Quality Control Standards at DHT

At DHT Centre the quality control is ensured by specifying certain quality control standards.These quality standards are relevant from identifying the need for a hair transplantation surgery to the time of obtaining the results of the surgery. As our priority we pay special attention to the training of the doctors and assistants, usage of the best equipments available across the globe and maximizing the hair transplant surgery’s result by using the DHT Technique for hair transplantation.
@ http://www.directhairtransplantation.com/2013-04-18-13-17-13/quality-affiliation.html

Limiting Pain from Injections in Hair Transplantation

The First Injection 

Most of the patients are more anxious during their first injection. If the first injection causes pain to them then they will be more and more anxious for forthcoming injections. Thus at DHT Clinic we try and make the first injection and all other following injections simpler and almost painless for the patient in the following manner:

Concomitant Physical Stimulation

Just recall, when our finger gets burn we unconsciously and immediately shake it, in a fierce manner. We do this because in this manner we try to reduce our pain by shaking or vibrating the affected area. Similarly in order to reduce pain during hair transplantation surgery, we use vibrators to shake the affected area in order to reduce the pain. In order to diminish the perception of painful stimuli touch, pressure and vibrations are used during the surgery. This helps to distract the patient and minimize his pain.

Cooling

In ancient ages icing was used to achieve numbness of any aching body part. The hypoesthesia achieved by this cold induced numbness temporarily blocks the pain perceiving receptors. We use sterile cold packs, ice boxes and doctor ice to make the injection sites numb, so that pain during prick is almost nil.

Reducing the Needle Caliber

Small caliber needles causes less pain then large ones. This potential of small caliber needles is utilized only when the rate of injection is slowed. We use 31 gauge, the thinnest possible needle in the world. It is also known as insulin syringe. With help of this insulin syringe, and slow rate of injection, the pain is minimized almost to zero.

Rate of Injection

Rate of injection also plays a major role in reducing the pain. If one reduces the rate of administration of local anesthetics, then the pain can also be reduced. We inject the anesthetic solution at extremely slow rate which cause slow tissue expansion and thus very less pain.

Depth of Injection 

While injecting the local anesthetic and the tumescent solution we are extremely careful about the depth or the PLANE of injection. If we prick beyond mid dermis level then the pain perception will be more as the receptors for the same are located at that level. So we keep the tip of the hypodermic needle in the PLANE above mid dermis. In addition to alleviating pain, this move also enhances the blanching effect of the tumescent anesthesia.

The OT & Surgery Environment

The OT and surgery environment also has a significant impact on the pain’s experience. We at DHT Clinic play soothing music and involve you in rich conversations with the doctors, keeping your areas of interest as priority.

http://www.directhairtransplantation.com/what-is-hair-transplantation/limiting-pain-from-injections-in-hair-transplantation.html

Right Age of Hair Transplant

The right age of transplantation depends upon the level of surety that a physician and a patient has regarding the future state of baldness of the patient. Future state of baldness can tell us the need and the best technique of hair transplant for the patient. To know about this future state one can look at baldness pattern in the patient’s family. 28-32 years is said to be the optimum age for hair transplant where the level of the surety about the future pattern baldness is highest.

At our Direct Hair Transplant (DHT) Centre in Dehradun and Gurgaon, we transplant hair by a sequence which is different from the sequence followed in FUE technique. In FUE technique the sequence is as follows:

STEP I - Extraction of grafts.
STEP II - Making the slits for graft implantation.
STEP III - Implanting the extracted graft. 

Whereas the sequence followed by us is:

STEP I - Making the slits for graft implantation
STEP II - Extraction of grafts + Implanting the extracted graft.

This sequence prevents the graft to get damaged from:
• Desiccation
• Infection
• Mechanical Handling and
• Chemical Damage

The “Out of Body Exposure” for the grafts is now LEAST and thus the chances of graft survival are MAXIMUM. The result of this change in sequence has been fantastic. This has improved the results of our hair transplant surgery a lot. This change in sequence has given a new characteristic to the FUE technique. We have named the new sequence as Direct Hair Transplant (DHT). 

Baldness and its Remedy

Most men face the problem of baldness around the age of 22 years and it keeps on increasing with age. The cause of baldness is Androgenetic Alopecia. Some of the triggers of baldness which accelerate the process are:

(i) High stress level.

