Nutrition for Hair Transplant Recovery

Maintaining a nutritious diet is essential for daily requirements that your body needs, not only in preparation to get through the day, but also to replenish depleted nutrients and energy to recover from stress, trauma and physical activity.  Any type of surgery is a stress on your body, so our bodies need to work harder to overcome even the most minor of surgical procedures.

To provide your body with the weapons to boost your immune system, replenish your blood and heal faster you must ensure you are ingesting good quality essential nutrients.

So what can you do to maximize your Hair Transplant Surgery recovery?

Obviously in preparation for surgery it is best to avoid things like smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs. In addition, certain things like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, caffeine, warfarin and fish oils can thin your blood. Ensure you speak to your doctor about whether or not to cease any necessary medications that have been prescribed for you.

After Hair Transplant Surgery

• Water – Good old H20 : Six-eight glasses of water is the recommended daily amount of water and assists fiber to work better and prevent constipation. Keeping hydrated will also avoid the symptoms of dehydration, such as nausea and vomiting, and flush any toxins out of your system.
• Calories : You’ll need energy to endure your hair transplant surgery. Sometimes they can be several hours in duration. So eat a light meal prior and you’ll better able to process any pain medications given to you during your surgery and minimize nausea.
• Protein : Proteins are the basic building blocks of skin, so they are essential for quality wound-healing.
• Fiber : During surgery you are only mildly sedated for a short period and will not require breathing apparatus as you would with major surgery. So you will be able to get up and move around, watch movies and chat to the friendly staff at Newin Institute.
  

However, some of the pain medication given to you during surgery may make your bowel movements slow down. To avoid constipation, get lots of fiber into your diet from good sources like prunes, prune juice, vegetables, legumes, beans, whole-grains, cereals. You could also try psyllium or Metamucil.

Vitamins and minerals

The best vitamins to boost skin recovery, tissue repair and wound healing include:

• Vitamin C - to produce wound-healing collagen and elastin.
• Zinc - necessary for the production of collagen (Zinc also interacts with Vitamin A to make it available for use in the body and also plays a vital role in immune function).
• Vitamin A - promotes the growth of new blood vessels, important for nourishing newly forming skin tissues.
• Vitamin B6 - ensures optimal fat and protein metabolism and assists clotting during the wound-healing process.
• Copper - a trace mineral that  promotes the formation of strong, flexible connective tissue ( An important consideration if you are having FUG (Donor Strip) Surgery).
• Vitamin E - an antioxidant that boosts your immune system by neutralizing free radicals in your body.
• Iron - Your body needs iron as well as copper to make hemoglobin which delivers oxygen to the tissues.
• Vitamin B12 - important for making DNA during cell production. Importantly, it assists red blood cells to reach maturity, so they can function to deliver essential oxygen to your body’s tissues - especially in wound repair.

At Newin Institute Hair Transplant Surgery and Cosmetic Medicine we care about optimizing your surgical experience.

Peptide Treatment in Sydney

Peptide treatment and its demand has seen it grow significantly over the last few years. Peptides which in simple terms are known as “small proteins” can be administered in the form of a cream or an injection. The recommended dosage and frequency varies depending on the type of peptide as well as the age and body weight of the patient. Peptides have many benefits which include:

• -          Reducing body fat
• -          Increasing lean body tissue and strength
• -          Acting as an anti-aging treatment
• -          Helping with injuries
• -          Improving overall health
• -          Improving ones sex drive

Peptide treatment begins with a face to face consultation with a qualified Doctor that is very experienced and knowledgeable in the field of peptide treatment. Unfortunately some people are ordering peptides online without following the above recommended advice.

In Sydney, clients can request a consultation with Dr Rhett Bosnich in order to be medically assessed and recommended the appropriate combination of peptides to suit their ultimate goal. Our Pyrmont consulting rooms in Sydney are only a 6 minute drive from George Street in the City or a 20 minute walk from Town Hall train Station.

Once assessed for peptide treatment in Sydney, Dr Bosnich will respond to the patient in writing usually within 2 business days with information about the recommended treatment. If this is something that the client wishes to pursue they are instructed to call the clinic to place the order over the phone. Dr Bosnich will then request for the peptide to be made by a compounding pharmacy and then posted out to the client’s home address. 

PRP Injections – Why do Prices Vary So Much?

