The Process Before Hair Transplant
Hair loss is a dermatological disorder that affects people of all ages and genders, regardless of gender. If the daily hair loss amount is higher than it should be, it may develop due to many reasons. One of these reasons is genetic predisposition, which is called andro-genetic alopecia in medical language. If the person’s family members, especially his/her parents, have hair loss, it is normal to see it in himself/herself.
In addition, advancing age, vitamin and mineral deficiency, some skin and skin diseases such as eczema, shock diets that cause rapid weight loss, chemical products used for hair, high heat hair styling products are also factors that trigger hair loss.
Hair is one of the most determining elements of aesthetic appearance and posture for people. For men, it is the representative of masculine appearance, while for women it is the representation of femininity. For this reason, unhealthy and falling hair often leads to loss of motivation and self-confidence.
There are many treatment methods for unusual hair loss, both medically and through home remedies. However, these treatment methods are generally beneficial for protecting the hair that still exists and slowing down the rate of hair loss. With the development of technology and modern medicine, the most well-known and most preferred form of treatment in recent years is the hair transplant operation to protect the existing hair while at the same time restoring the lost hair.
Hair transplantation operation is performed by transplanting healthy hair follicles taken from the nape of the neck or behind both ears, called the donor area, to the balding area. The main reasons why hair transplanta is preferred by millions of people around the world every year are: permanent and natural results, minimal pain and suffering with the developing technology and new techniques, the transplanted hair is provided with the person’s own hair follicles and the complication rates are very low.
Different treatment techniques are applied in hair transplantat, which is an aesthetic surgical procedure. The most important of these are DHI and Sapphire FUE methods. Hair transplanta is performed in sterile hospitals and hair transplant clinics by specialist anesthesiologists and expert hair transplant teams.
The most common concern of people who decide to have a hair transplant is definitely the rules to be considered before the operation and how the process will work. Each clinic has a unique process in this regard. In this direction, as Lygos Clinic, we complete the process before the hair transplant operation in 6 stages: examination and planning, laboratory and blood tests, photography, shaving according to the application technique, hair drawing and operation.
First Examination
The first examination is extremely important for a healthy completion of the hair transplant operation and the subsequent process. As Lygos Clinic‘s specialist doctors and hair transplant teams, after determining the cause of hair loss in the first examination, we get information about the patient’s past health history such as chronic diseases and related medications, allergic conditions.
After this anamnesis, we decide whether the patient is suitable for the operation, if so, how the process will work, which hair transplantation technique will be used, how many grafts will be transplanted and how the hairline will be determined.
Laboratory and Blood Tests (HIV+ Hepatitis B+ Hepatitis C)
As Lygos Clinic, we perform some tests, mainly HIV Hepatitis B and C, to have information about the general health status of the patient before the hair transplant operation, to decide whether it is suitable for the operation and to minimize the complications that may occur during the operation.
We do blood tests to get information about the general health status of the people (blood sugar and blood pressure levels) and to evaluate the general health status. Apart from these, we refer our patients who experience hair loss at a very young age to have dermatologic tests to determine where the problem originates.
Photography
Photographs taken before hair transplant are important in terms of determining why the hair is falling out, deciding how many grafts will be transplanted in which area, and which transplant technique will be used during the procedure.
As Lygos Clinic, we take photos of the patient’s head, face and hair from many different angles in order to make a treatment plan before the hair transplant operation with all these details and to evaluate the developments before and after the procedure.
Shaving
Before hair transplant, the hair follicles are shaved in order to easily remove the hair follicles from the donor area and transplant them more easily to the area to be transplanted. Shaving for hair transplant operation varies according to the transplant technique.
While some transplant techniques do not require shaving, in others the patient is shaved before the operation.
Hair Drawing
Everyone has a unique anatomical hairline. The hairline is determined according to where the forehead area ends and the area where the hair begins. The secret to achieving the most natural result after hair transplant is definitely related to how the hairline is drawn.
Drawing the same hairline for everyone causes an unnatural and uniform appearance. In addition, the right and left parts of the hair, which we call the temporal region, should be proportional to the patient’s face shape.
Drawing this line too far back causes a bald appearance, while drawing it too far ahead creates a wig appearance. For this reason, at Lygos Clinic, we determine the most suitable and proportional hairline for the forehead muscle, hair and face shape without touching the patient’s mobile muscle tissues before hair transplant.
From time to time, we inform patients who request a hairline that is not suitable for their face shape about the possible negative consequences and draw the most suitable hairline for them.
Operation
After all these stages are completed, we start the operation by giving sedation or local anesthesia to the patient according to his/her general health condition, using the hair transplant technique determined by the specialist doctor and hair transplant team during the first examination. We use DHI FUE and Sapphire FUE techniques, which are the latest technological methods as hair transplant techniques.
Although the hair transplant process varies from person to person and the area to be transplanted, it is usually completed in 6-7 hours. Hair transplant is a procedure that requires aesthetic surgery. Performing such procedures in places called under the stairs can have irreparable consequences. For this reason, it is vitally important to have information about the procedures applied while doing clinic research.
While this is the procedure applied before the hair transplant operation, there are factors that the patient should pay attention to in order for the operation to be healthy. To summarize briefly;
– First and foremost, the hair transplant teams and the specialist anesthesiologist should be informed about the existing chronic diseases (heart, blood pressure, diabetes) and the medications that must be used accordingly.
– Alcohol and smoking should be stopped about 2 weeks before the hair transplant operation.
– The use of blood thinners should be suspended 2 weeks before the operation under the control of a specialist doctor. In addition, herbal teas and foods with blood thinning effects should not be consumed.
– Coffee and drinks containing caffeine should not be consumed 2 days before the operation.
– Multivitamins and aspirin should not be used because they increase bleeding.
– Chemical products such as hair spray or gel should not be used on the hair or scalp before the operation.
– Hair transplant is a long-lasting procedure and therefore, you should come full, provided that you consume light food.
– In order not to damage the graft area after the operation, clothes with zippers or buttons that are comfortable to wear and remove should be preferred.