Transplants from the backs of their own heads are the last resort of many, in the face of chronic hair loss.
Conversations at Delhi parties are normally predictable, dull and avoidable. But, recently, talk at one tony do turned to receding hairlines, a problem that afflicts both men and women and causes much heartburn. Though the hair on a human’s head has little utility, the lack of it somehow strikes at the root of one’s confidence and physical attractiveness.
Lustrous long hair is valued in Indian woman, because it is thought to indicate that she is fertile and therefore attractive. Be that as it may, the men and women at that party, uncharacteristically (most people prefer not to talk about this openly), were discussing who in Delhi had or was in the process of getting hair transplants done.
Hair transplanting is the method by which existing hair is taken from the donor area and planted in the bald area of the pate. Dr Arihant Surana, medical head, skin and hair, at DHI Asian Roots says, “We have men coming to us in the age group of 35 to 50 years. I have seen people slip into depression because of baldness. Every person has one wish — that is, to have hair back on their head.” DHI Asian Roots started operations in Delhi earlier this year, and they do 10 to 12 transplants every month.
Surana says that transplanting of hair (hair transplanting is vastly different from hair weaving, in which artificial hair is used) is a permanent solution to baldness. It’s also a solution preferred by many of our lead actors and even industrialists.
He explains, “Generally the back of one’s head is the donor area. The hair roots at the back of the head aren’t genetically programmed for hair loss. That’s why transplanted hair doesn’t fall off, and if it does, it grows back.” The transplant industry, over the years, says Surana, has progressed in terms of technique and success rate. Says he, “Initially there was no technique to take a single strand of hair out of the back of the head and then transplant it.”
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What existed originally was called punch grafting, in which tufts of hair were taken out. This lead to scarring, as well an unnatural look (a bit like the way dolls’ hair looks). Then, says Surana, came the strip technique, which is used quite commonly, where an entire strip of hair is cut out and then that strip is transplanted. Pointing out the disadvantages of this, Surana says, “This method leaves a permanent scar and you also lose sensation from where the strip is taken, as you have to cut through nerves.”
A third technique is called follicular unit extraction (FUE). In this, each follicular unit, with about five or six strands of hair, is taken out, then cleaned and separated, and then transplanted. FUE costs Rs 120 to Rs 170 per hair.
Fourth — this is the technique that Surana’s parent company in Greece has worked on — is direct hair implant (DHI, also the name of the company), where specially-developed tools take out a single strand of hair and transplant it without any human touch involved. This costs as much as Rs 175 to Rs 350 a hair. Says Surana, “With DHI we guarantee 85 per cent growth result.”
While this technique has had considerable success with men, women in India have been slower to come forward to try out hair transplants. Says Surana, “For hair transplants to work we need good hair from the donor area. Also, since we guarantee a high success rate, it is important to select the right person for transplants. You cannot transplant hair if there isn’t enough gap between two follicles. Follicles require nerve and blood supply.”
Women, as compared to men, do not show male pattern baldness, a fact which sometimes makes them not ideal candidates for transplants. However, Surana holds out some hope. He says, “Many women lose hair due to the harsh treatments that their hair undergoes. But so far we haven’t seen as many women as we have men.” He also offers hope for scanty eyebrows and says, “Eyebrows can also be enhanced by this process.”
As society becomes more youth-obsessed (and lustrous hair is associated with youth), hair transplanting seems to be the way ahead for those losing their crowning glory. Says Surana, “I have seen the confidence level go up. It has a deep psychological impact on people.”
In case you aren’t eligible for transplanting, there is still hope out there for you. Says Surana, “Cloning is going to be the next big thing for replacing lost hair. Work is underway on this, so maybe in another year’s time, cloning will be available clinically.” Nobody, then, need be bald anymore. Happily, then, hair today, hair forever, if science has its way.
SPLITTING HAIRS
The cure for hair loss and baldness has been a long time coming, and there have been many missteps along the way.
If hair transplanting has offered some hope to those suffering hair loss, hair cloning may help solve the problem permanently. In a hair cloning technique, dermal papilla (DP) cells are taken from about 100 hairs from the back of the scalp. Dermal papilla cells are the basic cells responsible for hair growth. These cells are then multiplied in a patented culture and injected back into the scalp. This injected culture stimulates the growth of hair.
Experts working in this field are confident that this option may be available clinically within five years, since current human trials have already shown encouraging results.