Balding Blog

hi, i want to ask, hypothetically could a NW7 get an FUE but instead of getting a natural hairline get his grafts redistributed to a Mohawk so he would have no hair growing out of the sides but instead have all his hair concentrated to a 1 inch thick line going from the front to back and if that could be done, how many grafts would that be?

I’ve never had that request before, but yes, it is distinctly possible. What I tell all my patients is that the good and bad news about hair transplants is that they are absolutely permanent. As a young man, a mohawk may be a great idea for your particular look, but at 60 years old, will it still be great? Depending upon how thick you want it, it might take between 2500-6000 grafts.

Note: The image to the right is of the iconic Mr. T — and as far as I know, he didn’t transplant the mohawk to his scalp. I’m just using the photo as an example of the hair style.

This type of transplanted hairline is not normal. I am not sure what either the doctor was thinking when he gave this man this hairline or if the patient approved or asked for it specifically. This fortunately, can be fixed.

This is a condition called Lichen Planopilaris (LPP) which is a form of a scarring alopecia that destroys the hair follicle and then replaces it with scarring, resulting in permanent hair loss. The skin is shiny and mottled (this does not show well in the photo), and the hair ostea have some plaques around them. All this is typical of this disease. This man is 62 years old and had two hair transplants (1994 and 2006 totaling 2300 grafts in the frontal hairline). Three years ago, he had a nice frame to his face and a good hairline, but that hairline slowly disappeared. I am concerned than another hair transplant will likely fail. I recommended that he see his dermatologist and get an appropriate biopsy which will likely confirm the diagnosis. These biopsies require a skilled dermatopathologist in the microscopic evaluation of the biopsy.

If the patient has LPP, then any hair transplant would fail.

When asked if transplanted hair will last, I always tell patients that transplanted hair will last as long as the hair in the back and sides of the head, which generally last a lifetime. However, transplanted hair can undergo senile alopecia and I have occasionally seen people’s transplanted hair thin out many years after the transplant but this is very rare. Generally, you can expect transplanted hair to last well into your senior years.

I was told that transplanted hair is placed into a hormone sensitive area (area from hair line over the top of the head till small part at the back). What are the chances (approx. in percent if possible) of losing the transplanted hair? how many patients are satisfied with the result 5-10 years post FUE transplatation?

I have been doing hair transplants for 27 years and have seen patient I did 25+ years ago with their results as good as it was 25 years ago. A few patients will lose their transplanted hair between 5-30 years later, but that is less than 5% of patients?. I have seen many of my patients 5-20 years from their transplants and their new hair largely remained.