As risk factors that contribute to hair loss increase, the age range of hair loss patients is also broadening. Along with heredity, irregular lifestyle patterns, an unbalanced diet, smoking, excessive drinking, and excessive stress are cited as factors contributing to hair loss in younger people. In fact, the number of young people who experience hair loss symptoms at an early age and consider hair transplant surgery is also on the rise.
Hair transplantation is a treatment that can be considered in cases of severe hair loss where further improvement is difficult to expect from drug therapy and other methods. Taking hair loss medication can slow the rate of hair loss progression, but it cannot restore the sites where hair has already been lost to their original state. Therefore, to fundamentally address this, hair transplantation should be performed together with taking hair loss medication.
Hair transplant surgery is a precise treatment method that must take into account various aspects such as the type of hair loss as well as each patient's scalp condition, hair thickness, direction, and design. Therefore, choosing a medical team with know-how is considered the point of success.
The factor of choosing between the incision and non-incision methods is also a key point. Hair transplant surgery is divided into the incision method and the non-incision method depending on how the hair follicles are harvested. The incision method works on the principle of incising the scalp at the back of the head, then separating and transplanting the hair follicles. The non-incision method is a method of shaving the hair at the back of the head without incising the scalp, then harvesting and transplanting the follicles unit by unit.
The key to choosing hair transplant surgery is the survival rate. When hair follicle cells are located at the back of the head, they are supplied with blood from the capillaries and carry out their function. If they are forcibly detached for hair transplantation, the vascular nutrient supply is cut off. Above all, even when newly transplanted into a hair loss area, it takes a certain amount of time for the blood vessels to newly reconnect. The process of safely enduring this and having the blood vessels reconnect is called survival (engraftment).
Ultimately, the most important point determining follicle survival is the skill level of the medical team. If cell damage is inflicted during the follicle separation process, or if a mistake is made during the implantation process, the follicle survival rate will inevitably decline. Establishing systems such as real-time microscope monitoring, the use of special preservation solutions used in organ transplantation, and low-temperature moisture devices can also be factors that increase the survival rate.
Yoo Hwa-jung, Director of Modi Hair Plant Clinic, advised, "When performing hair transplant surgery, a high survival rate means it is that much more efficient and reduces the possibility of revision surgery, so it is also true that it is far more advantageous in terms of cost," adding, "The survival rate of a hair transplant can vary depending on various factors such as the hair transplant technology as well as the medical team's know-how, the surgical environment, and aftercare."
Source: Segye Biz │ Published 2021.01.18