TRAlthough hair loss is not a vital function for people, it has a great psychological importance. Hair loss and various hair problems affect people’s self-confidence in a very negative way. We can understand this from the $25 billion annual expenditure of Americans on hair care. In addition to drugs known to be effective on androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss, there are various lotions, drugs and herbal-based products whose effectiveness has not been proven. In addition to all these products, which have limited effect, hair transplantation seems to be the most radical solution.
Understanding hair growth and cycle helps to understand hair-related problems. The formation phases of the hair are called anagen, catagen and telogen. The duration of the anagen phase, which is the phase in which the hair is produced, is 2-8 years. At the end of this phase, the follicle undergoes a series of morphological and molecular changes with programmed cell death. This phase is the catagen phase. Growth stops in the catagen phase, and the hair is pulled to the surface by the destruction of the inner sheath of the hair. This phase takes between 2-4 weeks. At the end of catagen, the inner sheath of the hair is thoroughly degraded and the follicle is separated from the dermal papilla (the capillary blood vessel network, which is very important for the vital functions of the hair). The duration of this period, called the telogen phase, is 2-4 months. At the end of this phase, the follicle passes into the anagen phase and telogen hair is thrown.
Under normal conditions, more than 10% of the hair follicles on the human scalp are not in the telogen phase at the same time. For this reason, it is normal to lose 100-150 strands of hair per day.
There are many reasons for hair loss. We can count these as genetic factors, various systemic diseases (such as anemia, lupus, thyroid, diabetes), side effects of some drugs, general anesthesia, physical or psychological stresses, pregnancy and childbirth, excessively intense diets and vitamin deficiencies.
The most common cause of hair loss and the indication for surgery is androgenetic alopecia, that is, male pattern hair loss.
Adrogens and genetic factors are involved in the etiology of androgenetic alopecia, as the name suggests. The true pathological basis of androgenetic alopecia, which is known to show polygenetic and multifactorial inheritance, has not been fully revealed. According to a study, it was found that men with androgenetic alopecia have more androgenic receptors in their hair follicles.
Of the androgens, the accused molecule is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT comes to the follicular papilla through the blood and binds to the receptor on the cell membrane of the hair follicles. In people with genetic predisposition, DHT binds to the receptor and enters the cell. It affects the cell nucleus and alters protein production. As a result, it causes the affected follicle to shrink and shortens the anagen phase by changing the growth cycle. The hair that comes out of the hair follicles that shrink over time becomes thinner and as this process results in fibrosis, hair production stops completely.
Pharmacological treatment and surgery can be applied in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia, which we can briefly describe as the genetically determined sensitivity of hair follicles to dihydrotestosterone.
Finasteride, which is a 5 alpha reductase (enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotesterone) blocker, is used as pharmacological agents, and minoxidil spray, which has been produced as a blood pressure medicine, has a side effect of reducing hair loss.
Hair transplant indications include androgenetic alopecia, as well as previous bad hair transplants, hair loss after facelift, and cicatrizing alopecia. However, the most common among them is androgenetic alopecia, which will affect 1 out of every 2 men throughout his life.
Basically, 2 techniques are applied in hair transplantation. These are FUT (follicular unit transplantation) and FUE (follicular unit extraction).
The follicular unit mentioned here is the name given to the structure that should not be divided, covered with a collagen membrane containing 1-5 (usually 2-3) hair follicles.
In the FUT method, donor tissue is first taken from the occipital region. This is a tissue of approximately 13-15 cm x 1,2-3 cm. The hair follicles in this removed tissue are usually divided into follicular units containing 2 or 3 hair follicles. Separated units are transferred to petri dishes containing ringer lactate. The front line is determined at the place where transplantation will be done. When determining the front line, 8.5 cm above the midglabella is considered aesthetic. Then, the channels where the prepared follicles will be planted are opened and transplantation is done.
In FUE, unlike in FUT, donor tissue is not removed by cutting. Instead, the roots in the donor area are extracted with a special punch biopsy knife designed for hair transplantation. Since there is no cut, there is no scar. However, since the number of follicles that can be taken is not as high as in the FUT method, it is not preferred to close large areas.
FUE method; It is applied by saying that 2 or more sessions are required in areas that require limited transplantation, in those who prefer to have their hair cut very short, and also in patients who oppose stitches even though they have a large open area.
The lucky ones for hair transplantation are those with fair skin and light-colored hair, patients with curly or wavy hair, even if sparse, those who have hair in the area to be transplanted, and patients with high hair density in the donor area.
HOW WE ARE PROGRESSING
Preliminary interview
After the preliminary meeting, we arrange an appointment for the procedure you want.
Examination
During your appointment, we inform you in detail and determine the time for the procedure.
Performing the Operation
Completion of the operation and post-operative check-ups