In men hair on head is a symbol of youth and virility. Looking good and attractive is more of a demand. Hair plays important role in enhancing your face value. Nobody in this world enjoy baldness either men or women.
Baldness is a major limiting factor for getting job, soulmates and rejection of marriage.
In market there are lots of products like shampoo, oil, lotion and hair growing pills. Our media is full of advertisements for hair growth and to stop hair fall. On the other hand we have medical as well as surgical methods to help you naturally regrow your hair.
There are several causes of baldness (M.P.B, Alopecia Areata, Telogen effluvium, etc) but most important is male pattern baldness.
What is Male Pattern Baldness?
It is most common cause of baldness; also known as Androgenic Alopecia, MPB is related to your genes and male sex hormone. It usually follows a pattern of receding hairline and hair thinning on crown and frontal scalp. It starts with hair loss above temples generating typically ‘m’ shaped pattern of hair loss. It is also associated with obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, thyroid and anemia etc.
There are other types of baldness like cicatrical or noncicatrical alopecia. Other classification is:
- Involutional alopecia
- Alopecia Areata
- Alopecia Totalis / Universalis
Male and Female Baldness Classification
Baldness Classification in Male (MPB)
Female Baldness Classification
Treatment of Male Pattern Baldness
Baldness can be treated medically and surgically.
Medical treatment includes:
Topical Minoxidil (MINTOP)
Minoxidil is only drug which is FDA approved to treat male pattern baldness. It works by prolonging the growth phase of hair follicle. Minoxidil helps to increase blood flow to hair follicle by dialating blood vessels. This means more nutrients to hair follicle for promoting growth. In females Minoxidil 2% is used and for males 2% or 5% of Minoxidil can be used.
Side effect of Minoxidil:
The treated areas will be reddened and you may experience some burning or stinging sensation.
Should any serious side effects become apparent, it is important to report this immediately to the doctor.
Dizziness, fast and irregular heartbeat, difficulty in breathing and unwanted body hair growth are also some of the adverse reactions that you have to watch out for.
Combination of both topical Minoxidil plus topical Finesteride (MORR-F)
Nowadays a lot of combinations of Minoxidil and Finasteride are available in market. It has better effect then Minoxidil alone. Finasteride acts by reducing DHT level there by inhibiting miniaturization of hair follicle. Topical finasteride can be considered for hair density maintenance after initial improvement with oral finasteride.
Oral Finasteride (Finpecia)
Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of hair loss experienced in genetically predisposed individuals. It occurs due to the stimulation of genetically susceptible hair follicles by dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes follicular miniaturization, resulting in decreased hair density.
Finasteride reduces DHT level by inhibiting type II 5α reductase, the enzyme responsible for conversion of testosterone to DHT, thereby inhibiting miniaturization of hair follicles. It also promotes the anagen phase of hair growth. Oral intake of finasteride reduces DHT levels in the blood and causes side effects such as decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, etc.. These side effects are temporary and normalize with continued use. Once oral finasteride is stopped, the DHT level rises and reverses its effects, thereby resulting in less dense hair. This accounts for an indefinite period of oral finasteride treatment. Studies show that topical finasteride appears to have results equivalent to oral finasteride in AGA and has better tolerance.
Saw Palmetto
Saw palmetto is an alternative remedy used to treat hair loss. It’s a plant with small berries that has been used by Native Americans as medicine and food for hundreds of years. There’s an evidence that this herbal remedy may treat an enlarged prostate. It also has been used to treat:
- Hair Loss
- Bladder Infections
- Prostate Cancer
- Decreased Sex Drive
Biotin
Biotin helps in preventing hair loss by rejuvenating both the hair follicles and scalp. Keratin is the building block of hair follicles and it’s formed from several amino acids. Biotin plays its role in breaking down the dietary proteins into different amino acids which are required for the formation of keratin. When ingested, biotin reacts with cell enzymes and plays a vital part in producing amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Hair itself consists of keratin, which is a form of protein. Therefore, consuming foods that contain biotin helps to contribute to hair growth.
Surgical Procedure: Hair Transplant/ Hair Restorative Surgery
Hair transplant is frequently considered by people who have Male pattern of baldness. In this procedure we move healthy hair follicles (donor area) from back portion of scalp and transplant into bald area. Nowadays we can also use hair of beard, chest, etc. as a donor.
The two main types of Hair restorative procedures are:
- FUT (follicular unit transaction) &
- FUE( follicular unit extraction)
FUE is mostly popular procedure among patients of hair restoration because of its less invasiveness, decrease downtime, and is done without any scar and stitches.
History — Male Pattern Baldness
First description of hair transplant was written by Okuda in Japan in 1930. In 1959 Norman Orientreich re-discovered the technique and used it in male pattern baldness. He is a father of hair transplant.
He also gave the concept of donor dominance where donor hair from back and sides of head can be moved to balding recipient area and which then continue to grow.
In 1980-1990’s hair restoration surgeon tried to reduce size of plugs to mini and micro hair grafts. In 1990 F.U.T became more popular for MPB. In 1995 surgeon able to replicate natural density.
F.U.T. (Follicular Unit Transplantation) is also known as strip method. Fear of knife and scar maybe lead to the innovation of F.U.E. (Follicular Unit Extraction). F.U.E. was first introduced by Dr Woods in Australia but didn’t disclose details of procedure. In 2002 Rassman and Bernstein refined the procedure and name it F.U.E. because of minimal invasiveness, no linear scar and cut. As a result, this procedure became more popular with the patients.
What is FUT Hair Transplant?
FUT is also known as transaction method or strip method. In this strip was harvested from donor area (back of scalp) according to need of graft. Closure is done and slivering of strip is done under magnification to get follicle graft. Hair follicle is transplanted in bald area. Now only few centers are doing exclusively or combining with FUE for large sessions. The only advantage of FUT is you can do a large session at one sitting. Linear scar is a big disadvantage / turn off of this technique.
What is FUE Hair Transplant?
FUE is most popular hair restoration cosmetic surgery procedure. It is one of most advanced and effective cosmetic surgery done today. This is a universally accepted method. It was first adopted by dermatologists and now by plastic surgeon all over the world. Read more about FUE Hair Transplant here.
The advantages are: No scar, no stitches, no use of knife and large session nowadays.
Robotic Hair Transplant
Motorized F.U.E was introduced by Dr Allen Feller. Robotic FUE devices were started in 2007 and now ARTAS system (latest robotic FUE machine) is used now a days. This is useful in automating the process of FUE and allows unmatched precision in performing hair transplant. Major advantages of ARTAS are:
- High accuracy for harvesting hair follicle.
- Better quality of hair follicle.
- Decrease in harvesting time.
- Increase accuracy and speed.
- Computerized detection of dense hair.
ARTAS robotic system is one of the most advanced and highly advantageous hair transplant system which handles the process of hair unit extraction as well prepare recipient site with utmost precision and accuracy in a shorter period of time than manual.
Consult with Hair Transplant Surgeon: Dr. Navdeep Chavan (+91-9407213371), Gwalior
Book a consultation, take an opinion, read the FAQs about hair transplant surgery and evaluate yourself. By consulting with experienced surgeon you will get a professional evaluation and hair restorative plan (medical /surgical) as well as an estimate of the procedure. For free consultation call at +91-9407213371.
View our hair transplant results here: Pre & Post images for Hair Transplant surgery, Gwalior.