Introduction to Hair Transplantation Globally
Hair loss has become a common occurrence, affecting people of all ages, particularly the ones entering the age bracket of 40-60 years. Hair loss, also called Alopecia is a chronic dermatological problem, which people, at some point of time experience in their lives. Alopecia is a type of pattern baldness, which occurs when there arises abnormality in the immune system, damaging the hair follicles. This is referred to as autoimmunity; where the immune system attacks its own body, leading to a disruption in the hair formation, thus leading to baldness.
As per the statistics of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, nearly 147 million people are affected by this dermatological problem yearly. This disease may be a result of myriad factors; family history, and an unhealthy lifestyle being the most common. This loss of hair can be treated by a hair transplant procedure, which transfers hair follicles from one part of the body to another.
While this procedure is widely used as a solution to cure baldness in men and women, this treatment is painful and more time-consuming. An alternative to this traditional hair transplant surgery is a robotic hair transplant, which is minimally invasive, less painful and more efficient. In sharp contrast to the traditional hair transplant treatment, this technologically advanced procedure increases the accuracy of the transplant, without causing damage to the hair follicles.
Drivers and restraints of the Robotic hair transplant system
There are a variety of factors that contribute to hair loss, which make robotic hair transplant systems on the rise in the present and the years to come. The factors contributing to the increasing growth of hair restoration treatment are as follows:
- Dermatological disorders
- Increasing stress levels
- Unhealthy lifestyle
- Enhancement of appearance
Though robotic hair transplant procedures are minimally invasive and efficient, there are a couple of disadvantages associated with it that might hinder its growth in the long run. Firstly, the treatment is quite expensive. It can range anywhere between $7000 and $18000, wherein the patients are not charges per session, but per hair graft. Secondly, there are some effects that the patients might experience post the treatment, some of them being hair thinning and an itchy scalp. These problems make hair transplant a less preferred option, which can hamper the growth of the treatment in the coming years.
Market segmentation of the robotic hair transplant
The segmentation of the robotic hair transplant treatment market can be done on the grounds of the end user and region. For this treatment, there are two major end users: Dermatology clinics and hospitals. These end users can opt for this technologically advanced hair treatment, equipping their medical centers with the same.
Also, as per the regional outlook, North America dominates the market of robotic hair transplantation currently, owing to advancement in technology and healthcare facilities. Europe follows, due to a high adoption rate of the technology by the end users. The Asia-pacific region also isn’t behind, due to the increased frequency of dermatological problems, increasing awareness regarding the technology, and significant growth in the healthcare infrastructure.
On the contrary, the Middle East and African regions do not promise decent growth, due to lack of awareness about the treatment, and high costs of the procedure.
Robotic hair transplant procedures exhibit a bright future, because of their minimally invasive nature and accuracy, making baldness not a chronic problem anymore. This treatment, with the current technological advancements, is the best way to get back that growth and enhance the appearance.