(ii) Improper diet.

(iii) Bad effects of Type A personality.

Direct Hair Transplant can be a remedy to restore the hair on the bald portions with a success rate of 98-100%.

Female Hair Transplant

Female hair loss is not as common as in men. The pattern of female baldness also differs from male pattern baldness. In females hair loss is generally seen after the age of 40 years. Their hair starts thinning out from the crown and top areas of the head first, whereas the hair line remains the same. Direct Hair Transplant (DHT) is equally successful in females for hair restoration

Grey Hair Transplantation

"Grey Hair Transplantation (GHT) is equally successful as the black hair transplantation. In GHT the client has to dye his grey hair without dying the scalp. This will make the grey hair stand out as black, against the light background of the scalp skin.

A quality GHT can be done only by the experts with the world's best equipments like Cole and Harris instruments, due to many technicalities involved."

The hair transplanted by DHT technique is permanent, this technique works on donor dominance phenomenon, which means the graft is taken from those parts of the scalp & body which do not shed and the hair keep its native characteristics and remain permanently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv5X7UVwS7E

A very happy and safe Holi to ALL!!! .We are happy to share few tips to prevent your hair from getting damaged from the colours. 

Hair protection: 
• Oil your hair with coconut, olive or castor oil. Doing so will protect your hair from damage by harmful chemicals. It will also be helpful to remove the colours while washing off.
• You may also cover your head with a thick scarf/cap/cloth to protect your hair from being soaked in colour.
• Try using natural colours such as henna, turmeric, marigold flowers, tomatoes and tea leaves for a safe and skin-friendly Holi.

Post Holi care:
• Rinse your hair with plenty of water to wash off colours.
• Use mild and herbal shampoo to avoid further damage.
• You can also add lemon juice to a mug and use it as a last rinse to restore cid-alkaline balance of the scalp.

Do not take bath immediately after the play since taking frequent baths and washing your face and hair repeatedly will ruin your skin as well as your scalp. Do it much later after the celebration is over!
In case of any specific queries please feel free to contact us.

Once Again a very Happy Holi to all Dear Friends.

Cost Variation between Different Hair Transplant Centres

The cost of hair transplantation varies from one centre to another.  This variation exists due to the different quality of the resources used by different centres. Many centres reduce the price of the surgery to attract masses. Most of the players play on a “Price War Strategy” with each other to win over more clients.  But at the same time most of them also reduces the quality of the resources to increase their profit margins.

A high quality hair transplant surgery is only possible when a highly qualified team carries out the surgery, under the presence of a well qualified doctor.

A quality conscious hair transplant centre incurs costs such as training costs, cost of more effective medicines, solutions, usables, costs for running the centre and the most important quality control and management costs.

Being focused on the quality aspects of the surgery, DHT Clinic incurs all of the above mentioned costs willingly to provide a high quality hair transplantation surgery.  Dr. Pradeep Sethi and Dr. Arika Sethi trained from AIIMS, New Delhi, perform these surgeries themselves by exceeding the international quality standards.

As one patient said: “You never remember the price of a good surgery and you never forget the price of a bad surgery.”

The price per transplanted follicular unit graft is Rs 40-90 depending upon the technique that a person wants to go for.

We estimate the numbers of follicular units as accurately as we can in advance of surgery but, as the density of follicular unit varies all over the scalp, the actual number of follicles transplanted may be slightly higher or lower than our estimates. A careful audit is kept during surgery and you will only be charged for the actual number of follicular units transplanted.

Why there is price variation between centers for the same Hair transplantation surgery?

The price varies between centers, because of the variation in expertise of the team, experience of the doctors and whether the doctor himself is doing the surgery or getting it done by hired technicians or all together a travelling team is doing the surgery and the centre is arranging the cases.

The price also depends upon the quality of instruments and quality of usables used in the surgery. The patients have all the rights to know the quality of the instruments used in his surgery, the actual transection rate (permanent cutting of the roots) in the surgery. Whether the centre is using sharp or blunt punches. Punches are from a good international company (like Cole instruments, Harris instruments and Ellis instruments) or prepared in China/Korea or local.

Blunt punches of Harris system are best with least transaction rate. They are very costly at the same time. Sharp punches of Cole instruments are also extremely good but with high price. If the doctor using these best quality instruments then all these has a cost. Special patented instruments are used to avoid the root handling during plantation, lest there is chance of crushing the root leading to permanent loss of roots.

