An interview with Dr. Satya Saraswat, one of the best hair transplant surgeon in India
Brief description about clinic and doctors
Based in the City of Love, Agra, Saraswat Hospital is known to be a reputable, ethical, and safe cosmetic and plastic surgery clinic. It boasts of state-of-the-art architecture and the use of modern equipment which ensures 100% natural-looking results in just a few sittings.The medical director of the hospital, Dr Satya Saraswat, is a Gold Medalist Plastic Surgeon who has been honoured by the Health Minister of India as well. He is qualified as an MBBS, MS, M.Ch and DNB with 17+ years of experience in his field associated with several renowned international boards. Some of the areas he specializes in are complex reconstructive surgeries, body contouring, and hair transplants. In the 24th World Congress of ISHRS, he had presented a modified hair transplant technique that renders excellent results. He is known to be one of the very few doctors eligible to perform the UGraft™ Punch Method in his transplant surgeries.
Dr Preeti Saraswat, the Chief Clinical Cosmetologist of the hospital also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Cosmetology from the University of Greifswald, Germany, along with her MBBS degree. Her specializations include various laser treatments to solve most skin conditions. Also a member of AAAM (American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine) and ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons), Dr Preeti provides customized treatment plans for various conditions such as chemical peels and skin rejuvenation.
Is it safe to travel to India for hair transplant surgery?
When it comes to such aesthetic surgeries, at Saraswat Hospital, we provide something called “Medical Tourism!” This feature includes a dedicated patient coordinator who ensures the comfortable and safe stay of the patients, teamed up with a tour of the area, and the treatment in itself. Throughout the stay we offer the patients access to high-quality amenities on the doorstep to ensure a relaxing visit to the country. We provide customized services along with transparent pricing so that the patient is aware of everything beforehand. That is why; we can guarantee that getting treated for hair transplant in India is both safe and economical.What is the ideal age for hair transplant?
A hair transplant surgery is possible for all those people suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia (hair loss). However, the ideal candidate who is eligible for hair transplant surgery must at least be twenty-one years old. Those who are younger than this age have fewer chances of stability, have an unpredictable rate of hair loss, or hormonal changes, and thus would end up having a fast progression of hair loss in the future. Having said, if the person has crossed the threshold of 21 years and yet is suffering from a steady rate of hair loss, he or she might opt for a transplant surgery for natural-looking results.How much does a hair transplant cost?
If we compare the rates from all over the world, India can be considered to be one of the most affordable places for undergoing the surgery without compromising on the quality and results of the same. In general, the rate of hair transplant varies due to the number of grafts to be implanted, the equipment and technique used for the procedure, the number of sitting required, and the experience of the doctor.Techniques such as special area hair transplant, repair hair transplant, long hair transplant, or even BIO-DHI (PRP) hair transplant have different rates depending on the requirements of the patients.
Do you do hair transplant for women?
At Saraswat Hospital, we offer an all-inclusive service where we attend to the surgical needs for both men and women. The carefully handpicked team of trained experts, along with Dr Satya Saraswat, has, over the years, performed several hair transplant surgeries to treat female pattern baldness.The graft harvesting techniques for both men and women transplant surgeries are the same, but since, for a woman, the head is not shaved for the procedure, it is a bit more complex. The new grafts to solve the condition are implanted to the thinning area without harming any existing adjacent hair roots. At Saraswat Hospital, we tend to give special care to such cases with the help of long hair transplant surgery and ensure 100% natural and satisfactory results.
Are there any discounts?
No we do not offer discounts, but our charges are completely transparent and there are no hidden charges. Those charges include a lot of add-ons which can be reconfirmed with us beforehand. Our consumables are imported & are of international standards.Which part of the surgery will doctor attend, supervise or perform?
We, at Saraswat Hospital, are known to be one of the finest teams in India performing transplant surgeries for the patients with excellent results. Led by Dr Satya Saraswat, the highly experienced team consists of professionals who have years of experience in the field.Coming to the procedure, the doctor would perform the administration of the local anaesthesia by the team. Once the anaesthesia has settled in, he would himself perform each step of the surgery including the graft harvesting and recipient area slit making. When it comes to the strip surgery, a trained technician takes care of the graft segregation under a video-assisted microscope.
The regular implantation is done under the supervision of the doctor, by his team of trained technicians who have been working with him since last 15 years . For better efficiency out of the procedure, a team of expert technicians are there with Dr Satya Saraswat to help him out every step of the way.
What type of Anaesthesia will you use?
We administer local anaesthesia when it comes to hair transplant surgery. This ensures that the patient has a comfortable and painless experience and yet stays awake through the duration of the surgery. Administering this local anaesthesia or numbing agent once before the surgery leaves effects which can last for the whole procedure. It also ensures that the patient does not have to go through repeat anaesthesia. Once the procedure is complete, the doctor bandages the head for best results.How are the extracted grafts selected and transplanted?
The hair transplant procedure is performed in either of the two techniques, namely; FUE (Follicular Unit Excision) and FUT (Linear Excision Method). The graft harvest method is the difference in each of these techniques. For FUE, a low-torque low-RPM round punch device is used, but when it comes to the FUT, a strip of healthy hair-bearing scalp is taken from the donor area. The strip of scalp is then kept under a microscopic lens that takes out the follicular grafts and then inserts them in the balding area.The first step to any of these procedures is deciding which of them would derive the best results for a particular patient. That is why, the first step to a transplant procedure, at Saraswat Hospital, is a computerized software-based Trichoscopy analysis. Through this analysis, we check the number of healthy grafts on the scalp, the number of them that can be taken out for the procedure, then analyze the number of grafts to be required for reaching the optimum results of the procedure based on the area to be covered in square centimetres.
