Is There a Minimum Age Requirement To Receive a Hair Transplant?

Is there a minimum age requirement to receive a hair transplant? Are there cases where it would be appropriate to transplant an 18 or 19 year old?
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When someone finds out that they are balding, either because they notice it when they look in the mirror, or a spouse, friend or barber comments on their thinning hair, it never comes as good news. However, when the person in question is in their teens or early twenties, the news can be devastating. It is a time of life when the priorities are making your way in life, dating, getting an education or a job, and hair loss can, in some cases lead to social isolation & a feeling of being less able to compete for these goals. Sociological studies performed in Europe have actually shown a bias against hiring balding men in favour of equally-qualified non-balding job applicants.

It is not unusual for a young man in this situation to go rushing in to see a hair transplant doctor desiring a hair transplant to “fix the problem” so that he can get on with his life. His peers all have a full head of hair without receding in the temples and a youthfully low hairline, so naturally he wants the same. His father, uncle or grandfather may be bald & in his mind’s eye, that is what he sees in his future, so he wants to avoid looking like that at all costs. Read more

How Should I Care For My Hair After I Have Hair Transplant?

I am wondering how to care for my hair after a hair transplant, what should and shouldn’t I be doing?
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In general, you can do pretty much everything you did before you were transplanted. Most practices, including ours, encourage the patient to shampoo and clean the hair and scalp the next day, preferably under our supervision at the office. Approximately half of our patients take us up on this service. If your shower is a fairly strong one, then I advise having a washcloth over the hair as you wash it. Or you can simply use a small pan with a handle and pour water over your head with that and not let the shower directly hit the grafts. Most fine-spray showers are not going to harm the grafts at all. The most important thing with those first few shampoos is to not let a comb or brush bristles scrape across one of the small scabs at the ends of the grafts. This could dislodge one of them. The grafts are remarkably stable in their new homes. The “blood glue” of the plasma, the factors in plasma and blood that encourage things to clot and stick together, helps stabilize that graft in the narrow recipient site. As long as the depth of the site is the same as the length of the graft, then there is sufficient room for the graft to be under the skin, with its epidermis (skin) layer at or just above that of the surrounding skin. Read more

How Do I Camouflage a Hair Transplant Scar?

What’s the best way to camouflage a scar left behind from a scalp reduction that I had in 2001? I am currently wearing Dermatch to cover the area, but the hair parts like the “red sea” on top around the scar so the makeup does not look so good. I would like to fill in the area with hair but I am not sure if a hair transplant will grow into scar tissue. Thank you.
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Hair will grow in the scar but, as you allude to, the problem is often the abnormal hair direction rather than the scar itself.  Besides adding hair to the scar, if one transplants hair adjacent to the scar, so that it lies over the scarred area, the visual affect of the “Red Sea” effect can be lessened.  Read more

Can An African American Have a Successful Hair Transplant?

I was wondering if it is possible for an African American to have a successful hair transplant? I do not know anyone who has ever had it performed, and I don’t see too many good photos on the internet.
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Thank you for your question. Not only is it possible for an African American to have a successful hair transplant, often times the result will look thicker than a similar number hairs transplanted into a Caucasian. The reasons for this are that in the African American patient there is less contrast between the hair color and skin color and the curl produced by the hair covers more scalp than straight hair.

When seeking a physician to perform this surgery it is helpful to ask about his or her experience with African American patients. Although the procedure is essentially the same as the surgery performed in patients with straight hair there are some differences that require special attention in the graft dissection and implantation phases of the surgery. Read more

Is It a Waste To Have a Hair Transplant Without Using Propecia?

I just turned 30 years old and really would like to do something about my hair loss this year. I feel that my receding hairline is making me look older beyond my years. This is my problem, I am not a big fan of taking medication, and I am also very concerned about the long term side effects of Propecia. I think I would be a Norwood Class 3 with thinning sides, but the hair on the back of my head is extremely thick. Would it be a waste for me to have a hair transplant, but not take Propecia? Thanks in advance, Carl
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Carl:

Thank you for your e-mail.

I will attempt to answer your question, “Would it be a waste for me to have a hair transplant, but not take Propecia?” in the following manner.

In my opinion, modern hair restoration surgery deals with an imbalance in “supply vs demand”. What I mean by this is to say that most patients that I perform consultations on have a larger “demand” area, (i.e. the area of the scalp that we transplant into), and smaller “supply” areas, (i.e. the available donor follicles). Stated another way, most patients have a “mismatch” in the larger recipient zone compared to the smaller donor zone. Therefore, it is important for me to council my patients about the importance of “getting serious about stopping hair loss” such that the recipient zone does not continue to expand over time. Read more

Hair Transplant For Balding Crown - Is This a Good Idea?

