FAQ's about Surgery?

Contemporary hair transplantation can provide completely natural results that are cosmetically undetectable. The technique is highly effective in treating both male and female pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia. It can also make a dramatic difference for patients with hair loss due to trauma, injury, or scarring from cosmetic or other surgical procedures. Areas such as the eyebrows, mustache, and beard areas are amenable to reconstructive transplantation as well.

Hair transplantation involves moving your own hair from the back of the head, where there is relatively greater density, to other areas which have lost hair. The reason this procedure is so successful is that it takes advantage of the fact that our hair is genetically programmed to grow for much longer in the back than in the front. When we move these hairs elsewhere, they retain their genetic destiny and continue to grow as long as they would have in the back of the head. They do not require any special treatment in order to grow. You can swim, run, and shower normally, because these are your own hairs.

Nearly any person may be a candidate for hair transplantation. We consider your rate of hair loss, hair caliber and hair color in planning the surgery. Large pluggy grafts from the 1980’s and 1990’s have fallen out of favor. We harvest a single narrow strip from the back of the scalp and divide it into individual 1-3 hair follicular unit grafts, matching their appearance in nature. Then, we distribute the hairs in a way that matches the direction and flow of your existing hair follicles. The entire procedure is done under local anesthesia and takes an average of 3-5 hours. Once transplanted, the hairs will grow in gradually and naturally over a 6-12 month period. Your results should look as natural 20 years from now as they do in 2-3 years.

During the consultation, we discuss your history of hair loss and evaluate your scalp to identify the reason for your hair loss. If the cause is uncertain, we may perform a small biopsy to find out the diagnosis. This takes only 5 minutes and can be performed during the consultation. We also discuss various other treatments for hair loss, including minoxidil and finasteride which are presently the only FDA-approved medicines available to treat hair loss. They can greatly help with hair loss and can even extend the time before hair transplantation is performed. Patients who do not want to use the medications may consider additional hair surgeries later on. We provide patients with plenty of time and information to design a plan that is best for them.

Click here for more information about contemporary techniques in hair transplantation.

Corrective Surgery

The first hair transplantation surgery was performed in 1952, as large “punch grafts” were moved from the hair-bearing parts of scalp to thinning frontal areas. Over time, such large grafts can become more noticeable as surrounding hairs are lost. With the advent of follicular unit ‘micrografts” in 1988, Dr. Bobby Limmer created a means of hair restoration that could finally mimic nature. Hairs were transplanted as they occur in natural groupings of 1-4 hair follicles. Most hair transplant surgeons have adopted this technique as the current standard of care. However, large, pluggy grafts still exist among patients who underwent transplantation previously. Such patients can benefit from corrective surgery to excise these grafts, divide them into smaller groupings, and replace them in a more natural distribution. Patients may also undergo resurfacing procedures to improve cobblestoning or other texture irregularities. We also offer laser hair removal for patients who would like to remove unwanted hairs completely.

Reconstructive Hair Surgery

Hair transplantation can provide a final, natural touch for patients who suffer hair loss from burns, scarring, surgery, or trauma. Although scar tissue does not have the same blood supply as the scalp, it can usually ‘take’ hair grafts and help camouflage any underlying tissue irregularities. Patients who lose sideburn hair after facelifts or skin cancer surgery may particularly benefit. Likewise, eyebrows which are lost due to trauma or surgery can be improved dramatically with transplantation. Although the consistency and nature of the hair growth are slightly different, this procedure can at least provide a more acceptable cosmetic match for patients who have lost all or part of an eyebrow.

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