The hair industry is huge, ranging from shaping, styling, colouring and removal to its volumisation and extension. Another side to this is the hair transplant, a restoration option which is newly available at the Aesthetic Skin Clinic.
Now, there is nothing wrong with lacking hair up top; sexy and bald are hardly mutually exclusive as proved by the gorgeous Natalie Portman back in 2005 and the rugged Jason Statham who, keeping his hair minimal to mask a receding hairline, has bagged himself supermodel du jour Rosie Huntington Whiteley. It’s true too that you save lots of money on shampoo, conditioner, products and brushes, and never need to worry about getting headlice. However, if you’re not on board with the Agassi vibe, then it may well be worth having a look at something to rectify the situation.
Everything has come a long way since the Japanese doctor Shoji Okuda carried out the first follicle transplant in 1939, or even since Sir Elton John first dabbled with crude barnet betterment in the 1980s. Hair transplant surgery is now a permanent solution to restore your hair and is a safe, simple and a life-transforming procedure.
Hair transplants have been gaining huge popularity after being endorsed by celebrities such as James Nesbitt, Duncan Bannatyne and Wayne Rooney. Impending baldness can bring about a loss in confidence and an unforeseen increase in hat-related expenditure. At the Aesthetic Skin Clinic, Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) is now available in their Jersey Lido Medical Centre facilities. Using the specialised DHI Implanter, a tool developed to prevent the follicles from being ‘over handled’ and reducing the risk of less viable implants, surgeons can remove hair from a designated site and create a natural hairline. This advance in technology also ensures that the risk of pitting and discolouration is absolutely minimal. Taking the plunge is obviously a big decision and something which the professional team at the Aesthetic Skin Clinic can discuss with you. We managed to meet up with Dr Mark Tam to find out a more about this treatment for those on a quest to be more hirsute….
Dr. Mark Tam is a widely-acknowledged expert in hair restoration and is a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration. He has even won awards for his hair restoration, including the Phidias Gold for his hair restoration service and clinical research.
How common is hair loss?
It occurs more often among men, with ‘male pattern baldness’ being the commonest form of hair loss and experienced by about 70% of the male population. With women, about 30% will get some amount of hair loss during their lives and the psychological impact is likely to be greater among women.
Is this the same in women?
In women, it’s a different kettle of fish. Some women experience hair loss that involves the entirety of the scalp – in these cases surgical hair restoration wouldn’t be an option because there is no area we could use to get the hair in order to perform the transfer. Causes for hair loss in women range from medical conditions associated with hair loss to adverse reactions to medications or even the effects of certain grooming practices.
Why do people come to you?
People come to us because they are distressed about their hair loss. It’s great that there are some people who don’t think it’s a big deal, but there can be significant psychological side effects when someone starts losing their hair, particularly as hair loss is inherently associated with ageing. People feel embarrassed and their confidence decreases as they can feel much less desirable when their hair is affected in this way. Hair loss is hard to hide and can result in a severe lack of self esteem; at ASC we hope to help people regain their confidence and feel happy without having to wear a hat.
How soon do you see results?
Everyone is different but on average you’ll probably start to see new hair about four months after the surgery, but this is hard to predict. Results continue to improve for around 18 months following a hair transplant, but nine months is usually the point at which we can see significant results and after a year nearly all of the transplant should have started growing. For the next six months or so, the hair will thicken visibly.
Where does the hair come from?
The hair is from donor sites on the patient’s own head.
How high is the success rate?
Very high, with over 80% of the follicles being viable and successfully producing hair.
And how much would we need to loosen the purse strings for a procedure like this?
As every patient is different, I couldn’t really say for sure before examining the patient’s head. As a rough guide, small areas which would need only one session would be about £3-5000, but this would increase if multiple sessions were needed or the treatment area was larger. Every patient has to be assessed before treatment and at that point will be advised of the cost.
How will it look immediately afterwards and how long does it take to recover?
Immediately after the procedure, the treated area will look red and mildly swollen with very short hairs, this will take a few days to settle down and you may wish to take a couple of days off work after the treatment. With the DHI technique, it is really a minimally invasive procedure. The healing is faster compare to other techniques and within a few days you can start washing your hair and you can pretty much go back to your normal activities in a week.
Will I have hair like Elvis? (will I have hair like I had in the past?)
The goal of hair restoration treatment is to improve the coverage in the area and to improve the cosmetic result. It is unlikely that we can restore the hair density to what you had before the onset of hair loss, your consultation at the ACS will be able to inform you more.
To contact Dr Mark Tam and his team call 625090 or visit www.askinclinic.co.uk
