Cosmetic Treatments for Hair Loss

Loss of hair can have adverse effects on your physical as well as mental health. Not only does hair loss affect your self-esteem or appeal, it also hints at an underlying health problem. There could be many reasons for the loss of hair. ‘Alopecia areata’ is a condition wherein sudden loss of hair begins with one or more circular bald patches that might or might not overlap.

Some of the common cosmetic treatments for hair loss include:

1. Hair Grafting or Transplant: Hair transplant or grafting is a procedure that uses surgery to move hair follicles from one spot in the body to another and is mainly used to treat male pattern baldness. The transplantations are carried out in outpatient form, with local anesthesia and mild sedation. Harvesting of hair follicles is done using various methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the common harvesting techniques are:
2. Strip Harvesting: A strip of skin from the scalp or from any other spot where there is good growth of hair is harvested by the surgeon.
3. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE): Follicular Unit Extraction is a procedure which involves the singular extraction of each hair follicle without any removal of strip of tissue.
4. Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT): Follicular Unit Transplant involves the removal of a small strip of tissue from the rear part of the head. The donor hair follicles would be extracted from this strip.
5. Robotic Hair Restoration: The devices associated with Robotic Hair Restoration utilize robotic arms and cameras to provide assistance to the surgeon during the FUE procedure.
6. Scalp Reduction: This cosmetic procedure involves removal of skin (non-hair-bearing) from the scalp, which ensures that the remaining skin (hair-bearing) can be extended to the area that it is capable of covering the bald spots on the head. This procedure is effective in covering bald areas on the back as well as top of the head. However, it is not favourable for the hairline in the frontal areas of the head.