“Revolutionary Hair Loss Treatment for Women: Implanting Synthetic Hair with Hairstetics Technology”

“With this innovative technique of hair implants, you immediately have a very natural-looking result,” says dermatologist Ingrid Van Riet of Carpe Clinic, the institute that puts the treatment on the map in our country. Unlike the known hair transplants, here thousands of small hair follicles are not transferred from one’s own hair to a zone with much less hair growth, but synthetic biocompatible hair is used. The Hairstetics technology, developed by an Israeli company, uses miniature implants to which hair fibers are attached. That implant is ‘fired’ by the dermatologist via a pre-loaded cartridge just under the scalp at about the same height as where the real hair follicles are located. “The implant works according to the mechanism of a stent. Once in place, it anchors itself there, the new hairs are firmly in place and you don’t feel anything,” says dermatologist Sylvie Van Eycken.

The treatment is minimally invasive and takes an average of 45 minutes. Because the scalp is locally anesthetized, everything is painless.

Androgenic alopecia

“This technique is particularly suitable for women who suffer from long-term diffuse hair loss (androgenetic alopecia or male hair loss). This is manifested by a thinner hair, a more transparent hair parting or small bald spots. The implants provide much more coverage and can hardly be distinguished from the natural hair. We cannot solve problems such as a receding hairline or hair loss due to diseases such as alopecia areata, but there are other suitable solutions for this, “adds dermatologist Solange Lintermans.

To determine whether someone is eligible for this solution, there is always an extensive intake interview beforehand, during which, among other things, the causes of the hair loss are checked. This is followed by a pre-implantation test in which a few hairs are already injected, among other things to check whether the treatment will work and to rule out any undesirable reactions. The real treatment follows a few weeks later.

“About three days before, the patient has to wash the scalp with disinfectant isobetadine and take an antibiotic to prevent infections. You are also not allowed to wash the hair for the first three days after the implantation. But after a week, the nuisance from the job and after three weeks you can even have your hair colored again. It is important to know that the synthetic hair cannot be colored. So you choose a final color in advance.”

Combination

To support your own hair at the same time, this technology can be combined with others such as a vitamin cure or a PRP treatment. PRP refers to plasma rich in platelets. These platelets are extremely interesting because they are rich in growth factors, substances that can speed up many body processes. In a PRP treatment, a little blood is first taken from which the platelets are then filtered. A high concentration of platelets is then injected back into the head. This stops premature hair loss and stimulates hair growth in places where there are still enough active hair follicles. Once they are extinguished, they are still difficult to activate via growth factors. PRP produces results after a few courses. How fast it works varies from person to person. To maintain that hair growth afterwards, a maintenance course is usually necessary.

Cons?

The Hairstetics technique comes with a price tag. For example, you have to count on 10 euros per hair and for a decent coverage with a thinning head of hair you quickly need about 300 to 500 hairs.

The artificial hairs do not require any special care, although aggressive brushing or styling is not a good idea anyway. After 1 year, about 20% of the artificial hairs fall out, so after 5 years most hairs have disappeared.