Restoring the Hairline To Pre-Balding Density with Hair Transplant Surgery?
This question comes from a member of the [tag]Hair Restoration[/tag] Discussion Forums and Social Community:
After consulting with several recommended [tag]hair transplant surgeons[/tag] I’ve come to the conclusion that most surgeons implant [tag]follicular unit grafts[/tag] at a density of around 40 – 60 grafts per square centimeter. I’m curious, if I only want to restore my frontal hairline, why can’t the surgeon restore my hairline to the density I had before experiencing [tag]hair loss[/tag] (80 – 100 grafts per square centimeter)?
Although I’m sure each [tag]hair restoration physician[/tag] has specific opinions on implanting grafts at this density (and that final density is unique to each patient’s physiology), there are several reasons why I believe experts do not restore hairlines to an unaffected density:
First, I’m uncertain that the blood supply to the [tag]balding[/tag] areas is sufficient to accept and properly nurture grafts at this density (80 – 100 [tag]grafts[/tag] per square centimeter). Because of this, the graft survival rate and scalp trauma could both be greatly affected. Second, transplanting at this density could negatively affect surrounding native hairs (causing unnecessary damage).
Third, transplanting at this density would require a large strip (in a [tag]follicular unit transplantation[/tag] -[tag]FUT[/tag] case) or various extractions (in a [tag]follicular unit extraction[/tag] -[tag]FUE[/tag] case) for a small transplant area, which could lead to unnecessary scarring. Fourth, transplanting at this density does not take progressive loss into consideration. It seems like a great idea to densely pack or lower a hairline at a young age, but the results can be very unsatisfactory when and if future [tag]hair loss[/tag] occurs. Furthermore, this also depletes precious donor [tag]follicular units[/tag].
Finally, [tag]hair transplantation[/tag] is truly about creating the illusion of density, not recreating a completely juvenile hairline. Fortunately, talented hair restoration physicians are able to carefully plan cases and create significant, impressive results without needing to implant at dangerous densities.
_______________
Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube
