and their spouse continue to thank him for the artistry with which he has transformed their looks and enhanced their mental wellbeing.
The success of a hair transplant lies in aligning the new hair follicles in such a way that it looks natural and in synch with the rest of hair on the head. Hair transplantation done at Crown are undetectable due to the precision and artistry of the surgeon.
In 4 weeks post the surgery, the hair grows long enough to camouflage the scars on the scalp. Patients are advised to wear a cap to cover their head until then.
It takes 4-6 months for the transplanted hair to grow to impact the overall appearance of the person. It takes close to 12 months to witness the full impact of the hair transplant on the patient. The surgeon will stay in touch at all times to monitor, assess and guide the patient.
Hair transplantation is an aesthetic procedure which requires surgery. The genuine surgeons who perform hair transplants have honed their skills over many years of study and rigourous practice. They adhere to international norms and keep innovating to provide the best service to the patient. What the patient is paying for is a high-end service which is not easy to come by.
A hair transplant is far more expensive than a patch, hairpiece or any other alternative. Unless the transplanted hair is in alignment with the other hair on the scalp it will never look natural. This requires a high degree of skill which takes years to acquire. The best hair restoration surgeons are super-specialists who are few and far in between.
However, there are several clinics which offer cheaper procedures which performed by quacks and non-qualified doctors who claim to be hair surgeons. Sometimes even hair technicians who work as assistants to the surgeon take up surgeries. So, when such people perform the surgery, they compromise on the safety of patients, they over harvest the donor areas, they end up causing excessive scarring and the end result is a botched-up surgery leaving the patient with a poor-quality transplant and poorer in the wallet too.
We work with a range of companies who finance the entire hair transplant. They assess a patients’s candidature by evaluating his credit history and provide affordable medical financial facilities. Approval takes upto 3 working days from the day of application.