FAQs

1. 1. What causes hair loss?
2. 2. What services do AHTI provide?
3. 3. What is hair transplantation?
4. 4. How undetectable are hair transplantations?
5. 5. Is the procedure painful?
6. 6. What can be expected after surgery?
7. 7. How long after surgery can I resume regular activities?
8. 8. Am I a good candidate for hair transplantation?
9. 9. Are hair transplantations expensive?
10. 10. How many sessions will be required?
11. 11. How successful are hair transplantations?
12. 12. How effective is medication against hair loss?
13. 13. What are the side effects of Rogaine and Propecia?
14. 14. Is there any product which can be used to thicken my hair?
15. 15. What is PRP therapy?
16. 16. I don’t live in Sydney. Are there special arrangements or requirements?
17. 17. What is laser therapy?
18. 18. Can I have more information?

1.What causes hair loss?

There are many factors that can cause hair loss, but 95% of the time the cause is heredity. Men and women can both inherit the hair loss gene from either parent, or both. The factors that can contribute to the onset of hair loss include your age, the genetic susceptibility to lose hair and the presence of the male hormone called Dihydrotestosterone.

Other causes of hair loss include thyroid disease, iron deficiency, scalp disease, high fever, hormone imbalance, diabetes, autoimmune disease, recent surgery, recent childbirth, stress and trauma. Many drugs can also cause hair loss.

It is completely normal to lose around 100 hairs every day, and once lost, they will regrow several months later. But when the level of hair loss is higher than the level of hairs growing back, hair loss becomes visibly evident.

2.What services do AHTI provide?

In our clinic, we offer a range of treatments to help with thinning and losing of hair which includes medication, laser therapy, Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) and hair transplantation (FUE). These options can be done separately or to complement each other to maximize results. Dr Chan will use his hair transplant experience to ensure a natural result and is the first hair transplantation doctor to specialise in hairlines, eyebrow and beard restoration surgery. Our surgeon can increase the density in the frontal and mid-scalp regions to increase the overall density in the balding region, no matter how small or big the area is (e.g. a small section of missing hair resulting from a scar). All these services can be provided to both males and females.

3.What is hair transplantation?

Hair transplantation involves transferring hair from the back or the sides of the head (the donor site) and implanting these hairs to other areas which are suffering from hair loss (the recipient side). For men, the donor site hairs are genetically coded to be permanent. The donor site is not restricted to the back or the sides of the scalp and can include chest or leg hair. At AHTI, Dr Chan specialises in a procedure called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), a minimal invasive surgery where hair grafts are extracted one at a time using a tiny, circular-shaped punch. The grafts are then implanted one at a time with an implanter needle by Dr Chan himself who implants these hairs at the correct follicular size and angle it needs to be inserted. He also uses his experience and artistry to create a natural look, while sticking to the desires of the patient. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KriO9NTqyao    Youtube Video “Dr Chan’s ultrafine technique

4.How undetectable are hair transplants?

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), a minimal invasive surgery where hair grafts are extracted one at a time using a tiny, circular-shaped punch (less than 1mm in size) which leaves no visible scars unlike the more common method of hair transplantation which is the strip method. Strip Method is where a strip of skin from the scalp is removed with a scalpel and the edges are then closed using sutures or staples. This leaves a large, visible scar. Using specialised equipment called the follipen or implanters, the surgeon can have precise control of insertion angle and direction of every single hair follicle.Combined with the experience of the surgeon, this will help the hair transplant look totally natural. At AHTI, one of our main goals is to provide a hair transplant which is not only natural, but undetectable by combining artistry and technology and creating hairlines which are true to you and your desires, working with the contours of your face and head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRqk2RXJ-p4 Dr Chan’s Ultrafine FUE Method – Invisible Scarring

5.Is the procedure painful?

At the beginning of the surgery, local anaesthetics are given for pain control. During the first few injections, you will feel a slight stinging sensation. In the case where the anaesthetic wears off during the procedure, more injections are made to re-anaesthetize the area. This is the most pain you will experience on the day. Here at AHTI, we aim for you to be as comfortable as possible throughout the procedure. Progression in local anaesthetics and the way it is administered has allowed for this and patients can listen to a variety of music, watch TV or a movie throughout the procedure.

6.What can be expected after surgery?