Best quality instruments are required in the three steps of hair transplantation; extraction, storage and plantation. Each step is very crucial, should be in front of the doctor simultaneously.

The cost also involves the training exposure of the team. If the team is regularly updating themselves in national and international conferences, then their quality of surgery will be much better. The patients can find about all the doctors in the Indian (http://www.ahrsindia.com) as well as International hair restoration society (http://www.ishrs.org).

Transplanting roots and growing them is the main purpose of hair transplantation. At the same time the transplanted hair should grow in the right angle, with optimum density and the new hairline should not look artificial. These things come with attending national and international workshops and conferences.

Due to low quality (low cost) instruments, there will be permanent damage of the hair roots. This means; if there is a target of 1000 grafts; it is possible with poor quality instruments/team that they have punched 1300 times. This means 300 roots were cut through and through but did not come out! This is called transaction of roots (permanent loss from the scalp!). Out of these 1000 roots some 700-800 roots will grow with poor quality instruments used for transportation and plantation.

We use the most advanced and efficient instruments available. We use the Cole instruments(http://www.coleinstruments.com), Harris instruments (http://hsccolorado.com/SafeScribe.aspx), & Ellis instruments(http://www.ellisinstruments.com/), which are the best and most efficient instruments available for hair transplantation in the world.

It is obvious that if any hair transplant centre is using less efficient instruments available in market at low cost, then the cost will be less compared to us because we do not compromise on quality.

To summarize, the best quality surgery is not possible in cheap price.

Permanent Vs Temporary Hair Roots

On our scalp we have two types of hair roots; permanent, the androgen resistant roots and temporary, the androgen sensitive roots. Usually the permanent hair/roots remain on the back side and the sides of the head, up to 2-3 inches above the ear lobule. Rest of the hair roots on the scalp, i.e. on front, top (vertex) are temporary. In some males, the roots just below and back side of the top of head and nape of neck, i.e. posterior hair line are temporary also. Only expert and highly intelligent surgeons can distinguish between the permanent and temporary roots. When we call it temporary, it does not mean that these hairs will definitely fall. Who will become bald at which point of time is difficult to predict. But whoever is a male, is a potential for baldness, because of the male hormone – Testosterone running in his blood. Many people think that, the baldness is due to some hormonal imbalance, which is not true. The male hormone testosterone is responsible for giving us the male qualities. And this same testosterone is responsible for the male pattern baldness. Why this happens in case of human males and not seen in other male animals is not known.

In male pattern baldness (MPB) also called Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA), the temporary hair gradually becomes thin and the area eventually becomes completely bald. The age of onset varies between 18-35 years of age. Once the baldness started the speed also varies from person to person. The age of onset, speed and severity are variable. If the baldness is running in family then the chances of getting bald is more, but it is impossible to predict accurately the course of familial baldness also.

In surgical hair transplantation, the aim is to transplant permanent (hormone resistant) hair roots from the back side of scalp to the bald scalp. Sometimes permanent roots are extracted from the beard and chest also. As we know, beard roots are thick and stay permanently. Chest roots are unpredictable in their growth rate.

While performing hair transplantation, the surgeon should be very careful not to transplant the temporary roots. Mostly it happens when with over enthusiasm for any reason the surgeon harvests hair from the UNSAFE donor area, too much towards the vertex or too much towards the nape area. If these temporary roots are planted on bald area, they will grow definitely. But when the natural process of baldness will progress, there will be loss of temporary roots from the back side of head. At the same time there will be also loss of these temporary roots on the front, where they are planted. 

On an average, in FUE and DHT technique a maximum of 2000-2500 roots can be extracted and planted in a single session of 6-8 hrs. Very rarely roots beyond this number can be harvested without going into the temporary UNSAFE area.

Planning for the Hairline in Hair transplant Surgery

Planning of hairline design and follicular grafts placement is of extreme importance to the successful aesthetic and natural final result of a hair transplant. It is one of the most intricate aspects of the procedure. It is difficult to master, and therefore this is the area where the most mistakes are made.

