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Alopecia

A Guide to Dealing with Alopecia

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MSN Her

Naomi Campbell and Joanna Rowsell have very different lifestyles but they’ve both got something in common. The notoriously feisty supermodel and gold-medal-winning athlete are both suffering from premature hair loss – otherwise known as alopecia – albeit caused by very different circumstances.

Dr Raghu Reddy, a hair-loss expert based at Harley Street’s Private Clinic, doesn’t think that premature hair loss in women is becoming more widespread – it is just that more women are starting to speak out about the issue. “I’m not convinced that hair loss in women has become more common – it’s possible that increased awareness has simply led to more women seeking help,” says Dr Reddy.

Because there is a range of reasons for premature hair loss, it’s very important to seek help early on. “As hair loss in women is most commonly caused by an underlying medical problem, if the medical reason is diagnosed – and the earlier the better – then in many cases hair loss in women can be reversed,” says Dr Reddy. “The most important thing for women to do is to discover whether the hair loss is a symptom of an underlying medical condition.”

 

*All images, videos and testimonials are based on the personal experiences of our patients and represent individual body shapes and results. Results may vary from person to person. All testimonials are provided voluntarily by our patients and clients and all photos and videos have been consented to and have not been altered in any way.

The Ballerina Curse on Hair Loss

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Traction alopecia in women is also known as ‘Ballerina Baldness’ as it is often caused by htraction-alopecoa-ballerina-the-private-clinicair being pulled too tight damaging the roots and is common with dancers and ballerinas who are used to wearing their hair up and off their face for long periods of time.

Traction Alopecia is a hair loss condition which can occur when there is a pulling force applied to the hair. You may notice a gradual recession of the hairline as the constant pull on the hair causes the hair follicles to become distorted and damaged results in weakening of the hair meaning that your hair will grow back finer and shorter, however in severe cases it may not grow back at all.

Those suffering from traction alopecia may notice that they are losing more hair than normal and may come across small bald spots on their head. Their hair may be thicker on one side or the gap in the hair lines may seem wider than before.  Other symptoms include having an itchy or painful scalp with redness and inflammation in extreme cases.

If you undo your hair at the end of the day and feel soreness on your scalp then this may also be an early sign.

It is not just ballerina buns that can cause this, other hair styles such as braided cornrows, hair extensions and traction-alopecia-hair-pins-the-private-clinicdreadlocks can also put pressure on the hair and roots resulting in hair loss and thinning. It can also be caused by something as simple as wearing certain hair clips, hair pieces or headbands in the same position every day, an excessive use of hair rollers, wearing a weave or wig and even wearing a cycling helmet for a long periods of time can cause it to pull and rub on the same area of hair.

A simple change of habit when it comes to styling your hair is the best way to solve the issue. Give your hair a rest some days and leave it down, avoid using heavy hair extensions and if you do need to wear your hair up then make sure you are careful to change the direction in which the hair is being pulled in each day.

Traction alopecia is not caused by genetics like some other types of hair loss which means anyone can develop it.

If you fear you may be suffering from traction alopecia then it is well worth booking a consultation with our skilled team of trichologists. Traction alopecia is easiest to treat when it’s in the early stages. A trichologist will be able to establish what stage you are at and whether non-surgical treatments and lifestyle changes will be enough to restore your hair to its former glory. You may be referred to our hair transplant surgical team if your traction alopecia is more severe and has caused permanent scarring.

hair loss trichology treatments before after photo

The Private Clinic

We only work with highly recognised, Trichology professionals certified by the Institute of Trichologists to get the best results for your needs. Our elite team has advanced knowledge on hair loss and are able to utilise years of experience to ensure they find the best treatment plan for you. They work in collaboration with our industry-leading hair surgeons and renowned dermatologists, to ensure results are not only noticeable, but also long-lasting.

The Hair Transplant patient journey at The Private Clinic

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With over 30 years of medical experience behind us, we absolutely understand the fear and anxiety that can come with Hair Loss, and we appreciate the considerations that often come hand in hand when trying to find a suitable treatment.

