Life Healthcare is a leading private hospital operator in South Africa and primarily serves the market for privately insured individuals, representing approximately eight million people. The group provides mainly acute care, high technology private hospital services.
The extensive hospital network includes 64 hospitals (of which 57 are majority owned by Life Healthcare and another seven in which the group holds substantial minority ownership), providing a range of healthcare services throughout South Africa.
What is FUE Hair Transplant?
Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a procedure of hair transplant in which individual hair follicles are removed from a donor area and transplanted in the recipient hair-thinning or bald area of the scalp. FUE hair transplant is an innovative state of the art method of hair transplant that uses micro removal punches to remove hair one-by-one from a donor area, which is usually an area of the scalp where hair is thicker. Body hair may also be used as the donor. The punches that remove the hair have a diameter that range from 0.6 to 1.25 mm. The surgeons who perform FUE hair transplant are highly skilled and diligent at performing this procedure using micro surgical tools. The hair follicles are then reinserted back to the thinning or bald area of the scalp using a micro-blade.
FUE hair transplant does not involve incisions and stitches that leave post-surgery pain and scars. FUE leaves only pin-prick wounds on the area of the extracted hair follicle which heals in 2 to 4 days.
How popular is FUE hair transplant?
FUE hair transplant is commonly performed as it leaves no linear scar. The punch wounds heal in a short time. FUE also makes it possible to use body hair as the donor. It provides an alternative for a strip removal method of hair transplant. However, it is more expensive and involves long surgery time.
Number of session required
The procedure of FUE hair transplant involves transplanting 500 to 1000 follicular units per session. The duration of each session depends on the number of follicular units extracted and dexterity of the surgeon. The number of sessions that a patient may require depends on the number of grafts that a patient needs. If a large number of grafts are needed then the patient may require multiple sessions.
About FUE Hair Transplant
Key facts to plan your treatment: how long it takes, your hospital stay, anaesthesia, risks and recovery.
Days admitted
None. FUE hair transplant is done as an outpatient procedure.
Anesthesia
Local anesthesia
Recovery
- As FUE leaves only small puncture wounds on the area of the extracted hair follicle, it heals in 2 to 4 days.
- Shock loss may occur during the first week after an FUE hair transplant. This is a temporary condition in which the transplanted hair fall out due to the trauma of relocation.
- New hair will grow from the transplanted follicle in a few months.
Risks
The risks involved in an FUE hair transplant are:
- Swelling of scalp and forehead
- Itchy scalp
- Side effects like temporary hair thinning and bald patches
- Odd patches may result if more hair loss occurs after many years.
After care
- The scalp wounds should be covered with semi-permeable dressings.
- The scalp should not be exposed to the sun for a few days after the surgery.
- Shampoo may be applied to clean the scalp 2 to 3 days after the surgery. The scalp should be clean of any scabs that cause hair loss during the first week after the surgery.
Hospital Group
Hospital Group
Private Hospital