Men with MPB:-

While planning a hairline in men it is very essential to remember that thinning is a process which continues throughout life, and that there is a limited quantity of hair available for harvesting from the permanent donor region. There is a possibility of running out of enough hair to transplant both the frontal as well as crown regions. As a matter of fact, in most cases of MPB, it is usually sensible to correct the front one-third to half of the scalp and leave the crown completely. Another alternative is to wait for the right time when the front region of the head gets completed and then decide considering the concern of the patient with the crown and is there adequate hair left to treat that area.

We can divide the scalp into some important zones; the three regions with good potential to be treated are the frontal region, mid-scalp, and vertex (crown).

For recreating a frontal hairline, we draw a line from the midline anterior most point or mid-frontal point (MFP). Usually we place this point at 7-11 cm above the midglabellar line, approximately at the point where the fore head transitions from being vertical on the front to gradually sloping posteriorly.

In the next step, a curved line is drawn from the mid-frontal-point (MFP) moving upward and to the lateral side of the apex, which is the highest point of the fronto-temporal recessions.

While transplanting the frontal and mid-scalp regions, a keen eye should be kept on the mid-portion of the posterior hair line which must not advance the vertex transition point (VTP). Ahead of the “VTP” the hair direction starts changing and the hairs of the crown start taking the shape of a whorl, and there is a radial swaying in a 360 pattern.

The variety of hairline placement patterns depend on multiple factors such as the age of the patient, nationality, extent of present and possible further thinning hair loss patterns and expectations An isolated frontal forelock may be planned if the patient is very bald or very young patient with a possibility of getting very bald in the future.. This is one of the safest ways to accomplish a conventional hair relative to a considerable balding area.

The Crown:-

The crown, when transplanted does not give as much cosmetic gain as compared to the front. Some men show less concern about the vertex as they do not notice it and are unwilling to treat that area. Limiting crown transplantation just to a single or two sessions of light coverage can provide the patient as well as the surgeon with additional donor hair in reserve if any concern arises in the future.

RE- CREATING A NATURAL HAIRLINE:-

Hairline that is too angulated, symmetrical and sharp can be eye-catching and render an unnatural look. The anterior hair line is a little wavy (or feathered) in an irregular manner, so that the hair line is softened and abrupt straight lines are avoided. An initial defined zone of evenly spaced single hairline. Anterior to this zone, micro-irregularities employing three to four single-haired FUs are utilized in clusters as well as scattering random. Single-haired FUs, placed erratically in front and between groupings. In this way the hairline is softened and abrupt straight lines are avoided. What is created is a gradually increasing density in a hairline zone, approximately 5-10 mm in width.

Dr Pradeep Sethi, MD (AIIMS, New Delhi)

Dr Arika Sethi, MD (AIIMS, New Delhi)

dhtclinic@gmail.com

www.directhairtransplantation.com

429, Street number -8, Rajender Nagar, Dehradun

+91-8057541540, 0135-2750096

Stem cells hype in Hair Transplantation

There is a lot of hype going on about stem cells in the world of hair transplantation. This forced us to write this article for the better understanding about stem cells among our patients.

Our hair follicles contain some committed stem cells in the bulge area. These stem cells in tandem with other cells of the hair follicles sustain the hair follicle structure and maintain the hair cycle. However, how these stem cells exactly act is not known. There are some unknown factors which regulate these stem cells.
In our lab, with the help of some eminent stem cell scientists of India we have already extracted these stem cells two years back and we injected this stem cell solution into the completely bald scalp as well as thinning scalp. But, this solution has not grown any new hair.

Nowhere in the world, as of today, are stem cells producing new hair. Producing new hair means cloning. Hair cloning is a mirage today. Probably, these stem cells solutions can help to prevent hair fall just like minoxidil, scientifically, nothing more than that.

Every day we get to see a lot of advertisements related to stem cell hair duplication. This article is to aware the patients who inquire about the role of stem cells in hair transplantation.

On pubmed (which is the online dictionary in medical research) search about stem cell in hair transplantation nothing is found. That means no one has published any scientific evidence of stem cell hair regeneration on human scalp!

Practical Hair Density possible in Hair Transplantation

On an average, an adult human scalp contains 100,000 follicular units in total.  In baldness, there is already 50% loss of follicular units in the bald looking area. On an average the density of a non bald scalp is 80-100 follicular units per square cm. This density varies from person to person.