Patient safety, education and satisfaction form the cornerstones of how we approach and treat those who come to us, so we’re relying on reviews taken from Trustpilot (a customer experience community review platform) to give you a sense of what to expect when you come in for a Hair Transplant consultation and treatment at The Private Clinic.

Prior to your consultation

Hair Transplant procedures are aimed at patients who are suffering from Hair Loss and have bald patches they wish to repopulate with healthy hair. So, for us, the first order of business when you call to book your consultation is to determine whether this is an appropriate treatment for you.

If you don’t have Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenic Alopecia), your hair is only thinning and you have no bald patches, then you should see a hair health specialist, know as a Trichologist. They can determine exactly what’s causing your condition and the best way to treat it. This is particularly the case for women, as female Hair Loss is usually caused by either hormonal imbalances, stress, illness, nutrition or Traction Alopecia.

Preparing for an Eyebrow FUE Hair Transplant at The Private Clinic.
Preparing for an Eyebrow FUE Hair Transplant at The Private Clinic.

During your call we’ll ask you a certain amount of key questions to make sure that you’re on course for the right treatment, and we then offer you a choice between seeing one of our extensively-trained patient advisors for free, or to have a thorough consultation with one of our elite Hair Transplant Surgeons for £100. This option exists so as to provide our patients with the opportunity to gather as much information about the treatment before committing to a consultation.

This was exactly the case for Craig, who meet with our Patient Advisor Sorena to determine if the procedure was a viable option for him. He said:

craig

craig_1

Providing our patients with a comfortable environment where they can discuss their concerns with us is an essential part of the assessment process, and at this stage, our patient advisors will also be able to determine if there is any obvious reason why you may not be suitable for a Hair Transplant and if one of our other experts may be of better help to you – saving you time and money.

During the consultation

A consultation with one of our Hair Transplant Surgeons allows for 45 minutes, during which you will undergo a thorough examination of your scalp and hair, followed by a discussion of your medical history.

This is an opportunity to see if there are any underlying conditions and as Arnold found out, you should be wary of clinics that do not address these matters with you.

Arnold  said:Arnold

It would be unethical for us to offer you a treatment if we don’t think it’s likely to be a success. Furthermore, we work with world-class professionals who will only ever offer you honest advice, and will never push you to commit to a procedure, or give you false assurances.

beard transplants - FUE
Dr Reddy is one of the most sought-after Hair Transplant Surgeons in Europe.

Your surgeon will discuss any pre-operative measures that you may need to take, what to expect on the day of your surgery, and what kind of post-operative care will be required on your part during the appointment. Most importantly, they will manage your expectations, explain the hair regrowth cycle and the frustration you may feel during the first 4-5 months post-treatment, as well as remind you that your full results may not be visible until 9 months after your Hair Transplant.

On the day of your Hair Transplant

Your surgeon will go over the surgery and the months to follow with you once again before the beginning of the procedure. Depending on your needs and suitability, we offer Shaven (FUE) and Unshaven (UFUE) Follicular Unit Extraction. Both involve healthy hair follicles being individually taken from a donor area and being transplanted to a bold area. As the names make it clear, an FUE requires a shaved head, while it can remain unshaven for a UFUE.

Local anaesthetic is used to minimise discomfort and a 0.6mm-0.9mm punch device is used to move the hairs. The procedure lasts several long hours, so patients often chose to chat, read, watch TV or even sleep during the transplant, as most patients say they hardly feel any pain.

hair transplant procedure

After seeing Dr Tam at our Leeds clinic, Mark said:

Mark

JCB Reed agreed, saying:

JCB

Your Hair Transplant team will be constantly checking up on you during the procedure, making sure that you are comfortable and taking care of your needs.

Follow ups and results

After the FUE the team will restate the post-operative measures you need to take, and provide you with their contact details, so that you can keep them updated with your progress.

Patients tend to worry in the seven months following the Hair Transplant, but remember that during this time of transition, we will be just a phone call away, even if all you need is a reassuring chat.

Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic.
Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic.

The most common feedback we receive is people telling us that had they known the possible results sooner, they would have opted for the treatment sooner.

