Recently, a client of mine wanted to know if he was a suitable candidate for hair transplant and as part of the consultation, I asked him about his phases of hair loss. For as long as Timothy could remember, he has always enjoy the attention that he gets for his thick and shoulder length hair as an artist. In the last 3 months he noticed his hair was getting thinner and shorter, and the hair brush that used to get stuck in his thick hair, now just slipped right through. He started leaving a trail of falling hair everywhere he went, on the sofa, pillow, on the floor, and even ended up in the food he cooked.

And if you are experiencing anything similar, the following are the 5 keywords questions your hair transplant doctor should be asking you even before recommending surgical hair restoration:

1. Have you suffered any major illness in the last few months?

2. Are you under high level of stress at home or at work?

3. Are you anemic or suffering from thyroid disorder?

4. Is anyone in your family suffering the same, since the genetic factor is generally passed along to the male or female line.

5. Have you experienced any drastic climatic changes in the last few months? A short holiday to Europe did not seem significant to lead to hair loss of this intensity.

Typically each strand of hair grows half an inch every month for a period of two to almost six years. Once it stops growing, it stays that length for sometime before falling out. Thus every day around 200 strands of hair fall and the hair follicle is ready to grow another hair. Sometimes, due to genetic reasons or other wise, androgens, a group of hormones, affect the natural process.

Androgens include testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and androsteinedione, and are found more in men than women. Sometimes, if a male pattern of hair loss is noticed in women, it is attributed to the presence of these hormones in larger amounts. It is an excessive build up of these in the hair follicle that leads to its shrinking and affecting the normal hair cycle.

There are quite a number of alternatives one can consider, including multivitamin tablets, head massage to invigorate the roots, an anti-dandruff shampoo, keeping the scalp clean and oil free at all times, and finally hair transplant.

Hair transplant is a surgery in which a section of the skin having proper hair follicles is removed from one part of the body and grafted onto the balding patch on the scalp. Hair grows in follicles that have a grouping of one to four hair strands, and subsequent hair growth gives a normal look.

The procedure is conducted under local anesthesia with first harvesting the hair either through strip harvesting or FUE, that is, Follicular Unit Extraction. In strip harvesting, the surgeon removes a strip of the scalp containing hair follicles, and sutures the wound that will heal in two weeks. The scalp tissue removed is cut into small pieces and these grafts are transplanted into the area where hair have disappeared or are thinning.

FUE harvesting involves removal of individual follicles through very small punches of diameter 0.6 to 1.25 mm. These follicles are then inserted into the balding scalp with a micro blade. This neither leaves a scar nor is it very painful, and the patient recovers within a week.

Author Bio: If you are experiencing hair loss, call 1300 733 092 for a free consultation with Michael. Michael Pavlos is the Patient Manager for the Australian Institute of Hair Restoration, and Advance Beauty Cosmetic Surgery Clinic in Sydney, Australia.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: hair transplant australia, hair transplant surgeon, hair transplantation, hair transplants