Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

Non-surgical hair loss solutions and hair transplant surgery can be great, but neither are a cure for hair loss.  Balding men and women ought to explore and consider all the available treatments carefully and work with a leading hair restoration doctor to develop a long term and realistic hair restoration plan.

Though the dream of full lustrous locks dance through our heads, developing realistic expectations as to what can realistically be accomplished is vital. Below you will find answers to common questions on what can realistically be accomplished with today’s treatments. You can also ask your own questions and get answers on our hair restoration forum or by contacting us privately.

Why Less is Sometimes More in Surgical Hair Restoration

Is Transplanted Hair Dependent on Hair Loss Drugs?

Possible Benefits of Combining a Hair Transplant with a Hair System (Dr. Lindsey)

Developing Long Term Hair Restoration Goals

How to Pay and Plan Financially For a Hair Transplant

Bill
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair loss solutions, hair transplant, hair loss, Balding, hair restoration

Asking the cost of a hair transplant is a highly popular question on our hair loss forum. But what most people new to the topic of hair transplantation don’t realize, is that it’s not as cut and dry as throwing out a number that they have to pay and be done with.

There is a lot to consider when evaluating the cost of a hair transplant including the number of grafts desired/possible for a single hair replacement procedure, the cost of a single procedure verses the potential need for subsequent ones, the hair restoration surgical technique, and finally, the hair transplant clinic’s fee structure.

View this thread to learn what hair restoration clinics usually charge per graft and learn how your own personal characteristics can impact the cost.

Bill
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair transplantation, hair replacement, hair restoration, hair restoration clinics

Though hair loss sufferers are typically enamored by large densely packed hair transplant megasessions, sometimes smaller sessions can be more appropriate and appear to accomplish the same goals. But how is this possible?

Take a look at these hair transplant photos posted by a concerned hair loss forum member posing the very same question. See for yourself why “less” can often be “more” and how to get great results for only a fraction of the cost of larger hair restoration sessions. Also read and contribute your own input as to how and why this is even possible.

Bill
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair transplant, hair loss forum, hair restoration

Many hair transplant patients are attracted to the “one and done”  concept. However, what many don’t realize is that hair restoration is a journey, not a single procedure. The number of sessions needed depends on the current level and future risk of hair loss, not to mention available donor hair supply and candidacy. Since hair transplant surgery doesn’t do anything to stop the progression of female or male pattern baldness, there is a very good possibility that patients will need subsequent sessions. Therefore, prospective patients seeking should select a quality surgeon and discuss long term hair restoration goals including sound financial planning.

On this hair loss forum thread, forum member “nikan” inquires about the cost of a single procedure and other members begin to discuss very important surrounding issues regarding sound long term planning. You are encouraged to offer your experience and input on this very important topic.

Bill Seemiller
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair restoration, hair loss, donor hair, male pattern baldness

These questions were posed  directly to Dr. Ken Siporin of Beverly Hills, CA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians  by a  hair loss sufferer seeking hair transplantation as a means to regrow hair.   His professional answer is below.

I’ve attached some pictures of my hair loss in another email. Like I mentioned in our phone conversation, I recently shaved the top of my head in order to try a hair system.  

How many grafts do you think I need to give me adequate hair density and coverage?  

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.

With your hair shaven like it is in the photos, I would recommend harvesting and placing as many grafts as I can safely harvest and place.   Since I am only looking at a photo of your hair loss, and I do not precisely   know the surface area to be covered, I can give you some estimate as to what that would be. In my experience, 2600 -2800 follicular unit grafts would give you nice coverage from front to back. The front would get more coverage and would appear more dense, and this is routinely the case.

The first amendment the constitution protects our right to free speech. However, the freedom of expression that we all enjoy on our hair loss forum  is not free. Recently, hair transplant surgeon, Dr. Alvi Armani made a decision to sue the Hair Transplant Network  for speaking freely on reservations patients have regarding his practices.

Over the years, numerous patient members and the publisher of this web community have expressed their concerns on a number of hair loss forum communities regarding Dr. Armani and his questionable ethics, technique, and deceptive marketing practices. Thus Dr. Armani decided to sue the Hair Transplant Network.

Educated patients publicly evaluating physicians and demanding only the very best results are largely responsible for advancing the hair transplant industry. Dr. Armani and his clinic must have the mistaken notation that intimidation tactics will prevent us from allowing patients their right to free speech and continuing the patient revolution. But they are sadly mistaken. We are willing to go all the way to fight to protect this patient community and their right to speak freely about hair transplant techniques and surgeons.

