B ald maybe beautiful for some, butfor most, persistent hair loss is acause for worry. Psychologists say

that people who have hair loss issues alsotend to lose their self-confidence andsome are also affected so deeply, that theycould go into depression.

But with hair transplant surgery nowbecoming quite common, hundreds ofcentres across the city are offering it andmany are opting for it as well. But there isa grizzly side to it. Last month, a 22-year-old medical student in the city died dur-ing a hair transplant surgery that wascarried out at a salon. Trichologistsand hair transplant surgeons say thatone needs to choose a centre that iswell-equipped to do this and has quali-fied professionals. Experts say thatone needs a certified surgeon to carryout this procedure, at a hospital, andnot at unauthorised salons. So, whatexactly is a hair transplant surgery?What is the scope for success? Whatare some of the risks involved? DrApoorva Shah, trichologist and DrSasikumar Muthu, a plastic surgeongives us a low-down.What is it about?One of the most common surgical treat-ments for hair loss today — hair trans-plant — is among the few sure shot waysto permanently deal with male or femalepattern-baldness. The patient’s hair istransplanted from back of the head to thebald patches. Often patients require a sec-ond procedure or a series of hair replace-ment procedures when they continue tolose hair.In such cases, a follow-up hair replace-ment procedure or a series of proceduresis necessary to main tain the desired haircoverage.Even adolescents could get this doneExperts say that male-pattern hair losscan begin at any age — right from adoles-cence to the 40s and 50s. Some men chooseto seek treatment early and maintain aregimen of treatment for as long as pro-

gressive hair loss continues. Early andcontinued treatment by a cosmetic sur-geon always helps. When the hair trans-plant is done at 40-plus, results vary, sothey have to be properly evaluated for age-related diseases and other complications.Patients with poor donor hair reservesand uncontrolled medical illness can’tundergo hair transplant.How is it done?Those seeking hair transplants are prop-erly evaluated for pre-existing medical ill-ness and aesthetic fitness. There are twomethods — the first is the strip methodwhere a skin strip is excised to harvestindividual hair follicles, and the second isthe latest and advanced FUE (FollicularUnit Extraction) method where there isno need for the skin excision. Both thesemethods have their own pros and cons.Patients with curly or very wavy hairmay be difficult to treat when FUE isused. In comparison, strip harvesting issuitable for all types of hair but leaves ascar. FUE can be a tedious process andboth patient and physician may experi-ence fatigue. This can limit the amount ofgrafts that can be harvested in a singlesession. Surgery on the average takes fiveto six hours for a 2,000-follicle implant byFUE method. In strip method there can beadditional 1,000 to 2,000 grafts implanted.The follicle harvested is then implantedinto the bald area.Results are not instantaneousIt takes at least three to six months to seethe final results. Then, a proper post pro-cedure protocol has to be followed andfurther follow-up visits have tobe scheduled. Result varieswith age, hair and scalp naturewhich is explained in detailduring the pre-surgery coun-selling.Surgery could go wrong Hair transplant surgery is oneof the safest procedures if sur-gical principles are followed.Else, it can go wrong in many

ways, resulting even in loss of life.Choosing the right doctor is of utmostimportance, or one could end up withpoor results, unsightly donor scars, infec-tion, skin necrosis and loss of skin withscarring.There are risks involved tooEven though this is a simple procedure,one needs to remember that it is a surgi-cal process and patients should look forthe right kind of surgical expertise.There are some risks that are not reallyserious, like swelling, shock hair losswhich recovers, post-procedure pain anddiscomfort over operated area. There aremore serious risks, too, like anaestheticdrug reactions, sepsis, or even death.Is it possible that one can die during thissurgery?It's unfortunate to lose life during or dueto this kind of procedure. A well-trainedsurgeon will understand that the successof surgery is decided by proper pre-oper-ative patient selection and best post-sur-gical follow-up, and not just by mere com-pletion of procedure. The surgeon mustmakes sure that the environment inwhich he operates — however small theprocedure — is kept sterile and is well-equipped to handle emergencies.If the place doesn’t have a qualified sur-geon, an anaesthetist, proper sterility,well-trained staff and necessary emer-gency back-up, it can lead to complica-tions, resulting even in loss of life.

— Janani.Karthik@timesgroup.comDebarati.Sen@timesgroup.com

DTP FRIDAY 22 JULY 2016BOMBAY TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA14 VARIETY

BEAT CANCER BEFORE IT BEATS YOUWo r l d

GastroenterologyInstitute (WGI) is a

tertiary hospital spearhead-ed by Dr Vipulroy Rathod, aFellow of the AmericanSociety of GastrointestinalEndoscopy, visiting profes-sor at Yale University, endo-scopist and pioneer ofEndoscopic Ultrasound(EUS) in the Indian subcon-tinent. It is said to be thefirst gastroenterology hospi-tal of Western India,equipped with the most cut-ting-edge technology andlargest experience in thefield of early diagnosis ofgastrointestinal cancers anddiseases.

