Surgical Treatments at NHT Europe

Hair loss mainly affects men but can also affect women. Alopecia is characterized by thinning of the hair. The hair becomes finer and finer and eventually stops growing back.

Our NHT centre, located in Avignon, is made up of an experienced, competent team with excellent know-how.

Recognized worldwide, we make a point of listening to each of our patients.

In this section we invite you, first of all, to learn about the different causes related to your hair loss, then we invite you to learn more about the different surgical treatments that we offer. Our goal is to help you make a free and informed choice.

Why are you losing your hair?

The causes are numerous and specific to each person:

• It can be genetic.
• It could be hormonal changes or inflammatory conditions.
• Stress and emotional shock can also have an impact.
• Alopecia areata.
• Chemotherapy.
• Vitamin deficiency.

During an initial consultation, our experienced surgeons will be at your disposal. You can ask them any questions that you might have. This will be an opportunity for you to talk to a specialist and get answers.

Our specialist will make sure to find the cause that could explain your hair loss (DNA sampling).

He will then guide you towards an appropriate treatment.

Hair transplant techniques have evolved significantly in recent years, always with the same common thread: removing hair from the crown to re-implant it on abnormally hairless areas. Why will these hairs not fall out? The answer to this question remains uncertain; the accepted theory is that they do not have the same hormone receptors as those that have disappeared, and they are therefore not as sensitive to hormones.

FUE technique (Follicular Unit Excision)

In order to solve the problems inherent in the hair transplant strip technique (FUT) professionals announce a new method in 2002: the FUE transplant. Described in 2002 and 2003 by Rassman and Berstein, it was performed in 1988 by an Australian doctor: Dr Wood.

This method eliminates the need for excision of the skin, by taking the grafts directly from the skull with their roots (micro-scoring of the scalp) to reimplant them almost instantly in the area of bald hair. This procedure is less invasive, does not leave a transverse scar on the back part of the head and above all is much less painful.

FUE is an English term which stands for Follicular Unit Extraction. As its name suggests, this hair implant technique makes it possible to extract follicular units, that is to say groups of 1, 2, 3 or 4 hairs from the donor area with punching implements (circular punches with an outer diameter of 0.9 millimetres).

In the first years this operation allowed the restoration of volume to thinning hair and was only suitable for moderate baldness, but it is now also suitable for those who suffer from advanced alopecia, with the advantage of hair regrowth with a very natural appearance.

This technique dramatically reduces scarring compared to the level of scarring involved in FUT (no linear scar on the back of the head); it is also almost painless, less invasive, unlike FUT (no pain in the days following the transplant).

It allows you to use all body hair (body hair and beard hair).

It has become the go-to procedure around the world. There are, however, several variations.

Robotic technique: FUE ARTAS

Artas robotic technology has been a real innovation in the field of hair restoration. This revolutionary technology has made it possible to treat alopecia, which now affects a large number of people, both men and women. The results are natural and permanent, and Artas makes the procedure virtually painless and precise. There is great traceability of what has been done; it was also a technology in perpetual progress and the quality of the grafts obtained with version IX was nothing like that obtained with previous versions.

Equipped with a scanner system, the Artas robot analyses the path of the hair by studying the difference in contrast and targets the best grafts to remove by identifying the bulb of the hair and not just the outer part. This enables the robot to target the most efficient grafts for optimum results. However, it requires a clear computer signal, i.e. thick, dark hair; it also requires the hair in the donor area to be trimmed to 1 millimetre in length, so it is not the best solution for people with fine hair. It is also a slightly more expensive procedure due to the compulsory use of single-use kits for each procedure, which are charged for by the company that markets the robot.

Equipped with a scanner system, the Artas Robot analyses the path of the hair by studying the difference in contrast and targets the best grafts by identifying the hair bulb and not just the outer part. Thanks to this, the robot targets the most efficient grafts for an optimal result. However, a clear digital image is required: i.e., thick, dark hair; it also requires shaving the donor hair area to 1 millimetre in length, and therefore is not the best solution for people with thin hair. It is also a slightly more expensive procedure due to the mandatory use of single-use kits for each procedure, kits invoiced by the company that markets the robot.

Though this technique was a real innovation, it is now outdated. The quality of the grafts is much better with other procedures. We have been able to control all this using the robot and other more recent procedures. By comparing the grafts under the microscope, we were able to abandon the robotic technique.

FUE LONG HAIR Technique

The technique of micro grafts or follicular units with long hair (FUE Long Hair) is one of the techniques that we practice in our NHT Europe centre. We opted for FUE LONG HAIR for various reasons, one of which is the lack of visible signs of harvesting from the back part of the head.

First of all, the indications take into account many factors of loss of hair (aetiology, location, extent or evolution) as well as your age, sex, ethnicity and personal reasons.

In addition, the FUE LONG HAIR technique allows you to directly visualize the future result of the procedure. This gives an immediate idea of what the end result will be before the hair falls out. This visualization allows you to see the final result, while allowing us to carry out our surgical procedure as well as possible, in our choice of implantation and in the orientation of the micro-grafts, which is very important for hair regrowth. The second major advantage is the lack of visible signs of harvesting the day after the operation.

The only downside is the fact that very few clinics offer FUE Long Hair because this technique takes time and also requires special care in the first days after the procedure.

Indeed, where hair that has been cut very short does not get tangled when washed, it can happen with long hair. Care should be taken during disentangling and styling in order to avoid pulling out the recently implanted grafts.

This procedure is more expensive due to the lengthening of the operating time and the greater level of difficulty in performing it.

FUE technique WITH LIMITED SHAVING

There are numerous benefits of a limited shave FUE hair transplant.

This technique allows young people with short, layered hairstyles to keep the hair on the top of their head. The results are discreet, definitive and highly aesthetic. The harvesting technique is identical to the procedure involving full shaving of the head. It is the implantation that is different, as it takes place between the existing hairs. You will be able to return to your social and professional activities almost immediately.

What we do not recommend: FUE transplants with shaving limited to small areas, with the aim of concealing the removal by the other hairs. This technique is considered "no-shave", because the sample is covered by the adjacent hair, and is not recommended if a large number of grafts are to be taken. If you change your hairstyle (short hair), the harvested area will become visible and lighter than the rest of your hair. This technique, which was of interest a few years ago, before FUE appeared, is no longer of interest today.

NHT Europe's know-how recognized worldwide

If the know-how of our NHT Europe clinic is recognized worldwide, it is thanks to several essential criteria, including a major one which characterizes our expertise, which is the regular evaluation of our practices.

First of all, we make a point of working as a team. A hair transplant cannot be performed without the presence of 4 or 5 trained, experienced and passionate people.

In the operating room, each member of a team has a crucial role to play. From extraction to reimplantation, sorting the grafts and observing them under a microscope.

In addition, we make every effort to give each patient a warm welcome, to guide them towards the most suitable technique. Thanks to DNA sampling, we can now study the genome and thus offer adequate and effective treatments to fight against hair loss or promote regrowth.

In 2019, our NHT centre hosted the International Congress on Hair Transplant. On this occasion, surgeons from all over the world (Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Israel, Turkey, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, USA) met in Avignon, at the NHT clinic.

On the programme: workshops and conferences on the latest tools and methods in the field, round tables, debates and live hair transplants.

In summary

After this brief overview, do not hesitate to go to each of these sections to find out more about the different surgical treatments offered by NHT in Avignon.

The most important thing is the perfect mastery of these different procedures which each have advantages and disadvantages.

• FUE
• FUE ARTAS
• FUE LIMITED SHAVE

Specialized in hair transplants, our centre also very often performs eyebrow and beard transplants.