The pros far outweighed the cons, according to Andrew:

Andrew

Andrew and our other Hair Transplant patients have had very positive experiences following their procedures, often saying that the results have been life-changing – which, in the end, is what matters to us most.

The Private Clinic

We pride ourselves in having assembled an elite team of Hair Transplant experts who are renowned across Europe for their skills and as leaders in their field.

Hair Transplants are available at our Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, London, Bristol  and Glasgow clinics.

FUT Strip vs. FUE Hair Transplant

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Having emerged in the ‘50s, Hair Transplants gradually became more popular and as research and awareness grew, new techniques gradually came to light.

At first, large grafts or plugs with many hairs, were removed with a punch machine, but in the ‘80s, Follicular Unit Transplants (FUT) was introduced as the revolutionary hair restoration treatment due to the precision and density of the results. Over the years, the method evolved into what is now the current Gold Standard method known as Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplants, offered only by a select number of highly experienced doctors.

Here, we explore both techniques in terms of procedure and results.

The difference in method between FUT and FUE

The more traditional FUT technique requires for a strip of scalp to be surgically removed from the centre of the donor area, so that all hairs can be carefully dissected from the tissue under a microscope, before being transplanted into the bald patches.

WARNING: The following image contains graphic content.

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Strip_hair_transplant_recovery fut
Glimpses of the FUT procedure and the resulting recovery process.

Although a lengthier procedure, FUE’s focus on detail is immense as it involves extracting individual hair follicles directly from the scalp using a precise punch device – ranging from 0.6mm to 0.9mm in diameter.

hair-transplant-punches
The Private Clinic works with the finest punch devices.

The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic, with surgeons at The Private Clinic only working by hair, so as to ensure that only high-quality hairs are harvested, thus avoiding additional, unnecessary thinning of the donor area.

Results, Recovery and Scarring

The first and most noticeable difference between FUT and FUE procedures is that the Strip method (FUT) will leave you with a linear scar at the back of your head. It will be visible if you wear your hair short and puts you at risk of stretched, thickened or keloid scars. Results from the FUT method can be life-changing, when the procedure is carried out by an experienced surgeon who has an eye for density.

With FUE there are no visible, linear scars. The slenderness of the punch device means that limited trauma is caused to the area, while the small diameter of the puncture holes ensures that they will heal swiftly, making them barely visible to the eye.

Before and After Advanced FUE Hair Transplant by Dr Raghu Reddy at The Private Clinic.
Before and after advanced FUE Hair Transplant by Dr Raghu Reddy at The Private Clinic.

Naturally, you can expect there to be discomfort, soreness and/or numbness around the FUT incision line, which will be closed with either degradable sutures or staples. These should be gone by the third week but it can take up to 10 months before laxity to your donor area is restored and your scalp feels like it used to.

There is minimal discomfort following an FUE procedure. You might experience minor swelling, soreness or itchiness as the tiny puncture holes heal, which is a far faster process than healing from an FUT procedure.

Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic.
Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic.

Strenuous exercise can put pressure on, or stretch, the back of the scalp after an FUT hair transplant, so should be avoided for a month or two.

When it comes to FUE procedures, you could only have to wait a couple of days and fourteen at the most. Your surgeon will give you advice based on your exercise routine and the extent of your procedure.

Finally, we offer both shaven and unshaven FUE treatments (UFUE), meaning that your transplant could go completely unnoticed should you wish. There’s some extra skill involved in this and we’re proud to have surgeons on our team who are part of the select few able to successfully perform this procedure.

Find out the details of the FUE recovery process here.

Hair Transplants at The Private Clinic

Our Consultant Hair Surgeons are among some of the best in Europe and they prefer the follicular unit extraction (FUE) method because it’s accurate, with a high success rate and involves no discomfort during or after the procedure. Our highly experienced team is also part of a select few to offer unshaven procedures, and their expertise has secured them highly satisfied patients.

Hair Transplants are available at our Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, London, Bristol  and Glasgow clinics.

The cost of Hair Restoration

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It can be rather scary when your hair starts thinning and even more so if it escalates into full-blown Hair Loss.