We invite you read all about the questionable and ethical issues surrounding Dr. Armani and exercise your right to your first amendment right by visiting our hair loss forum topic, Dr. Armani Lawsuit Against the Hair Transplant Network.

These questions were posed  directly to Dr. Ken Siporin of Beverly Hills, CA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians  by a  hair loss sufferer seeking hair transplantation as a means to regrow hair.   His professional answer is below.

After hair transplant surgery, will I be able to shave my head without showing scarring?   If I continue to lose hair, will I need additional hair transplants?   How many follicular unit grafts will I require?   How much am I looking at spending to restore my hair?

You ask some very good questions, and honestly, I am not sure I can do them justice within the constraints of writing. Having said that, I will try to answer your questions, but understand, there is no substitute to seeing you and examining you in person. According to your the photographs that you have sent me, which gives me limited information, and I have no idea what your hair restoration goals are, but saying you just wanted to reestablish your hairline and increase the hair density in your midscalp, I would roughly estimate the number of follicular unit grafts to be around 1500-1700.

I would also recommend you get on Propecia (finasteride), which would limit your future hair loss, and therefore make it less likely that you would have to continually chase your baldness in the future, with additional hair replacement procedures.   However, you may not want to take Propecia; you may start Propecia and then stop because of the rare sexual side effects (1.8% incidence), or you may not get any benefit from Propecia (unlikely, as 95 % of men maintain there hair count in the crown at 3 years), so your question regarding needing additional hair transplant  procedures because of future hair loss is not so straightforward.

Attached are my hair transplant preoperative pictures.   I have been told that I need about 2400 follicular unit grafts, does that sound about accurate?   Can you recommend for me an affordable and quality hair transplant doctor in India?

Without knowing your hair restoration goals, based on what I am seeing you are most likely going to  need more than 2400 follicular unit grafts to achieve both full hair coverage and adequate hair density.   Though it is more accurate to receive an estimate from a qualified hair transplant clinic, in my opinion and based on my experience in being a three time hair transplant patient, I would estimate that you would need approximately  4000 follicular unit grafts.  

Some hair restoration physicians  have the staffing capability, skills, and experience  in that they might be able to  accomplish this number of hair grafts in one single hair transplant session depending  on your donor hair density and  scalp elasticity.   Other  hair transplant surgeons  lack the staffing and/or experience to do this large of a session and  will most likely take  more than one  session to accomplish your hair restoration goals.  

Keep in mind also that if you lose more additional natural hair, subsequent hair transplant procedures may be necessary as hair transplantation is NOT a hair loss cure.

I am a hair loss sufferer and am considering hair transplantation.   What will I expect to pay for a hair transplant?   What other things should I consider?   Should I be taking any medication for hair loss, and if so, what?

The cost of hair replacement surgery will depend on a number of things including the price charged per follicular unit graft by the hair transplant clinic, the type of hair transplant  surgery undergone (follicular unit hair transplantation – FUT or follicular unit extraction – FUE / follicular isolation technique – FIT), the number of hair grafts required, and the number of hair restoration surgeries required.   See also more information on hair transplant costs.

Though hair transplant cost  is an important factor to consider  it shouldn’t be the first. Finding a quality hair transplant physician who has a proven track record of providing positive hair transplant patient results is extremely important.   I strongly encourage you to research and consult with a physician who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians who has met the high level of membership standards  of the Hair Transplant Network.  

A balding male or female suffering from genetic hair loss  must also develop realistic expectations and hair restoration goals which should be discussed in detail with your hair transplant surgeon. I do not recommend undergoing hair transplant surgery until you are comfortable with the long term hair restoration plan that has been laid out for you.

This question was posed  by a hair loss sufferer  and answered by Dr. William Reed  of La Jolla, CA who is a well respected member of the  Coalition of Hair Restoration Surgeons.   His professional answer is below.

Thank you for your inquiry.  Hair transplant cost is dependent upon how many hair grafts would be necessary. The number of follicular unit grafts necessary is related not only to the surface area needing grafting but also the density of hair that is appropriate with the hairline that we would be creating and, thus, the stage of balding that we are mimicking. ( I know that’s a mouthful, but break it down and it makes sense, I think, and an attempted elaboration follows.) A higher hairline mimicks a more advanced degree of balding; the more advanced degree of balding not only receeds the hairline but drops the density of the remaining hair. A very modest degree of balding may often require the density than can be achieved only with two procedures depending upon the second important factor determining how many grafts you need: styling.

When one thinks about it, what we are trying to do with hair transplantation is get hair mass in an area of scalp that doesn’t have enough. Hair mass is the result of three things:

1. Density, i.e., the number of hairs growing in the area / square inch
2. The diameter, color and waviness of the hair shaft and