‘Mane’taining Your coiffure

While baldness has historically been associated with ageing, it is becoming increasingly common among young men today.

Image used for representational purpose only. (File Photo)

BENGALURU:   Losing hair and balding is not a big deal anymore. Baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, is a condition characterised by hair loss from the scalp. While baldness has historically been associated with 
aging, it is becoming increasingly common among young men today. 

What are hair transplants? 
Hair transplant is a surgical technique for the treatment of male pattern baldness (Androgenic Alopecia), where healthy hair follicles are removed from one part of the body called the doner site (like the back of the scalp, beard or chest), and placed onto the recipient site (the area of thinning) to give a coverage and an aesthetic outcome.

Why should it be done?

•  Hair loss can significantly affect the confidence, self-esteem and thereby the psyche of the patient. 
•  It is a procedure that can be done for both scarring and non-scarring hair loss to restore hair volume. 
•  Not only can it be done on the scalp, it can also be used for other areas like the eyebrows and beard for definition or even correction.
•  When the hair loss is significant and the follicular openings have closed under thermoscopic examination of the scalp, it will go beyond a stage where medical management or procedural management like Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) can correct it. In such a case, hair transplant is the treatment of choice and the only treatment which can restore the appearance back to how it used to be. 

When should it be done?

•  It is the stage of balding rather than the age that determines when hair transplantation should be done.
•  Hair transplantation can be carried out on anyone above the age of 18 years, but it is generally advisable to not have a transplant until the age of 25, as the balding might be progressive and not have stabilised.
•  At an early stage of balding, stabilising the thinning with medical management and procedures like PRP should be tried before planning for surgical correction.
•  If there is a significant loss of hair that cannot be recovered with medical management or PRP, it is better to undergo a hair transplant, which can restore the appearance.
•  As long as the person doesn’t have any underlying medical or surgical contraindications, they can have a transplant at a younger age, but they should also understand that balding can be progressive and should strictly use medical management to delay further progression in the areas that are not surgically corrected.

(The writer is co–founder, Yogiraj Centre for Dermatology and Cosmetology (YCDC))