The good thing is that you no longer have to just sit there and accept your fate. Medical advances have made it possible to restore thinning hair, while surgical breakthroughs allow for individual hairs to be transplanted from one area to the next, without having to remove slivers of your scalp (as required by the now archaic strip hair transplant method).

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All in all, we’d say that the future looks bright for those of you worried about Hair Loss, which is why we’ve compiled a helpful guide that goes through your treatment options and their cost.

Trichology

Unless you have bald patches and a clearly receding hairline, you might not yet be at a stage where you need a Hair Transplant. That’s good news!

Your hair might just be thinning, which means that with the correct treatment it can be restored. A Trichologist will go over all the different factors that might affect your hair health and thoroughly inspect your hair and scalp, to diagnose what’s causing your hair to thin. It’s important to establish that whether any underlying conditions such as an iron deficiency, or a B12 vitamin deficiency, are at the root of your problem.

The price for a full one-hour consultation ranges between £127 to £197, and will enable you to find out what’s ailing you exactly and how to treat it, as well as identifying if you might actually benefit from a Hair Transplant.

Hair Transplant

Our surgeons all use the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method to move healthy individual hairs from the back of your head to your balding areas.

Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic.
Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic.

The procedure doesn’t cost a set amount of money because it all depends on how many hairs are used during the treatment. We charge approximately £2.50 per transplanted hair, but you can expect to be given an accurate quote during a consultation with one of our Hair Transplant Specialists. That being said, the average bare minimum our patients can expect to pay is around £8,000.

Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic's.
Before, during and after Hair Transplantation at The Private Clinic’s.

We offer free consultations with our experienced Patient Advisors for standard Hair Transplants, to allow you to easily gather all the information you need about your suitability and the procedure.

An example of a hair transplant performed on a patient suffering with male pattern baldness.
An example of a hair transplant performed on a patient suffering with male pattern baldness.

Alternatively, you can attend a consultation with one of our sought-after Hair Transplant Surgeons for £100.

For a little bit more detail about our pricing policy, click here.

Eyebrow and Beard Transplants

Thin eyebrows can be a result of genetics, a form of Hair Loss or over-plucking, and the same is true with beards – perhaps minus the plucking. It’s essential to see a Dermatologist – which costs £200 – in order to establish your suitability for an Eyebrow or Beard Transplant, because underlying conditions may cause the procedure to fail, and it’s better for you to know in advance so that you don’t end up wasting your money.

Before and after an Eyebrow Transplant at The Private Clinic.
Before and after an Eyebrow Transplant at The Private Clinic.

An Eyebrow Transplant typically costs approximately £5,000 and includes an optional touch-up if down the line you feel that a small area requires more work.

beard transplants - FUE
Beard Hair Transplants are specialist procedures that require a high level of skills.

Beard Transplants require a specific skill set and are more difficult and time-consuming than standard Hair Transplants. The skin of the lower face is different to that of the scalp and as a result, cannot withstand sustained implantation at the same rate as the scalp. The different approach required for this procedure means that we charge about £5 per transplanted hair and our patients can typically expect the procedure to cost between £6,000 and £8,000.

Please note…

… that the prices mentioned here aren’t set and can slightly differ depending on your choice of surgeon and your individual circumstances. We assess patients on a case-by-case basis and take into account their personal requirements, desired results, and the complexity of their case.

Find more reviews of our Hair Transplant treatments on Trustpilot.
Find more reviews of our Hair Transplant treatments on Trustpilot.

The Private Clinic

We are very proud to have some of Europe’s finest Hair Transplant Surgeons working with our reputable Trichologists, to provide our patients with expert and objective advice along with first-class results.

Consultations for Hair Transplants are available Nationwide:

Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds,  Liverpool, London (City, Knightsbridge and Harley Street), Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading, Southampton and York.

Trichology consultations are available at our Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Manchester clinics.

Hair Transplant treatment is available at our London Harley Street, Birmingham and Leeds clinics.

Why do I need to see a Dermatologist before my Facial Hair Transplant?

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Can you imagine Charlie Chaplin’s face being as expressive and iconic without his gloriously bushy brows and mustache?

