STARTING WITH REALISTIC GOALS
Hair Transplant Candidates & Realistic Goals
To ensure optimal results from your hair transplant procedure, it’s crucial to determine your candidacy beforehand. This involves aligning your expectations with what our surgeon can realistically achieve, taking into account your budget.
Before undergoing any surgery, we strongly advise discussing your expectations with the surgeon. They’ll clarify the various hair restoration techniques available, outlining what you can expect from each and why. Patients with realistic expectations typically find satisfaction in their decision to proceed and are pleased with the results.
Following your consultation and examination, the surgeon will determine the placement of your hair grafts to achieve the desired outcome.
All surgical hair transplant techniques essentially involve transferring hair from one area of your scalp to another where hair loss has occurred. This means having sufficient healthy hair available for transplantation from your own scalp, known as “donor areas.” Factors like hair color, texture, and curliness influence the final appearance.
With a high success rate and minimal discomfort, hair transplant surgery typically leaves no visible signs after a couple of weeks. The surgeon’s expertise ensures a natural-looking result, concealing any indication of the procedure. As your new hair gradually grows in, your hair loss concerns will be resolved, eliminating the need for ineffective medications or hair coverings.
Indeed, hair transplants can significantly boost self-confidence, making it a worthwhile decision for many.
THE BEST HAIR TRANSPLANT
Realistic hair transplant goals are a result of candid conversations between patient and surgeon. Only by discussing expectations and the experiences of other clients, and agreeing upon, an individualized treatment plan, can the best hair transplant outcomes be achieved.
LIMITATIONS IN HAIR RESTORATION
It’s important to understand that once hair follicles are lost due to genetic balding (androgenic alopecia), they cannot be regrown. A surgeon’s experience, skill, and artistry can’t compensate for limitations in the quality or quantity of donor hair. Generally, the more hair you’ve lost, the less full the restored hair will appear.
All hair restoration procedures, whether FUT or FUE, involve relocating hair from one part of the head to another. No new hair is generated; rather, existing hair is redistributed from areas with ample supply to those with little or none. Surgical procedures do not create new hair, and scalp reductions do not preserve hair for transplants, contrary to some claims.
Traditional large grafts (4 mm) transfer hair plugs to bald areas, resulting in patches of hairy skin and the “doll’s head” look commonly associated with older hair transplant methods.
Modern Hair Transplantation
For optimal results, your surgeon implants small, naturally-growing clusters of hair follicles. These follicular grafts are less conspicuous than larger ones and blend seamlessly with adjacent natural hair groups. Placed into tiny incisions, they typically leave minimal scarring.
Keep in mind that the transplanted hair density won’t match that of the original hair in that area. In thinning regions, transplanted hair can notably enhance apparent density by supplementing follicles and blending them with existing hair. The goal is to discreetly boost density, ensuring the new hair appears as full and natural as possible.
Unless a very bald individual has high hair density and a lax scalp, there may not be adequate donor hair to cover the entire head. Thus, having a thin head of hair, a conservative hairline, or leaving the crown area sparsely grafted may be the only viable options for restoration. It’s crucial for patients to grasp this reality before scheduling surgery.
Extensive Hair Loss
For the best results, your surgeon puts small groups of hair follicles into your scalp. These clusters blend in with your natural hair and leave only small scars.
Remember, the new hair might not be as thick as your original hair. But it can make thin areas look fuller by mixing with your existing hair.
If someone is very bald and doesn’t have a lot of extra hair, they might not be able to cover their whole head. They might need to keep their hair thin, have a simple hairline, or leave some areas with less hair. It’s important for patients to know this before they decide to have surgery.