Hair transplantation can hide the baldness in single sitting, but it cannot provide the natural density in one session. In hair transplantation, doctors can plant 25-35 follicular units (FU) per square cm, which is much less than the normal density, though this much density can hide the baldness with artistic planning of the grafting. For normal density, a second sitting of 25-35 follicular units (FU) per square cm is required. Sometimes, a third sitting may be required for natural density.

In the front hairline, usually single FUs are grafted for natural look. In this area, 35-45 FUs can be planted in 1 square cm. In the crown and vertex area, the double and triple FUs are planted.

With over enthusiasm if more than 40-50 FUs are planted in 1 square cm then the chances of growth will be less because there will be competition between the grafts for blood supply.  This competition among FUs will result in death of a lot of hair follicles as well as necrosis of skin. That means permanent loss of follicle and permanent scar on head. This can be better understood with an example: In plantation in our garden, we are always advised to keep a minimum distance in between the plants for optimum growth; else most of the plants die.

For doctors, dense packing is an ongoing learning process; the goal is to achieve density while staying within the scalp’s safe limit of vascular damage. 

Alopecia Totalis

Introduction

Alopecia totalis is the loss of all scalp hair. It is believed to be an autoimmune disease, the immune system attack hair follicles causing hair loss.  Stress is another contributor of Alopecia totalis.  Excessive hair loss occurs at once in the case of illness or cancer treatment, autoimmune disorders, stress or hormonal changes. Environment can also contribute to the cause of this disease. It can affect both male and female under the age of forty.

Symptoms

Alopecia totalis may start as a receding hair line growing gradually or sudden. In the beginning patches of hair loss can be seen on the scalp along with tingly feeling or pain. In some cases hair loss seems to be affecting one side of the scalp. This further can lead to a total baldness. Another indication of Alopecia is to be able to pull out ones hair easily.

Diagnosis of Alopecia totalis 

Although one knows that Alopecia totalis means hair fall in large amount, still doctor will examine your medical history, physical examination and a family history as there is an unknown genetic cause that makes your immune system to attack hair follicles and causes Alopecia totalis. Examination of scalp for hair fall patterns is done and the doctor also looks at the individual hairs. Blood samples are taken to know the causes of the diseases. If you have just begun to lose hair vitamins or medications helps to slow down the hair loss. But in cases of total hair loss hair can regrow only after hair transplant surgery.


Treatments

Methotrexate and corticosteroids are most popular treatments for Alopecia totalis . These medications usually come in the form of creams or injections and are applied to an affected area. These are effective where the patches of hair loss are small. Elocon ointmet and minoxidil can also be used.

Dr Pradeep Sethi, MD(AIIMS),         Dr Arika Sethi, MD(AIIMS)
Direct Hair Transplantation Center
Dehradun/Rishikesh/Gurgaon
Ph:   +91-8057541540
dhtclinic@gmail.com

www.directhairtransplantation.com 

Dr Pradeep and Arika Sethi, gave a talk on "Skin and hair care: myths and facts" at Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL)

Dr Pradeep and Dr Arika gave a talk on "Skin and hair care: myths and facts" at Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL), Dehradun on 12th January, 2012. The talk was well received and a lot of productive, fruitful discussion was there following the completion of talk. The scientists asked a lot of relevant and genuine questions, that were answered by Dr Pradeep Sethi.


Dr Pradeep Sethi, MD (AIIMS),         Dr Arika Sethi, MD (AIIMS)
Direct Hair Transplantation Centre
Dehradun/Rishikesh/Gurgaon
Ph:   +91-8057541540 
www.directhairtransplantation.com

Hair Transplantation cost

The cost of carrying out a quality hair transplant is considerable as the process requires a team of highly skilled medical staff and technicians. On any one transplant surgery there may be up to 10 technicians, nurses and surgeons working on each patient. There is no low-cost method of providing a permanent solution to hair loss by surgical means. Therefore, if cost is the principal factor guiding your decision about whether or not to have a hair transplant, we strongly advise that you do not have surgery but that you consider the medical treatments instead. Having an inferior quality hair transplant carried out can have serious, negative and long-term consequences.

As one patient said: “You never remember the price of a good job and you never forget the price of a bad one”.

The price per transplanted follicular unit graft is Rs 40-80 depending upon the technique that a person wants to go for.

We estimate the numbers of follicular units as accurately as we can in advance of surgery but, as the density of follicular units varies all over the scalp, the actual number of follicles transplanted may be slightly higher or lower than our estimates. A careful audit is kept during surgery and you will only be charged for the actual number of follicular units transplanted.