When shopping around for PRP it does not take long to discover that the cost of PRP injections for hair loss varies drastically from one clinic to the next. Many people are not aware of the reasons why some clinics only charge a couple of hundred dollars while others can ask for amounts of around $1500 per treatment. How is this possible you ask? What are the reasons some charge more than others?

It’s time to get the facts. Price is affected by the following:

·        Blood volume – More blood extracted requires the use of more test tubes which increases the cost of the medical equipment involved. On the average PRP test tubes have a maximum capacity of 8mls each. Understand that these tubes must be discarded after use. Clinics that only take out 5-8mls of blood can get by using only the 1 test tube which keeps their operating cost down. When taking out large blood volumes of 60 mls (or more) it is not uncommon to use 8-12 test tubes per treatment.

·        Quality of the tubes – The tubes used during PRP can vary in price by as much as 200% when comparing cheap ones to the better quality ones.

·        Quality of the Centrifuge – A small portable and simple centrifuge can be purchased for a few hundred dollars but a medical grade centrifuge which is larger and concentrates the platelets to a higher degree costs thousands. The better quality centrifuge costs more to maintain and therefore can affect the price of the PRP treatment.

·        Who is it performed by? – The PRP can be performed by a qualified Doctor or a nurse, which can affect the price. The Doctor’s time is worth more than that of any other staff member.

·        Anaesthetic used – The most effective way to anaesthetize the recipient area in a way that does not risk in reducing the benefit of the PRP is by local anaesthetic injection via the ring block formation which can only be done by a Doctor. The alternative is via an anaesthetic cream which is used by nurses or assistants. Anaesthetic injections cost more than creams and do affect price.

·        Supply and Demand – A reputable medical clinic that offer PRP which is performed by a qualified Doctor will attract more patients than a small hair loss business run by unqualified salesman in 99% of cases. For this reason a less reputable business is highly likely to offer cheaper treatment prices to entice customers away from the more professional and reputable clinics.

Another important factor to supply and demand are the consistent results generated at the clinic and word of mouth. If the clinic rarely deliver the outcome that was promised or do not deliver a professional and no sales pressure style of service, this can generate bad word of mouth resulting in a reduced demand for treatment.

Remember that the right price for anything is always the price that people are willing to pay. After reading this article we hope you now understand why what appears to be the same treatment can vary so much in price.

Robotic FUE v Non-Robotic FUE

There has been much excitement around the world with the development of robotic assisted FUE (follicular unit extraction). Any new developments that may improve outcomes and patient satisfaction are to be commended. A major selling point has been the ability of the robotic FUE machine to extract grafts at faster speed than what can be done manually by the Surgeon. This would naturally equate to larger FUE graft numbers per session and therefore less time in the chair.

   

However let’s look at these facts:

·         In Australia, the most reputable and experienced FUE hair transplant surgeons have not adopted this technology.

·         Arguably the world’s most famous FUE surgeon Dr John Cole from Atlanta, USA has not adopted the robotic FUE machine either.

So the question is why aren’t all these Doctors eager to make the FUE procedure less demanding on themselves and the patients by taking up the robotic FUE machine?

 Here a few facts about robotic FUE:

1.       A complete donor shave must be performed. This means you can not isolate the extraction points to a small surface area of the donor.

2.       The robotic machine uses larger (meaning thicker) punches to extract all the grafts. When done manually, the punch size is individualized to the patient and the specific hair grouping. This means 0.8 mm punches can be used for single haired grafts, 1.0 mm grafts for the 2 and possibly 3 haired grafts and the 1.2 mm punch from the 4 haired grafts. An experienced FUE surgeon will typically use the 1.0 mm punch for a high majority of the follicular units extracted.

3.       Using a larger punch results in the FUE scar spots being more visible in some individuals. Slightly thicker grafts also means that less follicular units are planted per square cm, which creates in a thinner coverage than if smaller FUE punches were used.

4.       Transection rates (the percentage of hair follicles damaged during the extraction process) from robotic FUE machines, have been shown in some studies to be higher than compared to manual or motorized FUE in experienced hands. The higher the percentage of damaged hairs, the lower the overall growth rates that are achieved.  

5.       Doctors without any hairtransplant qualifications or experience are using robotic FUE devices around the world.

6.       The outcomes with robotic FUE are no better than manual or motorized FUE (in the hands of experienced FUE hair transplant surgeons).

