Rediscover the lost feeling of running your hand through your hair

The life of the hair is characterised by three phases: growth, then a period of transition and rest, and fall. The duration of the cycle varies from person to person, but generally it lasts between two and seven years. Depending on the type (blond, brown-brown or red), there are about 140 000 hairs for a blond person, 100 000 for browns and brunettes, 90 000 for redheads. Hair follicles carry between one and four hairs, and on average one bulb produces around 20 hairs in its lifetime.

From a genetic point of view, only certain parts of the scalp are prone to hair loss. The parts most prone to falling off are the top of the temples, the top of the head and sometimes the whole head. The nape of the neck and the lower area of the temples are free from hair loss. Areas of hair loss are presented in a printout called the NORWOOD scale.

The first symptoms of hair loss appear at the age of twenty, and amplify in their thirties. The consequences are aesthetic as well as psychological in many cases. One of the causes of hair loss is hereditary and therefore genetic: ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA. It is to be looked for in the maternal ancestry if males have been affected by hair loss. This alopecia is caused by the reduced ability of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, DHT, to synthesise the androgenic hormone dihydrotestosterone. This alopecia is caused by the reduced ability of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, DHT, to synthesise the androgenic hormone dihydrotestosterone. Hair loss is also caused by dysfunctional sebaceous glands in the production of sebum.

In adolescence, hormonal disturbances lead to the production of dandruff, which, soaked in sebum, disrupts the normal life cycle of the hair and can cause the bulb to atrophy. Stress ALOPECIA is another cause of hair loss; stress is also thought to cause a hormonal disturbance as already seen. In addition, stress can lead to continuous manipulation of the hair and thus ultimately to hair loss. ALOPECIA as a result of diets causing dietary deficiencies especially those intended for keratin synthesis, which occurs when the diet is deficient in proteins and amino acids. There are also medical treatments that cause temporary hair loss, such as chemotherapy.

There are various hair transplantation techniques. Those that take the bulb from the donor area and transplant it into the recipient area by simply moving the same follicle from A to B (FUT, FUE). There is another technique that allows the follicles in the donor area to regenerate hair as they existed before the operation – the HST Hair Stem Cells technique. In this way, the hairs are multiplied in number and, if necessary, multiple transplants can be performed over time without depleting the donor area.

FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation)et_pb_

FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) in the operating theatre a strip of scalp (STRIP) is taken from the donor area. A suture is then applied, creating a scar in the sutured area which remains evident with short hair. It is a technique that has to be performed by experienced surgeons, and is therefore expensive due to the use of operating theatres and skilled surgical staff. This is a real surgery.

FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)

With FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), follicular units are taken from the donor area with circular scalpels (from a diameter of more than one millimetre to 0.8 millimetres). Sampling is done manually or with robotic units. Depending on the type of scalpel used, damage may be done to the follicles removed or to neighbouring follicles. This affects the percentage of regrowth of the transplanted hair. Each extraction corresponds to a small scar. All scars made cause fibrosis of the scalp which hardens. This may limit the number of subsequent transplants. This technique is often practised by novice doctors or less qualified personnel.

The health regulations of each country authorise the operators who can intervene: for Italy only qualified medical or nursing staff (the operating theatre is not necessary, only the surgery). In Turkey and other low-cost foreign countries, regulations are less demanding and unqualified or unsuitable operators may pose a risk to the patient. The economic impact of operations that do not comply with the most demanding health rules is certainly lower than that of FUT (unnecessary operating room and less qualified staff) or FUE performed in Italy. It is therefore necessary for the uninformed patient to beware of financially very low proposals for all the above risks.

HST (Hair Stemcell Transplantation)

HST (Hair Stemcell Transplantation) also called PL-FUT (Partial Longitudinal Follicular Unit Transplantation). This innovative and patented technique, which is the result of research by Dutch professor Conradus Chosal Gho, involves only partial extraction of the hair bulb. Specially designed surgical instruments measuring 0.5/0.6 millimetres are used. Partial extraction contains only a minimal amount of epidermal tissue: the stem cells of the regrowth are exposed and present in both the partially extracted portion and the portion remaining in the epidermis. The non-removed portion of the bulb regenerates within a few months the same type of hair growth as before the operation. In contrast, the harvested part has the hair stem cells directly exposed to the environment. The sample is immersed in a patented medicine complex: to allow it to survive, the sample is otherwise extremely free of adipose tissue and therefore extremely thin.

This patented medium, which among other medicinal components contains exosomes, gives the sample the strength and energy needed to survive and take root in the recipient area. The survival rate of this type of transplant is very high at between 95 and 98%. Bleeding is extremely low, the 0.6 millimetre incisions allow very close and very natural density. No bandaging is done at the end of the operation, unlike all other techniques.