Dr Pradeep Sethi, MD (AIIMS),         Dr Arika Sethi, MD (AIIMS)
Direct Hair Transplantation Center

Dehradun/Rishikesh/Gurgaon
Ph:   +91-8057541540 
dhtclinic@gmail.com
www.directhairtransplantation.com

Angle of Hair Transplantation

A good quality hair transplant procedure is combination of art, science and surgical skill. A person contemplating to undergo hair restoration procedure should know a little about the artistry involved in this procedure to have completely natural and aesthetically gratifying result.

Angle of Hair Transplantation

In a hair-transplant procedure, emphasis should be given to the natural hair angles and directions for optimal naturalness of the final growth as well as for an extremely good appearance of visual hair density.

What Is Hair Angle?

The hair angle refers to the degree of elevation of a hair as it exits the scalp, i.e., how much tilt upward or downward the hair graft is situated in relation to the scalp. This angle is usually 10 to 15 degrees in the frontal hairline.

What Is Hair Direction?

The hair direction refers to which way the hair points, i.e., whether the hair points toward the left or the right and the degree of deviation from the central antero-posterior line.

Angles and direction of transplanted hair in different scalp regions

Angles of hair transplantation depend on the region of the head to which the graft is to be implanted.

1.      Anterior hairline-: The angle along the frontal hair line ranges from 10 to 20 degrees. So the grafts should be placed at this low angle of 10 to 20 degrees and the direction has to be forward.

2.      The temple region-: The temple hairs have a very low angle which ranges from 3 to 10 degrees and vary in their direction and angles as one move around frontal temporal angle from the frontal arm where the hair point anteriorly to the temporal arm of this angle where the hair points posteriorly (backwards) in the temporal triangle and inferiorly (downwards) in the sideburn area. Similarly, the angles also vary from 10 degrees in the frontal component to as low as 3 degrees in the temporal component.

3.      The midscalp region: - The hairs in this region leave the scalp at an angle of 30 degrees in the frontal part and it increase to 60 degrees in the posterior part of midscalp. The hairs are directed anteriorly with gradual lateral fanning.

4.      The crown region: - The hairs in this region have a radial fanning with a whorl pattern and the angle ranges from 20-50 degrees. The upper half of whorl has medium to high angles (25 to 45 degrees) whereas lower half has angles ranging from 15-20 degrees. The hairs in the vertex spin tightly around a central point and then fan outwards. It is important to carefully observe the changing direction and flow pattern outlined by existing vellus hair. To yield a natural aesthetic result the number of hair grafts required are more and the surgeon needs to have good experience in vertex reconstruction.

Frontal forelock or cowlick

It is a challenging job for the surgeon if the hair in the frontal forelock (cowlick) is present. If the hairs are vellus (extremely thin and not growing) then this region should be completely implanted with the follicular unit grafts. However, if the hairs are thick and growing, the follicular unit grafts should be implanted in between the existing hair with extreme precaution to preserve the native hair.

Hair Curl

Careful attention should be paid to the curl of the hair in the graft. The curl must always curl down and into the skin in the same direction as the incision site. In our clinic, we take extreme precaution to maintain the curl downwards. This is made possible due to specialized implanters that are loaded in such a way that the curl of the hair is pointing into the cylindrical cavity of the implanter at the time of loading it with follicular unit grafts.

FUE ( Follicular Unit Extraction) Hair Transplant

FUE Hair Transplant

FUE Hair Transplant stands for follicular unit extraction. It’s an advanced type of hair restoration surgery, in which the individual follicular units are extracted one by one from the donor area (back of head, beard etc) and are transplanted to the recipient region (frontal bald region).

Technique

In FUE, individual follicular units are removed one by one under local anesthesia with the help of tiny punches of 0.6mm to 1.25mm diameter. Each follicle is then implanted individually on the frontal bald scalp. This technique is less invasive so, leaves no linear scar, any post operative pain is minimized and the healing and recovery period is minimum.

FUE; Advantages over FUT

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is also known as “Strip Harvesting” hair transplant method is the older technique in which a strip of scalp is removed by the surgeon and this strip is dissected into individual follicular units by the surgical technician and then implanted on the bald region, while the wound is sutured back together.

