Category: Hair Transplantation

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Hair Loss Information3000 Grafts Transplanted in the Front Does Not Look Like Enough – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Good day and thank you for past respones. My question is..Does 3000 grafts at the front of my head cover alot of area?. I ask this because thats what I had done. Thing is though after 1yr. I feel there should have been more hair in obvious areas of need. Maybe I expect too much density or what was done never sprouted. Thank you…

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Hair transplantation does not give you 100% of the hairs that you lost. As a rough estimate, it replaces 15 to 35 percent of your original hair density in a single session. Usually this is enough to achieve a positive cosmetic effect, with these factors also playing an important and subtle role in making the transplant look more full:

  1. coarseness (thickness) of your hair
  2. contrast between your hair and skin color
  3. curliness of your hair

As an example, a man with black hair and fair skin with very thin and straight hair would not have a full hair appearance as compared to a man with blond hair and fair skin with coarse and wavy hair.

If you are concerned about your hair transplantation results you should see the doctor who performed your surgery and express your concerns. It is impossible to tell you if your expectation is too high or if the surgery was not a success without a good physical exam. You can also look at NewHair.com for before and after pictures of patients who had similar surgery performed.

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Hair Transplant Growing Slow After Taking Avodart – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a hair transplant 8 months ago and the doctor told me that my growth is slower than normal as my hairs are shorter than he would have expected. I am taking Avodart. Could this medication have an effect at slowing my hair growth?

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We really do not know a great deal about Avodart and what it might do to a new hair transplant. In theory, transplanted hair from the back and the sides of the head should not be impacted by Propecia (finasteride) or Avodart (dutasteride), but one might make an argument that Avodart is very strong and could be prolonging the telogen cycle for hair growth. In theory, it might also prolong the growth cycle when it start growing. Frankly, this is all speculative, but an interesting theory for an interesting question.

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Selectively Transplanting Certain Hairs to Avoid Moving the White Ones – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have whote hair in front and dark hair in the back of my head. IF I transplant the hair from the back, will it be white or dark? Can you be selective which hairs are transplanted?

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The hair will be the same color as the place it was taken from. In your case, it would be largely dark. But, if there is enough white hair in the donor area, then the FUE procedure can take out the hairs, one follicular unit at a time, with a predominance of the hair color you want. Usually, white hairs are mixed with some dark ones.

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I Think My Hair Transplant Was Placed Too Low – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman, I recently had a HT with a “top doc” but I’m concerned that my hairline may have been placed too low. I’m 32 years old. My hairline sits 3 inches above my eyebrows and recedes about a 1/2 inch higher than that as it goes back. Where is the right stop for an adult hairline? any comments will be greatly appreciated.

If you look at the post Maturation of a Hairline, you will see where the adult hairline belongs. It should be one finger breadth above the highest crease of the wrinkled brow. There is not a fixed size for distance between the hairline and eyebrows; instead there are guidelines that could be used to determine where your natural hairline used to be and where it should be after a hair transplant.

One method is to measure the distance between the tip of the nose and the chin (let’s say in ‘Fred’ the distance is 7cm) and compare it to the distance between the upper bridge of the nose — Fred’s mature hairline should be found 7cm above the upper bridge of the nose. The other method is to use the highest crease of your forehead when you are looking upward and go about one finger breadth above it to determine where your natural mature hairline should start. I personally think that the second method is the best way to know where the mature hairline belongs.

Some patients do not follow these rules and may have a wide forehead or a bigger chin to start with. In these cases, old pictures from patients could be used as a guide. Nevertheless, the judgment of the surgeon and his/her artistic view is always crucial for the design of the most natural looking hairline. If you ended up with a too-low hairline, it can be a real problem, since as I’m sure you’re aware, hair transplants are permanent. Send me a photo with your eyebrows lifted high up and I will venture an opinion and keep your identity confidential, of course. Please reference this blog post when sending your photos.

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High Hairline on Nicolas Cage – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Would it make sense to get me “only” back to a higher NW 3 instead of a mature hairline (a forelock with partially receding sides), so as to preserve more hair for a possible follow up hair restoration in the future, or is that not the way it is done? I look at pictures of actor Nicholas Cage, for instance, who was clearly balding 10 years ago into what appears to be my current hairline, but who now has a decent hairline that looks like a NW3. It looks quite natural and very subtle.

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There is a long story where patients were polled to find out if they would have a preference with hairlines that are high. Those with a normal mature hairline looked better and the patients themselves prefer that look. The mature hairline has a slight corner recession as its natural look — it gives a convex look to the hairline.

Disclaimer: I have no direct knowledge of Nicolas Cage’s hair.

