Hair Transplant in South Korea
The domestic South Korean hair loss industry scale is approaching 4 trillion KRW. Due to problems such as reoperation and follow-up care, the number of cases of hair transplantation in South Korea has increased. An official from a hair transplant hospital in Seoul said, “The demand for hair transplantation for cosmetic purposes as well as hair loss has increased significantly.
What is a Hair Transplant?
Hair transplantation refers to a procedure in which hair follicles are harvested from the back of the head, where the density is well maintained even with age, and transplanted to the desired area. In the case of male pattern baldness, it is possible to restore the hairline on the widened forehead, and in all cases, it is possible to increase the density of hair in the bald area. Since the number of hairs that can be transplanted at one time is limited, additional surgery may be required if you are not satisfied with one treatment.
Diseases that can be treated with a hair transplant
Male Pattern Hair Loss
It is a disease in which the hair on the crown and frontal region becomes thinner and falls out with age, and can be treated with oral medications, liniments, and hair transplants. Hair transplantation can mainly restore the hairline of the forehead.
Female Pattern Hair Loss
While the hairline is maintained, hair loss proceeds mainly along with the crown or upper hair parting line. Hair transplantation can increase the density of hair, mainly on the upper hair, especially around the part.
Scarring Hair Loss
It is a state in which the hair follicles are destroyed by scar tissue. After the lesion is stabilized, it does not progress, but hair does not naturally regenerate. Although the engraftment rate is lower than other types of hair loss, hair transplantation can be performed only on stabilized lesions.
Etc; Alopecia and broad forehead can also be effectively treated through hair transplantation.
Surgical Method
Incisional Hair Transplantation (FUSS)
After making a partial incision in the scalp on the back of the head, hair follicles are collected from the incised scalp and transplanted to the desired area. The incised scalp is sutured with sutures, and the stitches are removed after about 10 to 14 days. A fine linear scar is left at the collection site.
Non-Incisional Hair Transplantation (FUE)
Without incision, the hair follicles in the back of the head are separated and obtained one by one using a very small punch device and transplanted to the desired area. As it does not require sutures, it has the advantage of significantly less postoperative pain and no linear scars compared to incisional hair transplantation.
Robotic hair transplantation (ARTAS surgery)
It is a non-incisional operation using a robot, which has the advantage of reducing the operation time and increasing the accuracy.
If after surgery
The transplanted hair falls out and new hair grows from the transplanted hair follicle after a few weeks. The number of hairs continues to increase until one year after the procedure. In the case of reoperation more than 2 times, the growth of transplanted hair is delayed and growth can start after about 4 months.
People in their 20s and 30s who visit the hospital for hair loss in South Korea
Although the number of people suffering from hair loss is increasing, there is no clear treatment. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, over 220,000 people visited the hospital for hair loss last year. The cost of hair loss treatment also amounted to 38.3 billion won. If you include those who suffer from hair loss without visiting a hospital, the industry expects that the number of hair loss people in Korea will be more than 10 million.
When looking at the age group who visited the hospital for hair loss, nearly half were in their 20s (20.3%) and 30s (24.4%). The age group suffering from hair loss due to stress and dietary changes as well as genetic influences according to family history is getting younger. As the population of hair loss increases, the industry related to it is also growing. It is also analyzed that the market size related to hair loss, such as hair loss treatment agents, shampoos, and hair transplants, is about 4 trillion won. “The last remaining beauty healthcare market is the hair transplant market,” said Jeon Sang-Yong, a researcher at Taurus Investment & Securities.
An increasing number of female hair transplants for cosmetic purposes
Mojerim Plastic Surgery Clinic, the largest hair loss treatment hospital in Korea, posted sales of about 40 billion won last year with only one hair loss treatment. Over the past five years, the average annual number of hair transplants has increased by 44.4%. There are about 40 doctors who specialize in hair transplantation. Meta Labs, a listed company, has a subsidiary of Mojerim, a hospital management support company (MSO) that supports the operation of Mojerim Plastic Surgery.
An official from Meta labs explained, “After the hair transplant surgery, you can go back to your daily life immediately. The cost of surgery varies from person to person, but in general, the cost of a hair transplant per 1,000 hairs (about the width of one finger) is around 5 million won. Celebrities such as male idol singers in their 20s who were suffering from hair loss were also reported to have visited the hair transplant hospital.
An increasing number of women are undergoing hair transplant surgery for cosmetic purposes such as hairline correction. This is because it has the effect of making the face look slimmer and smaller depending on the forehead line. The proportion of women who underwent hair transplantation at Mojerim Plastic Surgery Clinic was 54.3% until September of this year, which was higher than that of men.
A hospital official said, "In the past, hairline correction surgery, which was often given to professional women such as flight attendants and announcers, is becoming more common.
In addition to Mo Je-rim, it is known that dozens of hair transplant hospitals are operating in Seoul and the metropolitan area alone, such as Choice Dermatology and JP Plastic Surgery. Among university hospitals, Kyungpook National University Hospital has the largest hair transplantation center. Hair transplantation hospital information is constantly being updated on hair loss-related online communities such as 'Damo Damo'.
Different surgical methods according to the characteristics of hair loss
Hair transplant surgery started in the United States in the 1950s and became popular. In the early days, they used a method such as a small circular punch to collect hair from the back of the head, where hair does not fall out easily, and transplant it to the front of the head. However, there were many side effects such as the transplanted area hair becoming unnatural like a toothbrush head and the scalp surface was also uneven. To solve this problem, a surgical method for transplanting micro follicular unit hair was developed. It was in the early 1990s that related surgeries began in earnest in South Korea.
There are two main types of surgery. Incisional surgery, in which hair follicles are incised and transplanted like a hair plate, and non-incisional surgery, in which hair follicles are pulled out and transplanted without incision. In non-incisional surgery, a surgery that uses a robot to correct a doctor's handshake is also being used. An industry official said, "Non-incision surgery has fewer hairs that can be transplanted than incisional surgery, so you need to discuss the surgical method with the medical staff according to the condition of hair loss, etc."
It is characterized by the fact that the hair in the area where the hair transplant was performed does not fall out. However, there is a risk of additional hair loss in other areas. For this reason, the medical community recommends taking the medication even after surgery.
Precautions After Surgery
In order to increase the effect of transplantation, it is recommended to refrain from excessive drinking or smoking. In particular, you must refrain from drinking and smoking for 2 weeks before and after surgery. Also, for hair loss disorders such as male pattern baldness that can be prevented by taking medication after transplantation, please receive an appropriate prescription according to your doctor's instructions.
