Frequently Asked Questions

( Hair Transplantation )

• What causes baldness?

• Are hair transplantation results permanent?

• What is "Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation"?

• How much hair transplantation will I need?

• What does a hair transplantation cost?

• Hair loss in women - can females do hair transplantation?

• What about Propecia?

• Will there be a gap in my "donor area"?

• What are the risks involved with a hair transplantation?

• Is hair transplantation painful?
  After hair transplantation will I require special care?

• What if I wear a hair piece?

What causes baldness?
The cause of male pattern baldness is no longer a mystery. Research has shown that when the male hormone -testosterone is exposed to 5-alpha-reductase, an enzyme in the hair follicle, it produces another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes permanent hair loss. This donor fringe is insensitive to the balding process and will last a lifetime. This is because this hair is genetically programmed in the root, or hair follicle, to be resistant to the effects of DHT.

The hair in this donor area provides the basis for surgical hair
transplantation. These hairs, when transplanted into thinning or balding areas, will take root and grow, and continue to grow for the rest of a person's life.

Are hair transplantation results permanent?
The hair will retain its genetic characteristics even after relocation. It will grow and continue to grow for the rest of your life.

What is "follicular unit hair transplantation"?
It is  one, two, three, and four hair follicular unit hair grafts.
Magnified view of hair on scalp

Hair growing in natural
groupings of 1, 2, 3 and 4 hairs

These follicular unit micrografts are much smaller than traditional untrimmed micrografts that contain equivalent amounts of hairs. Their size enables larger numbers of them to be placed in tinier, less traumatic incisions closer together. Using this advanced technique a surgeon can move more hair in a totally natural way - creating a natural look at every stage of hair hair transplantation.

How much Hair Transplantation will I need?
How much work you will need depends on various factors - such as, how much hair loss you have now, the amount of hair loss you will have in time, and your goals and expectations - or how thick you need it to be.

What does Hair Transplantation Cost?
The price per graft tends to be lower as the size (number of grafts) of the hair transplantation session increases. Therefore larger sessions not only produce more dramatic and rapid progress but better cost efficiencies.

Hair loss in women - can females do hair transplantation?
The short answer is yes, as long as the women's hair loss is concentrated in defined areas like in the classic male pattern baldness (i.e. the woman's hair loss can not be too diffuse or thin throughout their entire scalp).

What about Propecia?
Propecia and Rogaine can be part of an effective hair restoration plan.
Since Propecia is now available, will hair transplantation be a thing of the past?
While Propecia and Rogaine have been proven to regrow hair, they will not grow all your hair back. Both products have not been proven to grow any significant hair in the frontal temple area, which is the main area of concern for most people.
Their greatest benefit seems to be in slowing down hair loss.

Does removing hair from the donor area on the back of my head leave a gap?
The scalp is very elastic. When the donor strip of hair is removed, the scalp on both sides is just pulled together and sutured. The only evidence of surgery is a thin line hidden under the hair that grows vertically on the back of the head.

Are there risks involved with hair transplantation?
Elective surgery to improve physical appearance is universally accepted and is being performed successfully everywhere there are qualified specialists.
Hair transplantation procedures differ from general surgery, however, in that they involve only the outer layers of the body. You should not worry excessively about risks or complications, because they are rare.

Is hair transplantation surgery painful?
The discomfort associated with hair transplantation surgery is usually comparable to that of dental surgery. Pain medication is always offered, though its use is limited generally to the first 24 hours after surgery.

Will my hair require special care after hair transplantation?
Your newly restored hair will grow and require the same maintenance as your original head of hair. It's your hair and can be colored, permanently waved or styled in a variety of ways suitable to your lifestyle.

Can I wear a hairpiece until my surgery is completed?
Hair pieces can be worn between surgical visits if you want, as long as proper hygiene and ventilation of the scalp are maintained.