This is purely speculation based on photographs that I have seen, but I am under the belief that actor Nicolas Cage has had hair transplant or uses some scalp coloring agent to make his hairline very strong. In his case, it seems to me that the hairline is clearly not in the correct position and it is very straight without a good transition zone. I disagree with you that it is “quite natural” and if you look carefully at the picture, you will see what I mean. Hair in the high position should be a finer quality of hair, reflecting the thinning process that goes with genetic balding as the hairline rises. His high hairline does not have finer hairs, which draws the attention when looking at his face — my eyes go directly to his hairline, which for its position is far too strong. There is a negative connotation in the minds of many people when they they can detect a transplant. Saving hair for future transplants just to go to a higher than a normal location does not frame the face well. It draws the eye to the hairline. My goals always include having a hairline that no one pays any attention to. I personally think that a thinner, lower hairline looks more natural that a high, stronger hairline.

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Transplanting Hair from Neck to Beard? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi – I’ve been bumping around your website and I see where jerks must’ve emailed you a million false emails – this is not one of them : )

I’ve got minimal hair in my beard on the sides of my chin, and I would love to find a solution for it so that I can grow a full beard. My little brother had hair transplants from the back of his head to his hairline (receding hairline) – but he shaves his hair closely and the line in the back looks really silly.

I also shave my head closely (not bald, like a 1 level crew cut) – so I’m hoping to find a solution for my beard (have full head of hair on top, so only looking at the beard). I’m wondering if it’s possible to either get the hair from my neck below a normal beard line (that low neck hair 3 inches below the chin where you have whiskers but everybody shaves it off anyway) grafted up into the cheeks/chin area – or if it’s possible to get the hair below my normal hairline in the back and put that in the cheeks near the chin area? I just don’t want that silly line in the back of my head (I call it a “scalp zipper” (privately I don’t make fun of him obviously).

Also, I know it’s a specific cost to the individual based on how many grafts and sessions are required – but if I assumed about 1,000 grafts in 1 session, how much would I be looking at (high and low range)?

Lastly, I didn’t see very many photos on your website of successful beard transplants. Any good websites out there? I’d also love to hear about horror stories from recent years and how to avoid them.

This is a serious email and I am looking to do something in the next few months if I find a good solution – would love to hear back from you.

The procedure known as follicular unit extraction (FUE) was first published by me in 2002 and it discusses minimally invasive hair transplants where individual follicular units are removed one at a time. There is no linear scar with this technique and you can clip your hair short as you want. I would not take it from the neck, because neck hair is not permanent. See:

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Anything I Can Do Now to Increase My Scalp Laxity for Future Transplant? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

You have mentioned before that one of the determining factors in a successful transplant candidate is that candidate’s scalp laxity. I am not in need of a transpant at my current state of hair loss, but I can foresee myself needing it some time down the road. Is there anything I can do TODAY to maximze the number of grafts I can get TOMORROW?

A good hair transplant doctor can tell you if your scalp is tight. If it is not, then there is no need to do exercises that may increase the looseness of your scalp. If it is tight, you can put your hands double clasped behind your head and slide the skin up and down. Most people have about 1/2 inch of skin movement, those with tight scalps have less than that. With this exercise done 3-6 times a day for a few minutes at a time, I have seen the scalp laxity go up.

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Hair Restoration Doctor Specializing in African Americans? – Balding Blog

Is there a hair restoration doctor that specializes in african americans. The reason that I ask is that I see that alot can go wrong. And I would really like to find someone that specializes. Thanks.

As far as I am aware, there is no hair restoration doctor who specializes in African American patients. Hair (without regard to race) is hair. Transplants can be more difficult when transplanting African American patients, but any good doctor who does hair transplantation should be able to address your needs. Go to ISHRS.org to locate a doctor near you.


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Son Was Born with a Bald Spot on Side of His Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My son was born with a 2″ diameter bald spot on the side of his head (near top). He’s 5 years old today and still has the spot. I’m concerned that this spot will soon be the object of curiosity and teasing by his classmates. What’s the best way to help him with this little difference? Is he too young for transplants?

Small bald areas such as a birth mark or a scar can easily be addressed with hair restoration surgery. Hair transplants or expanders may be appropriate for him.

From a long term perspective, the surgeon who fixes this must also take into account (since he is a boy) whether he will ever be affected with male pattern (genetic) hair loss when he is older. While looking at his father/mother/grandparents may offer a clue, it is difficult to predict male pattern hair loss at such young age since the genetics don’t follow predictable patterns. At best, he should have a formal consult with a qualified surgeon.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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