For anyone who’s ever suffered from a migraine they know that it’s not simply a headache. Symptoms can often include nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to sound or light. It affects about one in five women and one in fifteen men and when it strikes the results can be truly debilitating. So, it may come as some relief to sufferers that a potential cure has been found by accident – a hair transplant.
150 patients surveyed with impressive results
In December the Sun newspaper reported that a Turkish research team led by Dr Safvet Ors from Kayseri was claiming remarkable improvements in susceptiblity to migraines in a survey he carried out of 150 of his patients who’d had transplants in the last five years. Although he’s not sure of the reason why this might be the case, there is a suggestion that it may be to do with the transplant neutralising nerve endings on the scalp.
Reasons to be cautious
Turkey has become a popular destination for health tourism as the cost of transplants can be significantly lower than most of Western Europe. Unfortunately, it’s not without some risk though as many of the procedures are carried out by more junior staff and not the surgeon you meet and discuss the operation with. Bearing this in mind it probably pays to be a little cautious about the claims of the Dr Safvet. Even he is suggesting that the research is in its infancy and requires larger clinical trials.
Another consideration for migraine sufferers is at this stage this may only be of use to those with thinning hair and deep enough pockets to pay for a hair transplant. If you’re going to have a transplant anyway and suffer from migraines then there’s a chance that it may provide some additional beneficial side effects.
