Hair loss treatments can be affordable when hair thinning treatments are done early on.
However, if hair thinning and hair loss such as androgenetic alopecia areata which causes baldness on the scalp are left alone, then hair loss treatments will definitely cost more.
Hair restoration surgery or hair transplants are usually the final resort for hair loss treatments.
What is hair transplantation?
This treatment for hair loss is a type of surgery that moves hair you already have to fill an area with thin or no hair.
The procedure should be done in the doctor’s office.
First, the surgeon cleans your scalp and injects medicine to numb the back of your head.
Your doctor will choose one of two methods for the transplant: follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) or follicular unit extraction (FUE).
How do doctors perform follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS)?
With FUSS, the surgeon removes a 6- to 10-inch strip of skin from the back of your head.
They set it aside and sew the scalp closed.
This area is immediately hidden by the hair around it.
Next, the surgeon’s team divides the strip of removed scalp into 500 to 2,000 tiny hair grafts, each with an individual hair or just a few hairs.
The number and type of graft you get depend on your hair type, quality, colour, and the size of the area where you’re getting the transplant.
How do doctors perform follicular unit extraction (FUE)?
For the FUE surgical procedure, the surgeon’s team begins by shaving the back of the patient’s scalp.
Next, hair follicles are removed one by one from there.
The area heals with small dots, which will be covered by the existing hair.
After that point, the procedure mimics FUSS.
Hair grafts are prepared and the surgeon cleans and numbs the area where the hair will go, creates holes or slits with a scalpel or needle, and delicately places each graft in one of the holes.
Depending on the size of the transplant, the process will take about 4 to 8 hours.
If you have severe hair loss, then another round of treatments may be required to increase hair volume.
What to expect from hair transplant surgery?
You may have scalp inflammation after the surgery.
The doctors will probably prescribe pain medications for several days and you have to wear bandages over your scalp for at least a day or two.
They may also prescribe an antibiotic or an anti-inflammatory drug for you to take for several days.
However, most people are able to return to work 2 to 5 days after the operation.
Within 2 to 3 weeks after surgery, the transplanted hair will fall out, but you should start to notice new growth within a few months.
Most people will see 60% of new hair growth after 6 to 9 months.
What are the risks and costs of hair transplant surgery?
The price of a hair transplant will depend largely on the amount of hair you’re moving, but it generally ranges from SGD8,000 to SGD12,000.
As with any kind of cosmetic treatment surgery, transplants have some risks and they include bleeding and infection.
There’s also the chance for scarring and unnatural-looking new hair growth post-hair transplant.
Around the time new locks start to grow, some people have inflammation or an infection of the hair follicles, called folliculitis but antibiotics and compresses can help relieve the problem.
It’s also possible to suddenly lose some of the original hair in the area where you got the new strands.
This is called shock loss, but most of the time, it’s not permanent.
Other non-invasive hair loss treatments
1) Visit a Tricologist
A trichologist such as regrow herbal hair treatment has alternative ways to help with hair loss and hair thinning treatments.
Female pattern hair loss is sometimes caused by hormonal imbalances from menopause whilst male pattern hair loss is largely due to lifestyle and genetics.
Therefore, a trichologist is trained to recognize scalp conditions and come up with a much more affordable hair loss treatment compared to having hair transplant surgery.
A trichologist will assess every aspect of your well-being and will determine the cause of your hair loss.
This can be due to a lack of essential nutrients, poor dietary choices, and hygiene patterns that may add to this issue if a person suffers from a form of hair loss.
A trichologist will begin treatment by performing an inspection to uncover the cause of hair loss.
This procedure is pain-free and confidential.
The trichologist evaluates the scalp and hair with specialized lenses to determine the potential causes of anomalies and focuses on ways to improve the overall health of your scalp to induce hair growth.
In order to get thick and healthy hair, you may be prescribed a slew of procedures.
This may include low-level laser therapy, topical agents, or prescriptions such as the regenera activa procedure or finasteride pills to return your hair follicles’ natural cycle.
Your trichologist might also prescribe hair replacement therapies depending on the type of hair loss.
It is important to remember that a trichologist’s role isn’t to promote a single medication or substance, but to assist you in finding the best cure for your hair loss.
2) Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
In TCM, hair health is believed to be closely linked to blood flow in the body.
This is because our blood is responsible to supply nutrients required to nourish our hair.
Blood in turn is closely linked to 2 organs, namely the liver and the spleen.
Our spleen is responsible for digestion and nutrient absorption, while the liver is responsible for storing and circulating blood.
A compromised liver and/or spleen system often results in blood deficiency or blood stagnation.
This affects the nutrient supply to our hair and can eventually result in hair loss.
In hot and humid countries like Singapore, excessive damp heat is a body type that is fairly common, especially among younger adults.
This causes issues such as seborrheic dermatitis which is a skin condition that is caused by an overproduction of sebum (an oily secretion) by the sebaceous gland.
It normally affects the scalp and can cause the skin there to become red, flaky, itchy and oily.
Individuals with this condition tend to scratch their scalp a lot more, which results in damaged hair follicles.
They are also more prone to Malassezia, a type of fungus that makes it more difficult for hair to grow.
Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine can be an alternative to affordable hair restoration treatments, especially when hair loss is just at the beginning stages.
