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Hair Transplant Results FAQ

Will it Really Look Natural?

Yes, proper use of follicular units will be detectable only under a microscope or to a trained professional. The only people who know will be those you tell.

Hair loss surgery is not what it used to be. Microscopic Follicular Unit Grafting as performed our team of Surgeons, has reached new heights of artistic and scientific perfection. “Natural” is by far the most common reaction we hear about our work.

How Long will the Transplant Last?

The transplanted hairs will last and grow forever. This is the result of harvesting follicular units from the permanent zone of hair in the back and sides of the scalp. This hair is genetically different than the hair on the top of the head and within the crown that is affected by the hormone DHT [the culprit in male hair loss responsible for miniaturization of the hair and eventual baldness].

When these 'lifetime' follicular units are transplanted they maintain their original immunity and thus grow as they would have within the donor area. This phenomenon is termed 'donor dominance' and though not entirely understood from a histochemical standpoint is the well established foundation for hair transplantation that is now time tested over nearly fifty years.

Are There Certain Types or Styles That Make Transplants Look Better?

Light hair on light skin has minimal contrast and results in a very natural look. Dark, thick hair on light skin is the most surgically challenging. This is true when dealing with either men’s or women’s hair loss. Curly or wavy hair can also give the appearance of greater density. When styling, it is better to part the hair to one side. This will create a layering effect and the appearance of greater density.

How Thick Will it Be?

This is always a difficult question to answer. Density is a function of hair shaft thickness and number of hairs. One thousand thin hairs do not appear as dense as one thousand thick hairs. Your surgeon can help you understand this concept. The appearance of thickness or density will depend on how you style your hair, how much existing hair you have, how much hair you continue to lose, and how big the area is that you wish to transplant into.

Completely bald patients need to understand that, when they had full heads of hair, there were about 60,000 hairs on the portion of the head into which we usually transplant and about 30,000 hairs when they began to notice they were thinning. If you transplant 2,500 follicular units, you will get about 6,000 hairs. If you spread these out over the entire head, you can imagine that it will not look as thick as when you had 60,000 hairs over the same area. Having said that, the results of this type of procedure can make a dramatic and positive impact on one's appearance.

Can I Tell the Surgeon Where I Want the Hairline?

We work very hard to meet the needs of our patients. However, there are some patients that have unrealistic goals or do not understand how a transplant is going to look once it grows in. Our surgeons have a lot of experience designing hairlines that look natural according to age, race, and gender. More importantly, they understand how they will look once they have grown in. We enjoy working with our hair loss patients on the custom surgical plan, but if a patient insists on something that our surgeon believes would be cosmetically inappropriate, then the surgeon has the right not to perform the procedure.

Unlike the unnatural looking hair plugs of old, we specialise in creating natural looking hairlines. The best way to see what your hairline might look like is through a consultation with a professional.

Is it possible to restore a full head of hair?

Although the cosmetic benefit can be dramatic a hair transplant by nature involves the relocation of hair that is redistributed within the transplant zone in a density that is less that nature’s original density. As such the goal of literally replacing all the hair that is absent from an area is usually impossible unless the involved area is quite small.

Fortunately the appearance of full or at least substantial coverage can be obtained by the introduction of a smaller number of hairs into the affected area(s) provided they are artistically arranged to create an optimal cosmetic effect. We have the technological proficiency to provide density on par with industry leaders and our team is unsurpassed in the even more important area of creative artistry.

Will the Transplanted Hair be Curly?

Transplanted hair does tend to have a slight wave as we are extracting hairs from your donor area (which tends to be wavier) and creating natural looking results through follicular unit grafting.  If your donor hair is straight, it will not become curly.

Occasionally following a hair transplant the emerging hair exhibits characteristics dissimilar to one’s native hair in the early stages e.g. excessive curl. It is felt that this uncommon and temporary phenomenon is related to collagen activity in the skin surrounding the grafted hair its impact on the hair’s attributes as the hair emerges from the skin’s surface. The usual outcome in this scenario is the normalisation of hair characteristics over the ensuing twelve months.

Do "Ziering Blades" Make Any Difference to the Result?

Definitely yes. The Ziering Blades offer your Surgeon the ability to precisely locate and create each recipient site opening. They are custom designed with a diamond shaped tip to allow for better graft fit. This refined instrumentation allows for the recipient sites to be made as close together as possible which correlates with a greater density of transplanted hair. The use of these smaller blades also results in cumulatively less trauma to the scalp and individually faster site healing.

Why Does the Transplanted Hair Sometimes Initially Look Dry?

Dry hair is felt to be causes by excessively tight trimming of the follicular units during the graft preparation stage and the inadvertent removal of the sebaceous glands surrounding the hair follicle. These glands provide a lubricating action to the surface of the hair and skin and their absence can create dry hair. Proper attention to detail during the process of graft preparation eliminates this.  This is a temporary post-operative effect.

How Will I Know If I've Lost Any Grafts?

Every day following the procedure the transplanted grafts become more secure in the scalp. Graft loss should be only 1%.  If a graft is lost it is almost invariably associated with some sort of trauma to the head and accompanied by bleeding.

Hair shedding is a different entity than graft loss and is expected following a transplant session.  This hair will regrow after its dormant phase.