1. Will hair transplants ever fall out?

For men who suffer from androgenic alopecia, transplanted hair will not fall out though the native hair which remains can continue to fall out. For women and men with other causes of hair loss, there are more variables which must be considered. If the patient is suffering from a diffuse thinning, transplanted hairs may be susceptible to falling out as well. For patients who suffer from a more localized thinning, loss of the eyebrows, loss of eyelashes, or beard hair loss, transplanted hairs can be expected to be permanent.


2. Does my head have to be shaved for surgery?

The head is not shaved. In fact, patients are urged to let their hair grow out a bit to cover the donor and recipient sites.


3. Is it safe to do large sessions?

Large sessions can be done safely though I advise patients that multiple sessions are a better option. The larger the session, the more time is needed to complete the procedure and the longer time that the grafts are outside of the body. Several studies have shown that sessions longer than about 6 hours significantly reduce the number of grafts which survive. Overall, 95% or more of the transplanted hairs are expected to survive in sessions less than 6 hours long. In longer sessions, graft survival can decrease to 60% or less. In addition, since the procedures are done with patients awake, patient comfort can be compromised by longer sessions.In addition to greater graft survival, separating transplants into multiple sessions allows for obtaining a greater density to be obtained. There is a limit to the density that can be obtained with any single transplant. By separating out the transplants, greater density can be achieved than with any single transplant.


4. How do I know if I need a large mega session?

Determining the size of a transplant needed will depend on the number of hairs to be transplanted. A good rule of thumb is that a transplant should create about 30 hairs per square centimeter. Therefore, the number of hairs will depend on the density of hair left and the size of the area to be transplanted. Most hair transplant surgeons average about 250 grafts per hour. Therefore a 1,000 graft session will take about 4-5 hours to complete. 3,000 grafts will take about 10-12 hours.


5. How many hairs are transplanted per session?

The number of hairs transplanted will depend on the degree of balding and the size of the bald area. Transplants can be as few as a couple of hundred hairs or may be several thousand hairs. There are many terms associated with hair transplants but patients should be aware of two in particular - grafts vs. follicles. When talking with a surgeon about a hair transplant distinguish between the number of grafts you will get versus the number of follicles (the part of the hair which grows) you will get. Grafts can be single follicles, 2, 3, or more follicles. If a surgeon only transplants single follicle grafts then the number of follicles or hairs will equal the number of grafts. If a physician transplants multi-unit grafts, the number of follicles or hairs will be significantly more than the number of grafts.


6. When should a hair transplant be done?

A hair transplant should be done when the hair of a person thins enough to be noticed and the person is concerned about it.