How long does the procedure take?
The time taken to complete the procedure depends on the patient and his or her requirements. The varying time range also differs in various techniques used for the same. At Saraswat Hospital, we take around seven to eight hours if we are performing either the FUE or the FUT technique on the patient. When it comes to the former, it takes a bit more time compared to the latter. A combination technique of FUE+FUT or a Bio-DHI method might take more time to complete and deliver effective results.How many assistants will attend hair transplant surgery?
Since this is aesthetic surgery, the team inside the operation room is carefully handpicked and chosen. Only those technicians who are well-versed and experienced are a part of our team at Saraswat Hospital and are allowed inside the room. A maximum of two or three supporting staff is allowed inside the room out of which one administers the local anaesthesia. Once the grafts are extracted, they are sent for segregation which is performed by a team of qualified technicians set aside for the job. This team can consist of as many as ten professionals for efficient and quick results. The entire procedure, every step of the way, is overseen by Dr Satya Saraswat and Dr Preeti Saraswat.How long will it take for the physical recovery?
During the first consultation only we tend to mention this to our patients that the results of hair transplant surgery (until and unless it is a long hair transplant) does not show up overnight, even though the procedure is permanent.Having said that you could rejoin office and start working the day after the surgery in itself. But you need to steer clear of any sweaty activities or regress exercises for at least five to six weeks after the procedure. We present the patients with a complete pre and post-treatment list of instructions which they can follow to get the best results, quickly.
The healing of the recipient site and the donor area takes at least twelve days, and all the minimum side-effects fade away in less than a week. The first signs of results are seen in the implanted area in the first two-three months, and within one year, you would get to see the full growth.
Are there any side effects of hair transplant?
At Saraswat Hospital, we take the safety protocols very seriously. We constantly update the latest techniques to perform the transplant surgery. That is why we take extra care and maintain the safety protocols and standard hygiene to ensure that the patient has no side-effects during or after the procedure. We take full medical history of the patient, do extensive investigations to prevent any side effects. However, since this is a surgical procedure, some minor problems such as itching, redness, or discomfort can happen for a few days. But there is nothing to worry because these are just temporary and will fade away in the first few days. Our after-care team takes special care of the patients and discusses the strict adhering to the post-surgical instructions as well.Will the results look natural?
The results of the transplant surgery depend on the expertise of the surgeon and the experience he or she has in the field. With seventeen years of experience, numerous affiliations to various international boards dealing with transplant surgery, Dr Satya Saraswat uses the most effective techniques for the surgery. This ensures that after the initial shedding, the patient gets natural-looking results. Since he is a Gold Medalist plastic surgeon, he takes special attention in the ideal arrangement of the hairline and the alignment of the hair follicles during the implantation so that the natural hair growth rate matches that of the existing hair for excellent results.Then why do we see hair that doesn't look natural?
If you visit an under-qualified surgeon for the procedure and the surgery is not successful, you might end up with unnatural looking hair, which is also known as a botched up hair transplant. The fake-looking hair follicles can mar your entire look, thereby giving your hair a wig-like appearance. At Saraswat Hospital, we take your aesthetics very seriously and thus also provide a repair hair transplant procedure.Through this technique, we analyze your safe donor area and see the number of healthy hair follicles that can be extracted from the same. Often when we see that the previous doctor who has operated on you has left no healthy donor follicles in the area and we end up taking follicles from other parts of the body for performing the procedure. Our repair hair transplant procedure is performed on those who had a botched up surgery early on and is suffering from low density, FUT scars, improper hairline, or even an improper angular direction, among others.
What is the risk of losing transplanted hair during the recovery?
Hair transplant surgery, when performed by experts, leaves natural and permanent results for the patient. But when it comes to an inexperienced doctor performing the procedure, the results lose their credibility and thus end up increasing the risk of losing transplant hair. This could happen due to overharvesting or the wrongful implantation of the follicles.A damaged or depleted donor site doesn’t help, and the patients are way too scared to go for a second transplant procedure. However, at Saraswat Hospital, we make it a point to provide post-treatment instructions which you may follow and assign a professional for after-care as well to ensure that you are not panicking at the basic shedding phase and the results are natural-looking, without losing any transplanted hair.
When patient will get a final result after hair transplant surgery?
The hair transplant procedure consists of taking healthy hair follicles from the safe donor area (typically the back of the head) and then implanting them to the recipient area. So, when it comes to the hair growth, it will happen according to your natural hair growth (Anagen-Catagen-Telogen) cycle.Just a few days after the surgery, the transplanted hair undergoes a process called shedding, and most patients start panicking during this time. However, in a few months, the first signs of hair growth will show and by one year, you will have absolute hair growth.
What are the options if a patient is not satisfied with the result?
Saraswat Hospital is known to provide the best results to the patients and ensure a hundred per cent transparent surgery. While the doctors talk to the patients every step of the way, they discuss the results and see if the patient is satisfied with it or not. In any case, if the patients do not like the results, they can always go for a repair hair transplant and fix all the issues they have with the previously performed surgery.Posted in Hair Transplant by: Sang Ale
12/10/2020 | Hairfear
