Permanent hair loss due to different reasons causes the hair to become thinner or bald areas on the scalp. These situations not only affect people’s appearance, but also their psychology. Some people may lose their self-confidence seriously and may avoid being with people. Here, the permanent solution for such situations is hair transplantation. So, are HIV patients suitable candidates for hair transplantation? What are the risks of hair transplantation for HIV patients?
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Hair Transplantation Methods
Before talking about whether HIV patients can have hair transplantation or not, hair transplantation techniques should be mentioned first. There are two different techniques used today. These can be expressed as FUE and DHI.
FUE Technique
FUE, which has been used for a long time, has a high success rate. In this technique, grafts are collected one by one from the donor area. Then, canals are opened to the area where hair will be transplanted. The grafts are placed again one by one in the opened canals and the procedure is completed.
DHI Technique
DHI technique has been developed recently. It can be said that it is a new technique. The success rate is extremely high. In this technique, grafts are also collected one by one. These are then placed on the tip of a special pen one by one. With this pen, the canal is opened and the grafts are placed simultaneously.
The techniques described here are surgical procedures. An incision is needed to remove the grafts and transfer them to their new location. Although these incisions are very small, it should be kept in mind that the procedure is a surgical operation.
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HIV Patients and Hair Transplantation
Hair transplantation is not a suitable procedure for everyone. To understand whether the person is suitable for hair transplantation or not, some health checks should be done first. Hair transplantation is not performed for those who have diseases such as cancer and diabetes during these checks. So, what is the situation for HIV patients?
HIV patients may experience hair loss due to the factors caused by the disease and some medications used. If these are not intervened in time, the result will be permanent baldness. Some patients try to fight with hair loss by using minoxidil and similar drugs during the hair loss process. Similar topical medications are known to stop hair loss. However, in some patients, baldness may become inevitable after a while. The only solution for such patients is hair transplantation.
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HIV Disease
Before talking about whether HIV patients can have hair transplantation or not, HIV disease should be mentioned first. HIV disease has different types within itself. However, in general, those with this disease have a weak immune system, and their bodies cannot resist pathogens. Besides, it is known that HIV is transmitted by blood. Therefore, there is a risk of transmission of the virus to the healthcare team during surgical procedures.
There are a few clinics that perform hair transplantation for HIV patients. These clinics do not have any different features; they only take very high-security measures. Strict measures are taken for both the health of the HIV patient and the safety of the healthcare team that will perform the procedure. Then, hair transplantation is performed. However, an operation to be performed in this way carries a great risk for both the patient and the healthcare personnel. As Cosmeticium, our priority is the health of our patients and healthcare personnel. Therefore, we do not recommend that HIV patients have hair transplantation.