The major drawback of FUT is that it leaves a long linear scar on the back and sides of head. The recovery period is 2 weeks and requires the stitches to be removed by medical personnel.

FUE on the other hand has a lot of advantages over FUT:

·         It does not leave a linear scar at the back of head, instead only small punctate scars remain which are not visible even on close inspection.

·         The patient can keep their hairs short.

·         Body hair harvesting has been made possible with FUE

·         Minimal post operative pain.

·         Fast recovery within a week.

·         Helpful in individuals with tense scalp.

·         The important work of separating the hair follicular unit is not left to technicians rather the hair transplant doctors extract follicular units themselves so the chances of graft damage while handling is minimized leading to high graft survival rate.

·         Moreover, the FUE grafts spend much less time outside the body which ensures maximum survival.

All these advantages of FUE have made it a very popular and more preferred hair transplant technique of these days. 

Implementation of Direct Hair Transplantation

Dr Pradeep and Dr Arika have made continuous efforts to improve the results of hair transplant surgery.  Dr. Pradeep Sethi conceived and implemented the idea of “Directhair transplantation (DHT)” and has been using this method for hair transplantation past five years. In this most advanced hair replacement procedures grafts are planted as soon as they are extracted. This advance technique was designed to improve the speed of the follicular unit extraction and minimize the chances of graft desiccation, infection and mechanical trauma.

This new advanced technique works on ‘No Touch’ technique. Our hair roots contain stem cells. These cells can give new hair roots. The grafts are extracted from the donor area usually (Back head, beard, sometimes chest etc) and are planted to the bald area within few minutes. The hair retains the characteristics of the donor area when they are moved to a new location and will continue to grow. The grafts are held at hair level only and are transplanted by special patented instruments, thus there is no handling of root and this make the chances of crushing the root nil. The grafts are safely planted on the bald area within seconds. This allows fast and effective planting of the follicle while keeping the risks of damage to the follicles almost nonexistent. The grafts stay outside the scalp for minimal time and this increases the chances of graft survival to 100 %. The grafts do not shed after surgery. This technique has increased the speed of the hair restoration procedure, the transit time is reduced, the mechanical handling is nil and therefore there is no chance of graft infection.  We use "ultra refined micro grafts" for the natural density. This new DHT technique has given better results than other hair transplantation techniques. The grafts do not shed and the real hair starts appearing after 3-4 months. At times around 5% of hairs keep on growing from the day of the hair transplantation procedure, in some patients, this percentage is even higher. The hairs that grow after surgery are completely natural they can undergo regular cutting and styling.

This new  innovative technique of Direct hair Transplantation has allowed Dr Sethi to increase the number of follicular unit grafts he can transplant daily from approximately 2000 to 3000 per day.

Dr Arika underwent ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) training at ITC-HIHT on 9, 10th January, 2013.

Dr. Arika Sethi MD (AIIMS, New Delhi) is a Gold Medalist from the Prestigious Lady Hardinge Medical College (New Delhi). She did her MD from AIIMS, New Delhi. She was a brilliant student during her student life.

She published 12 National & International Papers in a short span of 3 years of MD training at AIIMS.She has a keen interest in Hair Restoration, Pigmentation, Anti-ageing & Vitiligo Surgeries.

Experience

1. Internship: Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated Smt. Sucheta Kriplani, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital And Kalawati Saran childern’s Hospital, New Delhi, 12 months of clinical rotations in Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Paediatrics, Ophthalamology, Community Medicine, Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Forensic Medicine, Orthopaedics and ENT.
2. Post Graduate resident: for 3 years (2004-2006) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Includes 4 months of dermatosurgery posting, 4 months in Venereology, 10 months exclusive posting in dermatology ward. Teaching activities: weekly case conferences, dermatopathology conferences, seminars, journal clubs, weekly bedside teaching rounds in ward.
3. Senior resident: for 3 years (2007-2010) at HIHT university, JollyGrant, Dehradun. Includes OPD, Dermatology ward, In patient dermatology consultation, Dermatological emergencies, Dermatology CME, undergraduate teaching.
4. Senior Consultant Dermatologist: for 2 years (2010-till date) at National Skin Clinic, Dehradun. Performing laser surgeries, laser hair removal, chemical peeling, dermabrasion, vitiligo surgery, melanocyte transplant, scar revision, earlobe repair, Hair transplant (more than 150 cases)

