[Column by Director Yoo Hwa-jung] Recently, cases of hair loss patients in their 20s and 30s have been rising sharply. The number of so-called young people with hair loss who are taking hair loss medication or considering a hair transplant is growing rapidly. Along with family history, hair loss risk factors such as stress, lack of sleep, and poor eating habits have become more diverse, contributing to hair loss cases among younger people. Most of them are known to experience early symptoms of M-shaped hair loss.
An even bigger problem is that countless people miss the right time for hair loss treatment. Hair loss is a progressive condition in which more hair falls out than in people without hair loss, and once it develops, it continues. It is therefore advisable to begin treatment promptly in the early stage, before hair loss becomes severe. Rather than using hair loss shampoos or considering unproven home remedies, a sensible approach is to seek measures such as medication tailored to the type of hair loss or a hair transplant.
If hair loss is not severe, improvement is possible with non-surgical treatment; otherwise, a hair transplant should be considered. In particular, for M-shaped hair loss, a hair transplant is recommended depending on the stage of progression.
In men, the clinical pattern is that hair loss begins at both temporal areas and the forehead gradually widens into an M shape. Female hair loss is characterized by overall thinning of the hair and reduced density, with hair volume gradually decreasing from the crown toward the sides. If a person is in the intermediate stage, in which hair volume noticeably decreases, improvement can be expected with hair transplant surgery.
Hair transplant methods are broadly divided into incision and non-incision. Incision hair transplantation uses healthy hair from the back of the head, which is less affected by hair loss; an area of scalp corresponding to the number of hair follicles needed is removed and transplanted. A linear scar remains after surgery, but the advantage is the lower cost burden.
Non-incision surgery is a method in which hair follicles are extracted individually without making an incision at the back of the head and transplanted to the hair loss area. Its advantages are minimized scarring and quick recovery, and for cases in which the skin elasticity at the back of the head has decreased, the non-incision method can be an effective option.
In particular, the non-incision method is divided according to the extent of shaving into full-shave, strip-shave, no-shave, and long-hair hair transplantation, in which hair is transplanted while kept long. There is also a combined hair transplant that incorporates the advantages of both incision and non-incision methods. This method allows a large amount of hair to be transplanted, and its strength is that the incision area is minimized so the scar is less noticeable. Because there are so many hair transplant methods, a personalized consultation and detailed examination beforehand are especially important.
In addition, the survival rate of the grafts can be cited as a key factor in the success of a hair transplant. It is true that, with recent advances in medical technology, there is little noticeable difference in survival rates between incision and non-incision hair transplants. However, for a satisfactory result, it is important to carefully check the surgical method best suited to each individual hair loss patient and the expertise of the attending physician.
Source: Mediafine │ Published 2021.01.15