While you can resume most regular activities as early as the next day after your procedure, the evidence of the surgery (such as redness), would be very evident and we suggest that you take the next 7 to 10 days rest while you heal. The first 4 months after the surgery is considered the recovery phase, where your scalp is doing most of its healing post-procedure. Hairs fall out while the follicles are regenerating under the skin. New hairs will begin to grow 3-4 months after the surgery during what is called the growth phase. Growth will continue and roughly 8 to 12 months after surgery, the final results are expected. It is best not to judge your hair transplant until a complete year after you have had your surgery. How your scalp will react to your newly transplanted hair is different depending on the individual. Normally though, the wounds from the donor site will heal within 3 to 4 days and you will experience redness in the area which can last up to a couple of months but will eventually resolve. This redness would be covered by surrounding hair after a week’s time. Numbness around the recipient and the donor site can occur and last several weeks. In rare cases, the hair surrounding the transplanted hair may temporarily fall off which results in less hair than before the surgery. This is called ‘shock loss’ and can cause a lot of anxiety for patients. This is due to the existing hair follicles in the scalp undergoing ‘shock’ as a result of the surgery, thus temporarily go into the ‘sleeping stage’ called Telogen. Most if not all of these hair will grow back in a few months time. As new hairs starting to emerge from underneath the skin, patients may experience pimples. Using topical antibiotics should prevent further pimples but if the problem persists, an appointment should be made to see the hair surgeon.

7.How long after surgery can I resume regular activities?

While physically, patients can continue life as normal (except for doing any activity involving heavy lifting or exercise), the evidence of the surgery is still obvious the next day where patients are experiencing redness in the donor site and the recipient sites. Patients usually relax at home during this period till the evidence of surgery begins to become less obvious which can take 7 to 10 days. Our surgeon can tailor your existing hair so that the hair transplantation will look less evident. This will all be talked about during the consultation with our doctor.

8.Am I a good candidate for Hair Restoration?

Anyone who is concerned about their hair loss and are interested and willing to undergo minimal invasive surgery can all be potential patients here at AHTI. However, our doctor would need to have a consultation with potential candidates because there are many factors that need to be assessed to show that patients are suitable for surgery. Generally Dr Chan looks for density in the potential donor site, health conditions, skin conditions and the factors causing your hair loss. Once these areas are assessed, you may be a candidate for surgery.

9.Are hair transplants expensive?

The cost of hair transplantations will usually be determined by our doctor during the consultation where he will discuss how many hair grafts you will need to meet your expectation. Depending on how many hair grafts you will need, will help determine how much the surgery will cost. Hair grafts usually cost from $12 to $8 dollars per graft. For hair transplantation, you would be looking at costs between $2000 to up to $30,000, while full eyebrow transplants can range from $4000 to $6000 dollars. But remember, the cost of the surgery is different for everyone. Here at AHTI, we believe in value for money, so our doctors offer professional advice from the first consultation all the way through to playing extremely important roles in both the extraction and implantation stages during surgery. Although the initial costs of permanent hair transplantation can be very expensive, it can potentially be a good investment in comparison to purchasing artificial hair pieces or other camouflaging techniques which are not permanent.

10.How many sessions will be required?

The number of sessions required will usually depend on the number of grafts the patient requires, how much density they want to achieve and the individual characteristics of the patient. This will be discussed during a consultation with our doctor. Dr Chan is one of a few surgeons in the world who can do mega session of 3000 grafts using 0.7mm extracting tools and implanting every graft personally and still guarantee >95% graft survival.

11.How successful is hair transplantation?

Hair transplantation has been evolving over the years and as surgical methods improve, less invasive surgery has been made available which give natural hair growth to patients. Since at AHTI, we use the most advance technique in hair transplantation, Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), and our experienced surgeon being involved in all aspects of the surgery, you have a guaranteed 95% success rate that the new transplanted hairs will grow in their new position. If this 95% is not met, a top up procedure is done to meet this.

12.How effective is medication against hair loss?

Medication can be offered to patients who have mild hair loss to prevent further hair loss from occurring. Minoxidil (commercially known as Rogain, though other brands are also available), slows down the balding process and can be purchased over the counter; while Finasteride (commercially known as Propecia), is a prescription oral medication which treats hair loss by inhibiting the activity of the hormone responsible for hair loss. Finasteride is only for men and not prescribed to women, children or men planning on having children as it can cause birth defects in unborn children. Medications, although FDA approved for the treatment of hair loss, they only have a limited effect. Medication can only slow down or stop the hair loss, but it will not re-grow the hair that you have already lost.

