Hair Transplant
A procedure that redistributes hair follicles to areas with thinning or hair loss
What is hair transplant?
Follicles at the back and the sides of the scalp behave differently from those on the top. They are far less sensitive to the hormonal signal that shrinks follicles, and they keep that character when they are moved, so a follicle taken from the back and placed at the front continues to grow there for decades.
A hair transplant moves those follicles one by one. Your surgeon takes them from the donor area at the back and sides, either by extracting individual follicular units through tiny punches or by removing a narrow strip of scalp and dividing it under magnification, then places them into sites made in the thinner area at an angle and density planned beforehand.
The donor area is finite. How much can be moved, where it is placed, and how the hairline is designed decide the result far more than the technique does, and a design that suits a man of thirty has to still suit him at fifty.
What it involves
The whole procedure is done as a Day Care case under local anaesthetic. You are awake throughout, and you can talk, listen to music, eat and use the toilet during breaks.
Your surgeon marks the hairline with you sitting up, and you agree it before anything begins. The donor area is trimmed and numbed with injections, which is the uncomfortable part and lasts a couple of minutes. Grafts are then harvested, kept in a chilled solution and sorted under magnification while the recipient area is numbed and the sites are made.
Expect six to eight hours in the clinic for a typical session, longer for a large one, with breaks for a meal. You go home the same evening with a light dressing on the donor area and written instructions for washing, sleeping position and medication.
Recovery
The scalp is sore and tight for two to three days and swelling often moves down to the forehead and around the eyes on days two to four, which settles on its own. Tiny crusts form around each graft and come away with careful washing over seven to ten days.
Most people take about a week off, return to desk work then, and look unremarkable to a stranger at two to three weeks. Avoid the gym, swimming, steam, direct sun and helmets for two to three weeks, and sleep propped up for the first few nights.
The transplanted hairs fall out between two and six weeks. This is expected and the follicle stays. New growth begins at three to four months, becomes noticeable at six, and the final result is judged at twelve months, or a little later for the crown.
Questions about hair transplant
Does the result look natural?
It depends almost entirely on the planning. A natural result comes from a hairline that is irregular instead of ruled, placed at a height that will still suit your face in twenty years, with single follicles at the front and grouped ones behind, all angled the way hair naturally lies. The tell-tale pluggy appearance people remember comes from older techniques and from hairlines set too low and too straight. Ask to see the surgeon's own before-and-after photographs at one year, and agree the marked hairline yourself before anything begins.
When will I see the hair grow?
Slower than most people are prepared for. The transplanted hairs shed between two and six weeks, which is expected and does not mean the grafts have failed, since the follicle remains in place. New growth starts at three to four months, becomes visible to others at around six, and the final density is judged at twelve months, with the crown taking a little longer. Photograph yourself monthly in the same light. Your surgeon will review you at intervals through that year.
Will I need a second session?
Often, and it is better discussed at the start. One session covers a defined area at a planned density, and a large area sometimes needs two to reach the density you want. Separately, the hair that was not transplanted keeps thinning on its own schedule, so a gap can open behind the transplanted zone after some years. Many surgeons recommend continuing medical treatment for the remaining hair alongside the procedure for exactly this reason. Your donor area is finite, so both sessions are planned against that budget.
Other dermatology & cosmetology treatments
Treatment of acne and acne-related marks based on skin type, severity and recurrence
Day CareEvaluation and treatment of uneven skin tone, dark spots and other pigmentation concerns
Day CareTalk to a care coordinator about hair transplant
Leave a number and a care coordinator calls you back with what the treatment involves and which hospital it would be at. They book a consult only if you want one