I’m 43 years old and I have been slowly losing my hair for the past 15 years. I seemed to have retained a pretty good hairline, even though it is slightly higher than it used to be, however, the baldness in my crown has grown over the years. I recently began using Propecia and noticed less hair falling out in the shower, but I haven’t really noticed any regrowth. I would very much like to fill in the balding area of my crown with a hair transplant. Considering my current situation, would this be an appropriate step to take? Thanks, Tom
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Dear Tom,

Thank you for taking the time to write. Your situation is a common one and I’m pleased to hear that you have already started taking Propecia. This is one of the most significant factors for optimizing your long-term cosmetic results. In my experience, it cannot be counted on to preserve frontal density indefinitely, but Propecia WILL stop crown loss from enlarging appreciably. Besides, it is cheaper than surgery!

It is difficult to make an accurate assessment without seeing you, but at a consult with a reputable hair surgeon you should discuss your goals and expectations for your hair first and foremost. In your case, you seem to have a reasonable goal of filling in your crown. Read more

Ability To Cover a Progressively Balding Scalp After a Hair Transplant

I understand that my male pattern balding will continue to progress throughout the crown area on my scalp, leaving the typical horseshoe effect that I’m sure I will inherit from both of my grandfathers. I will be having a hair transplant in about 8 months to restore my receding hair in the front. It recedes about two inches from where my original hairline was once located, and also in that very flattering spot right in the very back.

I am 26 years old and will be 27 before my surgery, have very light blond and extremely curly hair. I will be having follicular unit hair transplants by a reputable company (HC). My question: If I continue to bald in the crown area over my lifetime, can I have additional surgeries to assure that the crown area is covered by hairs not affected by DHT by having this done?

Also, I have read about donor areas and the amount of one’s own hair available to use as transplantable hairs. Say I will eventually develop a horseshoe pattern without surgery and Propecia, does one have enough donate-able hair to cover the whole crown area, and thus keep undetectable natural looking hair transplants? Read more

24 Years Old With Frontal Hair Loss Only, Is a Hair Transplant Right For Me?

I’m 24 years old and have been considering having a hair transplant for the past three years. I have made a few appointments to meet with doctors but I’m not sure who to believe. My first consultation was with Medical Hair Restoration. They told me that I was in fact a very good candidate for a hair transplant and that I would need 1200 grafts placed in my frontal hair line. Then I went to see Dr. Sword and he told me that I would need 800 grafts.

After doing a lot of research on the internet it seems that 800 to 1200 grafts won’t make much of an impact. Just to give you some information about myself, I was assessed as a Norwood II with above average donor hair. I have no thinning anywhere else but my hair line, and I have been taking Propecia since I was 21 with very good results. I just want to tighten up my hair line. I’ve also read that a person with my minimal amount of hair loss should not have a hair transplant since it could make me lose some of the hair that I have. If this is true why would Dr. Sword and the other person recommend that I have surgery. I guess I’m just a bit confused. Thank you for your help in this matter. Read more

Due To a Recent Illness I’ve Experienced Hair Loss, Is a Hair Transplant Right For Me?

Due to a recent illness, my hair has thinned dramatically, particularly in the front/crown. I am considering my alternatives and wish to know the approximate costs of a hair transplant. Does insurance ever cover the costs because of hair loss from an illness?
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Illnesses can cause a form of hair loss called a Telogen Effluvium. This is when the hair follicle’s cycle synchronizes and you experience excessive shedding (similar to how a cat or dog sheds). The fortunate thing about Telogen Effluvium is this is temporary and that hair will come back. Sometimes a Telogen Effluvium uncovers a progressive form of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, which was slowly getting worse over the last few years. Insurances will not cover either form of hair loss. Read more

Considering a Hair Transplant To Lower a High Hairline

I had a brow lift that left me with a high hairline and some bald spots. I would like to have my hairline lowered about 1/4 inch. I am thinking of a hair transplant. Would this work and would it cause any more bald spots? I am wondering since they would have to take donor hairs there would be bald spots there where the hair was removed. I don’t know of any doctors in Alabama that can give me what I am looking for.
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Hair transplantation is an effective way for lowering an overly high hairline, whether due to genetics or prior plastic surgery. At the same time, hair grafts can be placed to fill in patchiness and areas of thinning. With the donor hairs obtained from the flexible back of the scalp, stitches are placed to close the donor site, leaving a fine line barely if at all perceptible linear scar that even your hair dresser should have difficulty locating. Read more

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