Chief areas of interest

• Dermatopathology
• Dermatosurgery
• Pediatric dermatology

Awards

• Got 2nd prize in young dematologists competition for presentation of research work in IADVL annual conference (Delhi) held on 18.12.2005.
• Vishnupriya Debi Award for best paper published in IJDVL during the year 2006. Paper: Verma KK, Bansal A, Sethuraman G. Parthenium dermatitis treated with azathioprine weekly pulse doses. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2006 Jan-Feb; 72(1): 24-7.
• Got gold medal in Ophthalmology for getting highest aggregate marks during Final MBBS (2001)

Research

1. THESIS: Evaluation of weekly azathioprine pulse versus daily azathioprine (2004-2006)
2. Clinical and pathological study for epidermal nevi
3. Clinical study of Reiter’s disease
4. Comparison of patch test results with ISS and Photopatch series in patients with suspected photosensitivity
5. Evaluation of patch test with footwear series antigens and ISS in patients with suspected footwear contact allergy.

Presentations

• Poster presentation: “Systematised nevus comedonicus” at IADVL conference 2007, Chennai
• Case presentations at Clinical combined rounds (3 times) at AIIMS
• Case presentations at monthly IADVL meet held at AIIMS (3 times) in 2004, 2005, and 2006
• Conducted CMEon vitiligo at KDMIPE auditorium, ONGC, Dehradun on 29th February, 2011.
• Oral presentation at 4th spring meeting at International society of dermatologic surgery (ISDS) conference, held at Gurgaon on 12.4.2012. “DHT: A novel innovation in the existing FUE technique”
• Conducted CME on “Hair transplantion: An answer to baldness” held at IMA hall, Dehradun on 7th July, 2012.

Membership

• Indian Medical Association (IMA)
• Indian association of dermatologists, venereologists and leprologists (IADVL)
• Association of cutaneous surgeons of India (ACSI)
• Association of hair restoration surgeons (AHRS)

Publications (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Bansal%20Arika)

1. Verma KK, Tejasvi T, Verma K, Sethuraman G, Bansal A. Severe mucocutaneous Behcet's disease treated with dexamethasone pulse. J Assoc Physicians India 2005; 53: 998-9.
2. Sethuraman G, Fassihi H, Ashton GH, Bansal A, Kabra M, Sharma VK, McGrath JA. An Indian child with Kindler syndrome resulting from a new homozygous nonsense mutation (C468X) in the KIND1 gene. Clin Exp Dermatol 2005; 30: 286-8.
3. Verma KK, Bansal A, Sethuraman G. Parthenium dermatitis treated with azathioprine weekly pulse doses. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2006 Jan-Feb; 72(1): 24-7.
4. Bansal A, Sethuraman G, Sharma VK. Pachyonychia congenita with only nail involvement. J Dermatol. 2006 Jun; 33(6): 437-8.
5. Sethuraman G, Sugandhan S, Bansal A, Das AK, Sharma VK. Familial pigmented purpuric dermatoses. J Dermatol 2006 Sep; 33(9): 639-41.
6. Bansal A, Sethuraman G. Lymphangioma circumscriptum of the tongue. Indian Pediatr 2006 Jul; 43(7): 650-1.
7. Khaitan BK, Bansal A, Bhat R, Das AK. A neurofibroma with an unusual morphology. Acta Derm Venereologica 2006; 86: 266-7.
8. Khandpur S, Bansal A, Sharma VK, Bhatti SS, Singh MK. Twenty nail dystrophy in vitiligo. J Dermatol 2007; 34: 189-92.
9. Khandpur S, Bansal A, Ramam M, Sharma VK, Das AK, Singh MK, Prasad HK. An unusual presentation of cutaneous tuberculosis: Verrucous tuberculid mimicking Kyrle’s disease. Int J Dermatol 2007; 46: 1298-301.
10. Sharma VK, Sethuraman G, Bansal A. Evaluation of photopatch test series in India. Contact Dermatitis 2007; 56: 168-9.
11. Malhotra A, Bansal A, Verma KK, Khaitan BK. Large superficial basal cell carcinoma on face treated with imiquimod 5% cream. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2006; 72: 373-5.
12. Bansal A, Kumari R, Ramam M. Fixed drug eruption due to cross reaction between two azoles used for different indications. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2008; 74(1): 81.