Those who are best suited for hair transplant surgeries are those who are experiencing androgenetic alopecia. Other causes of hair loss may not be suitable for hair transplant surgeries. Hair that is lost due to physical or emotional stress will be regained without the aid of surgery. Additionally, certain conditions, like trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) and Loose-anagen syndrome, cannot be successfully treated with hair transplant procedures.

Women are more likely than men to be unsuitable for hair transplant surgeries. This is because women frequently experience an overall thinning of the hair rather than areas of complete balding. Because hair transplant operations move hairs from an area of thick hair to an area of thin hair, the procedure may be difficult to perform on individuals who have overall thinning of the hair.

Men or women who experience thinning hair rather than areas of total balding, may be better candidates for medical hair restoration. There are a number of shampoos and medications that can thicken existing hairs or encourage hair growth in individuals with thinning hair.

The surgical team may use a graft calculator to determine if donor sites are large enough to meet the demand of the balding areas. A patient’s success with hair transplant procedures depends upon the availability of hair that is not genetically sensitive to DHT. DHT is the hormone that causes hair loss. If the donor site is too small or the number of DHT sensitive hairs is too large, hair transplant procedures may be ineffective.

It is important to meet with a hair transplant surgeon for a consultation. The surgeon or surgical team will help determine the effectiveness of hair transplant surgery and which procedures can provide the best results.

Hair transplant FAQs