13.What are the side effects of Rogaine and Propecia?

Medications do have potential sided effects; however everyone is different and can react to medications in a different way. Make sure you tell your doctor about any allergies, prescription medication you are already taking and any pre-existing medical conditions. Rogaine (Minoxidil) has minimal side effects, giving you an itchy scalp which results in dandruff. Propecia (Finasteride), has more side effects, however they are only temporary. They are mainly sexual dysfunctions such as ejaculation problems, erectile problems and low libido; however these side effects are not for long term and can disappear when the drug is stopped for a short period of time (1-2 months). Propecia can be particularly harmful to unborn male foetuses in pregnant women if she was to take the drug and so Propecia isn’t prescribed to women..

14.Is there any product which can be used to thicken my hair?

Yes, there are medication, non-surgical therapies and camouflaging hair products that can help to thicken the hair. Minoxidil in oral and topical form, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and Laser Hair Regrowth therapy can be done separately or together to maximize individual results over a period of time. For instant camouflaging coverage AHTI provides a range of hair thickening fibres from KeraThik, just sprinkle the fibres onto the scalp on hair thinning area and they will cling to your existing hair to create a thicker and denser appearance instantly.

15.What is PRP therapy?

PRP is made from a small sample of your own blood, which is composed of platelets and plasma. Platelets are tiny cells that are partially responsible for causing blood to clot. The process involves concentrating the platelets found in the blood sample.

These concentrated platelets contain significant growth and wound healing factors, which are natural components of your body that may enhance and accelerate your body’s normal healing process. While a normal concentration of platelets circulating in your blood is 200,000 per micro litre, the platelet count in PRP can exceed 2 million platelets per micro litre.

PRP is the only available product that contains elevated levels of all your naturally occurring growth factors, making it extremely useful for men and women’s hair restoration programs. Read More…

16.I don’t live in Sydney. Are there special arrangements or requirements?

At AHTI, many patients outside New South Wales have travelled to Sydney for surgery. After the surgery, it is recommended that patients stay at one of the many nearby hotels (which are in walking distance from the clinic) overnight so the next day; patients can come into the clinic again for a hair wash if necessary. Because FUE doesn’t involve stiches, you do not have to come back to the clinic to have the stiches removed. In most cases, you should only be in Sydney for 2 days. Furthermore you can also have a Tele-consultation with Dr Chan, by giving him some basic information such as your name, date of birth, reason for contacting AHTI, describing your hair loss and medication you may be taking and providing some photos of the area of hair loss that you are concerned with. Having a Tele-consultation with our doctor will not give a complete diagnosis as a face-to-face appointment.

17.What is Laser therapy?

At AHTI, we use SUNETICS Laser Therapy which is one of the leading devices in hair restoration. It utilises low level laser technology to improve the appearance of hair. This is done through the laser energy coming together to form a larger beam that penetrates the hair and nourishes the scalp 4mm in depth, where the hair follicle resides. This invigorates the hair follicle and increases the length and thickness of miniaturised hair. It also helps increase circulation to the scalp.

Physiological Benefits
• Improves blood microcirculation to follicle
• Increases the nutrient acquisition by the follicular organ
• Increases oxygen uptake
• Decreases follicular inflammation
Cellular Benefits
• Improves cellular metabolism and protein synthesis
• Increases the production of ATP to energize and repair the weakened follicle
• Increases cellular stimulation of the follicle
• Increases the mobilization of calcium ions

In order to get the best results, we recommend patients to follow this schedule:
• For the first 12 weeks, come twice a week.
• The next 12 weeks after, come once a week.
• For the next 6 months, come at least once a fortnight.
Having said this, patients do have unlimited sessions and come however many times they like, but they need to allow 1 day in between treatments

18.Can I have more information?

We encourage anyone concerned with their hair loss or interested in hair transplantation to contact the clinic to make a consultation where you will receive complete professional and medical advice on your hair loss concerns and enquiries. At AHTI, we aim at not only to help treat your hair loss, but to educate and inform you with information which may concern you and your hair loss. All consultations are kept strictly confidential. If you have any further enquiries, do not hesitate to contact us or have a quick question? Click Ask the Surgeon.