No, neither can we. It wouldn’t make him any less brilliant, but facial hair and the way we style it acts to frame our faces and give them a distinctive look.

charlie-chaplin

We receive a lot of interest from people who are unhappy with the thinness of their eyebrows or the patchiness of their beards, but they’re often surprised when we tell them that their first port of call will have to be a Dermatology consultation.

Let’s first quickly look at what  Eyebrow and Beard Hair Transplants entail and we’ll then tell you exactly why going for such a transplant, without seeing a Dermatologist, might result in a waste of your time and money.

What do Eyebrow and Beard Hair Transplants involve?

Just as with our usual Hair Transplant procedures, we use the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method to take healthy hairs from populated donor areas and move them to facial areas that are lacking in hair.

beard transplants - FUE
Dr. Reddy at the ready for a Hair Transplant.

We use very fine hair from the back/side of the head for beard, moustache or goatee transplants, and fine hairs from behind the ears for eyebrows.

In either case, the procedure is performed under local anaesthetic and involves barely any downtime.

What do Dermatologists have to do with Hair Transplants?

It seems strange, but around the world, it’s commonly recommended to visit a Dermatologist before a Facial Hair Transplant to establish a patient’s suitability for the procedure.

It’s logical – hair follicles reside in the skin, it makes sense that whatever affects it could affect the hair, not least because of the substances it can secrete.

There are some conditions that hide beneath the surface and require the expertise of a Dermatologist in order to be found out.

In some cases, Dermatologist will be able to spot irregularities directly, but most of the time they’ll take a skin biopsy and study hair samples under the microscope to identify them.

What’s hiding beneath the surface?

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition that occurs when your immune system targets hair follicles and one in every 100 people is affected by it. At least 20% of cases are due to genetic predispositions, but the funny thing about it is that it can choose to affect only certain areas of your body and it’s not always easy to diagnose.

For instance, it might not affect your scalp at all, but will have an effect on your eyebrows and beard. In some cases it will affect the eyebrows and eyelashes only. Sometimes, it’ll just be the eyebrows. The point is that it can be very capricious and unpredictable, which is why it usually manifests in patches. For some people it only acts on their neck hairs, so it really does affect everybody differently.

Eyebrow hair transplant before and after photo
Before and After – Eyebrow Hair Transplant.

Even trickier, is Scarring Alopecia (Cicatricial Alopecia), which is in effect a group of disorders that act to destroy hair follicles to then replace them with scar tissue, causing permanent hair loss. All the action takes place under the skin and can’t usually be seen to the naked eye. Bare in mind, otherwise completely healthy people of all ages can suffer from it unknowingly.

Speaking of scarring, when there’s thick scarring to an area, it affects the blood supply to it, so there’s a risk factor that hairs may not grow. Sometimes it even kills hair follicles. With mild scarring the risk isn’t as strong, but if it’s bad scarring, then you’re playing a different ball game.

Whenever any scarring is found, we tell patients that there isn’t any guarantee that the hairs will grow. Most patients will not go ahead with the procedure because nobody can predict how much of the growth will be there since nobody can assess how deep the scarring is and how it affects the tissue underneath.

before and after fue eyebrow hair transplant at the private clinic of harley street
Before and After – Eyebrow Hair Transplant at The Private Clinic.

Finally, let’s not forget underlying deficiencies. Blood tests can reveal if a person is low on vitamin D or B12, for example, as they affect hair condition and growth, with low levels contributing to the thinning process.

Conclusion

You may at first be surprised when you’re asked to pay £200 for a consultation with a Dermatologist, but think of it this way: you chose to have the procedure done somewhere that doesn’t require you to see one, you go ahead with it but it isn’t successful. That’ll probably be because of one of the above-mentioned reasons. Your only result will be that you’ve managed to spend a whole lot of money for nothing and you’ll be far, far more out of pocket than if you’d gone to see a Dermatologist in the first place.

The Private Clinic

Our 30 years of experience have taught us that cooperation between fields is sometimes necessary in order to offer our patients the best results possible. Our elite Hair Transplant Specialists work closely with our renowned Dermatologists to only offer you treatments that will be effective and worthwhile.