Category: Hair Transplantation

Doc,
I have slowly come to rely and trust this site on a day to day basis, so thank you.

I am considering an FUE surgery and have been reading a lot about “donor recharging”, where body hair is placed into FUE sites to help the donor region out. Ive unfortunately been around the block with this whole field and now feel the only way FUE should be done is by adding body hair as you remove a follicle from the donor.

My Question… Why aren’t more FUE specialists offering this technique? Won’t an FUE surgery be detrimental as the area will thin to the point of very shallow density in anyone with a norwood 3 and beyond.

I was hoping that the A Cell treatments would make this more viable but no one seems to be talking about it. Hence my question and my wishes for a great day for you and your staff!

“Donor recharging” is an interesting term I have not heard before. I do not buy into recharging the donor area from the scalp with hair from the body. I am just not convinced that the quality of the body hair will make for a good substitute for the donor hair that has been transplanted earlier.

It is easy for a doctor to do this to make more money, but unless there is proven value, I do not want to get on that bandwagon.

Hi,

A friend of my fathers has recently had a hair transplant to cure his baldness and it got me thinking of a possible solution to a problem I have. I have a cowlick at the front of my hairline and I was wondering if it would be possible for me to have this removed by laser treatment and then replaced by hair transplant. Is this a viable option?

Yes, this is a viable option. Many people with these ‘licks’ complain about them to me. Of course, I only see those people who are not happy with them. I happen to like the look, as one of my sons has a cowlick and I think it makes him look handsome.

Hello Dr. Rassman,
I was considering eyebrow transplant surgery after many years of overplucking and abuse to my once bushy brows. I have read that as a side effect the hairs may be “raised” or grow in awkward directions. I was wondering in your experience how often does this occur? Say in 150-200 grafts how many may grow this way? And can they be “trained” over time to grow correctly? Thanks

Eyebrow transplantation is a delicate art and even for skilled medical groups it is never perfect. As you correctly state, the eyebrows can grow slightly raised and grow in slightly different directions, regardless of how precisely you pay attention to detail. And since the focus is right above your eye, the eyebrow transplant subtleties are not as forgiving as with hairs transplanted on the scalp.

I can’t give you a generalization of what to expect, as each and every person is different. It depends on hair texture, curl, shaft diameter, follicle length, orientation around its central axis, how it lays down, etc. I can say that male eyebrow transplants are more forgiving, as men have bushier eyebrows. My eyebrows seem to be admired by many men who request eyebrow transplants, as mine are the spitting image of Albert Einstein (see right).

I can also say that if you don’t like a certain eyebrow hair in the mix, just pluck it out! Often times patients usually have at least two eyebrow transplants to get it just right.

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I’m going to rant for a moment, even though I know I’m running the risk of repeating myself. I’m disheartened by the amount of emails I get from people that are upset about the “bargain” hair transplant they got at various clinics around the globe. Of course, we realize that usually it’s the negative results that are the subject of such communications and we do not often hear from those patients with great results, but I felt I needed to post this as a reminder to the regular readers and hopefully something fresh for new visitors.

I believe that finding a good hair transplant doctor is like locating a good heart surgeon. Yes, heart surgery is more important than a cosmetic surgery… but I’m referring to the process of selecting a doctor. There are many qualified surgeons, but only a handful are capable of producing consistent, high quality results. In the heart field (I started out as a cardiac surgeon), you simply die when you select the wrong surgeon or get the wrong surgical team.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before on this site, but I remember a patient who came to see me (with his two kids) for a consultation. He then selected another doctor just a couple of miles from my office to have a transplant at the low, low price of $1.75/graft. When costs are too cheap, the quality of care tends to be low and corners are cut. That patient died during the transplant. It was the only death from a hair transplant that I’ve heard of. Granted, this was an extreme case of a hair transplant gone wrong. The usual result from a hair transplant that does not go perfectly will be with you for the rest of your life, and if the process is done without a focus on details and the art of the transplant, you will end up advertising your poor decision to everyone you meet. So please, please read this easy how-to guide on selecting your transplant doctor — here.

Some of the public is misinformed when it comes to doctors who offer hair transplantation. Just because a doctor is offering it, it doesn’t mean he can actually do what he’s selling you. The results from a hair transplant takes 6-8 months to grow, so by the time the results are evident, the patient’s check has cleared the doctor’s bank account and as many patients find out, there is little recourse to getting their money back from a failed hair transplant. Or worse, the results are clearly unnatural and detectable. Remember to research, meet patients, and be a smart shopper. I know the economy isn’t great for a lot of people right now, but don’t forget that this surgery is forever.

Further reading on this topic can be found here:

• Could I Die During a Hair Transplant Procedure?
• Why Is Surgery So Expensive?
• Even Today, The Quality of Hair Transplant Work Can Be Less Than Marginal (with Photos)

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(female)
Hello Dr,
I was wondering if shock loss occurs in cases of eyebrow transplantation? Also, are there any other side effects that could potentially occur? Thank you for your time.

Shock loss can also occur with eyebrow transplantation. The main side effect (if it can be called a side effect) is lifelong trimming of your eyebrow, as it will continue to grow like your scalp hair. For the original viable eyebrows that falls out from what I will call hair transplant shock, these may not grow back and it can result from damage induced at the time of the surgery. Original eyebrows seem to be sensitive to trauma more so than head hair.

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In response to: Is Taking Propecia to Prevent Shock Loss an Indefinite Necessity?

I’m confused by Dr. Rassman’s response to this question. For the longest time you have written that sufferers of DPA have a stable permanent zone and they can usually can receive a transplant at the appropriate time. You’ve written that it’s suffers of DUPA that aren’t appropriate candidates for transplantation. Has something changed?

Nothing has changed. We always look to the health of the permanent zone when considering if someone is a candidate for a hair transplant. We weigh the balance between the supply of hair from this permanent zone and the demand of hair from the balding or thinning area.

Hi, im from Australia. Unfortunately i can’t come visit you for a consultation due to the distance and all, so i was wondering, if you could suggest any hair restoration clinics here in australia, or doctors? I heard Dr. Richard C. Shiell is good? any suggestions?

thanks in advance

I rarely give specific endorsements of doctors. I would suggest you see as many doctors as possible, find a fit with your personality, and ask the doctor to see their patients results in person. Before/after photos may be a good starting point, but nothing compares to seeing results in person and speaking with unbiased past patients.

Also, I believe that Dr. Richard Shiell has retired from surgery, but there are physicians at his clinic that he trained. You shouldn’t consider this a personal recommendation, but it might be worth researching it further — Shiell-Knudsen Clinic. Or you can find other doctors in your area by using the physician search at ISHRS.org.

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