A casualty following hair transplant surgery performed in a salon in Chennai was a tragic event. It sparked multiple debates among healthcare professionals and equally provoked many questions in the mind of patients. It is time to wake up and realize the importance of getting this procedure done only by a specialist. Hair transplant surgery is a permanent solution to baldness. It’s a safe procedure, during which hair roots from the back of the head are plucked and implanted in the bald patch. Hair growth starts after three to four months and complete growth is seen after 10 to 12 months.This hair grows as normal hair and can be cut or coloured.
While it is performed under local anaesthesia, it’s important that the procedure is done only by specialists. Only a specialist doctor can decide about the anaesthesia dosage and technique of the operation. A patient has to be counselled for the transplant by the specialist doctor, he should know whether the operation is going to be done by a surgeon and not by a technician, be aware of the degree and experience of the doctor, be given written information about care to be taken and postoperative medicines. The Surgeries should be performed in centres with fully equipped OT and have facilities of sterilization and an emergency situation. Every patient undergoing surgery should undergo a detailed pre-operative investigation to ensure safety. Post-procedure check-up by the surgeon to ensure patient well-being is also a must.
There are many rules and regulations monitoring doctors, but unfortunately, implementation is the biggest issue in India. These loose regulations are exploited by under-qualified, non-allopathic or unqualified people, who lure patients in the grab of advertisements. As a result, fraudulent hair transplant and aesthetic centres and salons, which display boards such as advanced robotic surgery, have propped up like mushrooms. These so-called trichologists, who claim to be expert hair transplant surgeon and promote their business through cheap EMI schemes, emails and messages should be avoided. One should not get attracted to these kinds of advertisements and take a risk of their own health. Think and enquire before taking a decision.
A hair transplant can be done by dermatologists and plastic surgeons. There is a need to regulate unethical practices. Public awareness is very important as well.