Top 5 Things You Should Consider Before Having A Hair Transplant
Readers note: This article is focused on considerations for individuals experiencing genetic alopecia or male patten baldness (MPB).
Norwood 6 and 7 MPB
#1 Your age: Hair loss is not directly associated with age. After puberty and as young as 16 or 17 years of age, males in completely good health can experience hair loss. The issue with age and hair loss is that often, the younger you are when experiencing hair loss, the greater your chances are that you will eventually experience significant baldness (Norwood hair loss classifications 6 or 7 are possible). This degree of hair loss is impossible to completely treat with hair transplantation since the area to harvest the hair (donor area) is less than the area of the scalp to cover.
#2 Cost: Hair transplant surgery is not inexpensive and can range from $4,000 to $40,000 for a single procedure. This is particularly important to consider for young men who may continue to experience hair loss for years to come.
#3 Medical Therapy Alternatives: Good news! Medical therapy for hair loss has improved dramatically, and if hair loss is addressed early, many men can restore minor hair loss and even maintain their hair indefinitely if they maintain their regimen. FDA-approved drugs like finasteride and minoxidil used in combination have proven effective for many men. Exciting injection therapies like enhanced platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and exosomes have shown great promise. Laser light therapy continues improving and has excellent benefits when used regularly to preserve your hair.
#4 Am I a good candidate for hair transplantation? Not everyone is a candidate for hair restoration surgery. There can be health issues that make a patient unsuitable for elective surgery. The degree of hair loss, the quality and density of your donor hair and as stated above, age are all factors that you and your doctor need to consider before undergoing hair transplant surgery. In some cases, unrealistic cosmetic goals will also disqualify a patient as a candidate for hair restoration surgery.
Physician injecting exosomes.
#5 Finding a qualified hair surgeon: Like many areas of medicine, hair restoration is a specialty. Your hair surgeon needs to understand hair loss and its causes, have years of training and experience performing hair transplantation and should have a keen understanding of aesthetics. There are many practices across the country where unqualified physicians add hair restoration to their practice by purchasing an automated or robotic device to do the surgery and the manufacturers provide a traveling surgical team to perform the surgery without an actual licensed physician participating or even supervising the procedure. Your surgeon should be dedicated to treating hair loss and offer medical and surgical solutions. Your surgeon should have an extensive portfolio of before and after photos of patients they actually treated, and they should have the artistic training not just to transfer hair but be able to recreate a full and natural appearance.
There are always specific concerns each patient may have, but the list above is a good starting point for considering before seeking a hair transplant procedure.
AlviArmani surgeons Drs. Barton and Hughes performing a FUE hair transplant surgery.