7.       The process of manually extracting 1000 grafts or more in a day via FUE is very exhausting to the eyes of the surgeon. This is why hair transplant Doctors in the vicinity of 60 years of age or older, who do not have the healthy eye sight of their younger years, rarely perform the FUE method. This robotic machine allows these same Doctors the ability to now offer FUE to their patients.

So a summary of the benefits/advantages to the Surgeon are:

• FUE can be performed faster with little involvement of the Doctor.
• Larger graft numbers are possible but with a higher transaction rates.
• Robotic FUE can be performed by a Doctor with limited to no hair transplantation experience. They would only need a team of experienced hair transplant technicians to perform the planting.

In Australia, it is interesting that those Doctors who were often the greatest doubters of the benefits of FUE, who had a very limited experience of performing this method, are now the promoters and supporters of robotic FUE! How times change…

Treating Sufferers of Diffuse Hair Loss              

When a person visits a hair loss clinic to have their thinning hair assessed, they usually tend to either have lost an excessive amount within a limited sized surface area such as at their frontal hairline or within their crown; Or they have lost some hair over a very large surface area which is known as “diffuse thinning”.

When an excessive amount of thinning has occurred within a limited area these clients make fantastic candidates for hair transplantation surgery. The reason is because the total number of follicular unit grafts obtained from one procedure is always low compared to the total number of they may have lost in their life up to know. 

As an example, a male who is a Norwood 6 on the Norwood hair loss scale may have lost as many as 30,000 or more hairs. If this male was to have a hair transplant and obtain a massive number such as 6000 grafts (around 13,000 total hairs) on the day of surgery, this number will give them a significant improvement but it will not restore their density on top to even half of what it used to be. Therefore a person that has only lost hair within a smaller surface area can obtain great value from a hair transplant. This is because the graft number obtained will be sufficient to give the area a final density which at least looks comparable to what it used to be.

Excessively bald areas such as an empty section within the crown or a receded hairline will not respond to treatments such as medication or PRP because these only aim to stimulate existing weak hairs to become thicker. If there is no hair within these regions only hair transplantation will work.Diffuse thinning which is common in females is where a large surface area has lost a visible percentage of its overall density. Hair still exists but they each tend to look weaker and not contain as many hairs per square cm as they may contain within their thicker and healthier donor region.

Because a person with diffuse thinning still has a reasonable amount of hair and the fact that a large surface area is impacted, it makes treatments such as medication and/or PRP as better alternatives. The reason for this as explained earlier, is because medication only benefits existing weak hairs when it comes to the potential of adding more density. A person with diffuse thinning has many weak hairs which may increase in shaft diameter if they respond to medication or PRP. These treatments can also benefit a large surface area which makes them ideal for sufferers of diffuse hair loss.

In stating the above it does not mean that hair transplantation surgery can never be recommended by a hair transplant surgeon to a client with diffuse hair loss. It all comes down to what level of density has been lost. An earlier stage client should expect to be recommended medication and/or PRP as a positive response is likely which should satisfy the client.

A sufferer in the more advanced stages of diffuse pattern hair loss is unlikely to respond to PRP or medication to a level that will satisfy them. Therefore hair transplantation surgery is recommended in this situation.

Determining which treatment is ideal is best done by speaking with an experienced hair transplant surgeon in a face to face consultation. 

PRP Treatment in Sydney

The number of enquirers received in relation to PRP treatment is always increasing at Newin Institute - especially in Sydney. Whether it be for hair loss, joint treatment or facial rejuvenation treatment, more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of PRP. The term PRP stands for “Platelet Rich Plasma” and involves separating the components of blood, extracting the platelets from the blood that contain growth factors and after a few other procedural steps concludes by having the PRP injected into the treatment area.

At Newin Institute about 3 in every 4 patients notice the real benefits of PRP. It may be a thickening of their weak hairs, pain relief within their treated joints or healthier and more glowing skin. The positive word of mouth and common mention from new clients that they personally know one of our satisfied PRP Sydney patients who recommended Dr Rhett Bosnich, explains why the popularity of PRP treatment at Newin Institute just keeps growing.

Dr Rhett Bosnich consults clients and performs PRP injections in Sydney on a regular basis. Our Sydney consulting/treatment rooms are located in Pyrmont which is located only a few minutes drive from the Sydney CBD or a 20 minute walk from Town Hall train station.

If you are interested in PRP for hair loss, Hairline Feminisation Surgery or joint pain relief you can have an appointment with Dr Rhett Bosnich in Melbourne or Sydney. Simply call us on 03 9693 2200. 

Hair transplant: Why there is a recommended minimum age for surgery

Is there an ideal age for a hair transplant surgery? This is a question that is often asked by the younger clients who come into hair loss clinics usually within the earlier stages of hair loss wanting to rebuild the shape of their receded frontal hairline. In answer to the question on whether there is a minimum age the answer is yes. The preferred minimum is 25 years of age however 30 years or older is preferred. Why is this? Let’s explain this in detail:
1. Difficulty in forecasting long term hair loss

When being assessed for a hair transplant surgery there are two important things that need to be determined during the consultation. The first is the number of grafts that they require right now in order to treat the thinning area and secondly the number of grafts (via additional hair transplantation) that they may require over the long term as they lose more hair.

As an example, a 23 year old male want hair loss treatment to thicken and recreate their frontal hairline back to what it looked like a few years earlier. As far as treating the area is concerned, it may be estimated that he needs 2500 grafts to complete the transplant properly. So giving them the result that they are after is not difficult. However the inability to forecast how much hair they may lose over the next 15 years can create a problem in the longer term. Donor hair is in limited supply because whatever is extracted for surgery does not grow back. If it was evident that the patient was going to become completely bald within 15 years, the hair transplant surgeon is going to be more conservative with the hairline position (meaning that the hairline would be positioned higher up in order to reduce total surface area on top). A strong probability of being completely bald also means that more total grafts will be required during their lifetime to maintain some level of coverage over the top.

If it concluded that a patient will end up with a very bald area the Doctor must decline requests for too much density or a very low hairline as this will severely deplete donor hair supply for future surgeries. Forecasting long term hair loss is very difficult in a 23 year old and quite easy in an older patient that is in their 30s.
2. Unrealistic Expectations in Young Patients

Young patients in their early 20s still hold onto the glimmer of hope that they can bring back the level of density as well as the hairline shape that they had during their teenage years. To them it was only a few years ago when they owned such a thick head of hair so they figure it is still possible and reasonable to request this during their consultation. Hair transplant patients generally end up with a hair transplantation density that is around 40% as thick as the density per cm of their donor region. To put things in perspective a completely bald man with a newly created frontal hairline and a medium density will be very satisfied because it is a significant improvement to what they had for so many years.

The young patient who ends up with a medium density 15-18 months after the surgery will express that they are not satisfied with their result and will blame a lack of growth. But the real reason for not being happy is a lower density compared to what they used to have and to what they were hoping to achieve. This is unrealistic expectation. Sometimes clients come in with a photo of David Beckham and ask, “Can you make my hair look like this?”... Enough said.

A young male will often demand a low hairline as well as a thick density. There are two main concerns about agreeing to this. The first is that the low hairline may suit them in the short term but will look very unnatural as they enter their 40s and 50s which can become a giveaway that they had surgery. The fact is that the older male will have a higher positioned frontal hairline in most cases. Along with this a low hairline increases their total surface area on top limiting the overall density they are capable of achieving should they need additional procedures in the future.

The other issue in relation to wanting a high density comes down to supply and demand. If 3000 grafts were dense packed within the frontal third of their scalp and they require more surgery, it may be possible that 5000 grafts is the most they can extract over their lifetime. This leaves only 2000 grafts to treat the remaining two thirds of their scalp which will produce a density that is only 33% of the frontal third that was initially transplanted at a high density. If a patient is going to transplant the whole top they will want to maintain a relatively consistent density from front to back. They certainly don’t want one region to be double or triple the thickness of the remaining transplanted areas.

3. Young patients don’t think about the long term

A common mentality is that in 10 years they will not care about their hair anymore and therefore they are living only for today. This is commonly heard when a Doctor Recommends hair loss medication for 12 months before proceeding with hair transplantation surgery. Many young patients who are still in the earlier stages of hair loss convince themselves that they will not lose anymore hair. They notice that the existing hair still looks thick and due to this doubt they could ever lose an extensive amount. Being recommended medication, a high hairline design and a medium density to preserve grafts for later do not interest the young patient. However it is up to the hair transplant surgeon to use their experience and to educate the client properly about all the risks and the potential of longer term hair loss.