The fast-paced life is tak-ing a toll on people’s physicaland mental fitness. Earlysigns of health-related issuesare often neglected. “Out ofevery 10 patients that we see,six to seven have been to sev-eral other places and gonethrough several diagnosticprocedures that have ren-dered either the wrong resultor no result at all. In mostcases, cancer is detectedwhen it’s too late to do any-thing. This is what we wantto change - we want to beat

cancer before it beats you!”says Dr Rathod, who is work-ing relentlessly towardspropagating the role of EUSin diagnosis and has trainedmore 450 gastroenterologistsfrom across the world.

With over 18,000 advancedand 35,000 basic proceduressuccessfully delivered, WGIsparks hope for a speedyrecovery for patients suffer-ing not only from day-to-dayacidity, diarrhea, constipa-tion but also furtheradvanced disorders like pan-creatitis, jaundice and gas-trointestinal cancers. Thestate-of-the-art infrastruc-ture and modern technolo-gies adopted at this institutepromises to deliver accurateand early diagnosis alongwith the effective treatment.“Endoscopy is painless andwe’re constantly innovatingand pushing the boundariesof conventional surgery tocome up with solutions thatare minimally invasive,”adds Dr Rathod, who set anew benchmark for gas-troenterologists all over theworld in 2013 when he report-edly resected an esophagealtumour measuring 8cm x2.5cm, the largest tumour in

the world to have ever beenresected endoscopicallywithout surgical interven-tion.

“At WGI, we do our best tomake the impossible possi-ble,” concludes Dr Rathod,who is also the director ofEndoscopy Asia, a daycareambulatory surgical facilityand founder of Dr RathodMedical Foundation, anNGO that’s not only helpingthe underprivileged segmentof society to receive sub-sidised world class treat-ments but is also continuous-ly working on pancreaticcancer research and raisingawareness amongst doctors

about diagnosis and treat-ment protocols.

Where: WorldGastroenterology Institute

(WGI), Ambolinaka Signal,S V Road, Andheri (W)

Call: 022-61099888www.wgi.ooo Daycare Centre

(Endoscopy Asia (EA)),Sion West Call: 022-24043522

www.endoscopyasia.com NGO: Dr Rathod Medical

Foundation www.drmf.in.Call: 1800 267 0141

(Toll Free) (*Procedures given are

based on the expert’sunderstanding of the

said field)

Dr Vipulroy Rathod performing endoscopy surgery withhis team

PRE-SURGERY INSTRUCTIONS■ One week before the procedure patients are advised to stop taking all vitamin

tablets, anti-inflammatory medications, aspirin, green tea extract and alco-hol. If one has been prescribed any special medication, they will need per-mission of their doctor to stop taking medications.

■ Seven days before the procedure one has to stop using Minoxidil or any othertopical hair applications. Applications can be resumed two weeks post pro-cedure or as advised by the doctor.

■ Patients should eat at least two hours prior to their procedure, though it is recom-mend to avoid coffee and caffeinated products.

■ Wearing button up shirt on the day of the procedure is preferable, not some-thing that goes over your head like T-shirts, kurtas, pull-overs.

■ If one suffers from skin conditions of any sort such as psoriasis or eczema, thismust be treated prior to the procedure or it will not be possible to carry out the pro-cedure.

■ Patients are advised to colour all hair black three days prior to the procedure. Thisensures proper visibility of the hair in the donor area.

■ Blood tests needed are — CBC, TCDC, ESR, Blood Sugar (random for non-dia-betics and fasting, pp for diabetics), HbsAg, HCV, HIV, bleeding time, clottingtime and prothrombine time.

■ In case of h/o any major illness like diabetes or hypertension fit for surgery certifi-cate by physician.

POST- SURGERYINSTRUCTIONSDo not venture out without surgicalcap and preferably stay indoors. Nobed rest needed.◗ Do not wash scalp for seven days.◗ For first three days keep spraying

normal saline spray gently inrecipient area.

◗ Some simple antibiotics and NSAIDs are given for three to five days.◗ One can resume work from the fourth day but no physically strenuous work should

be done for a month◗ No swimming for a month◗ Avoid taking direct jet or shower over recipient area for a month.

One of the permanent waysto treat hair loss is tosurgically transplant hair fromthe back of the head to thebald areas. Experts give us a low-down on this...

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