Sun 4 Oct 2009
Do All Good Doctors Shave the Head for Hair Transplant Surgery?
Category: Cost and Pricing , FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) , FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) , Hair Density , Hair Transplant Surgery , Post Operative Concerns , Session SizesThis hair loss question was answered by Dr. Glenn Charles of Florida who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. His professional answer is below.
Do all the good doctors require you shave your head before hair transplant surgery?
There are some great hair transplant doctors who require the patients shave the hair and other excellent hair restoration doctors who do not require shaving. One thing for sure is that the surgery is easier to perform if there is no hair to work around.
The question is what is more important? Making the surgery easy for the doctor and staff or keeping the patient happy even though the surgery may take a little longer. When a hair transplant megasession of densely packed grafts are placed into an area that has existing hair, there is often the development of postoperative shock loss and significant thinning hair. This can be very upsetting to the patient. Some physicians may choose to require shaving prior to surgery to avoid the potential patient complaints. Interestingly enough I have heard that some doctors actually charge more if the patient does not shave.
Dr. Glenn Charles, D.O.
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Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor
Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair transplant, hair transplant doctors, hair restoration, hair transplant megasession, shock loss, thinning hair
While many hair restoration physicians offer free consultations for prospective patients considering hair transplant surgery, others charge an initial consultation fee.
I reviewed your photographs, and although they give me a good idea, I always tell prospective hair transplant patients who send me photographs, without the benefit of an in person examination, as a disclaimer, that I cannot get the entire clinical picture from two dimensional photographs. Having said that, I do have a good idea of what you need. The only unknowns are the density of your donor hair, the laxity of the scalp, which determines how much hair I can harvest, and most importantly, what your specific hair restoration goals are.