What do you expect from a hair transplant? Expectations can vary greatly from person to person. Is it enough the hair grows regardless of how natural it looks? Can a hair transplant really mimic nature and achieve hair coverage that is undetectable to natural hair growth? There is a large difference in hair transplant results. There is no need to settle for a mediocre cosmetic procedure. After all, one of the goals is to improve the way you look and feel. So, why settle for “ok” when it’s possible to achieve a perfectly natural hair restoration. Here are a few aspects to consider, making the difference in hair transplant results.
Talking to patient-oriented hair restoration specialists it becomes apparent design and planning are critical. Also, it is almost always a compromise between the patient and the Doctor. A balancing act between what the individual thinks they want. What will look natural? As well as what is technically possible to achieve. Managing expectations is a crucial aspect of a successful hair restoration result. With the surgical skills and artistic understanding combined with the knowledge and expertise of the top hair restoration professionals, it is possible to perfectly mimic natural hair growth.
Hairline design is personal
The best Doctors will have a high understanding of the anatomy and body proportions. Not simply learned from a textbook but an innate skill and eye. Being able to literally imagine the perfect hairline to complement the individual’s bone structure. To create a natural hairline that is personal and unique. This is aided by surgical ability with skills such as recognising angulation, orientation and density and the importance they all play. These medical and artistic skills will determine how the hair will grow in creating a look that is natural.
A hairline can make or break the quality of hair restoration. A natural hairline should be undetectable, frame the face and complement the facial features without dominating the face or really even being noticeable. Because it should be natural. A natural hairline can be a large factor in the difference between hair transplant results. Incorrect hairline position and design or wrong hair angles or hair distribution can all leave an unnatural result. Too high or too low, to flat or too acute. A pluggy looking hairline using the wrong hair types are all telltale signs of an inferior quality work by a hair transplant company or Doctor.
What are pitting and ridging?
Hair grafts are very small and delicate. They can be easily damaged if not cared for. The same applies to the skin when creating the new hair coverage. Recipient sites are created for the hair units to be placed into. They should be custom planned and designed depending on the area being treated. Taking into consideration the natural hair characteristics to make the most of the hair transplant result.
Hair placement of the grafts is a time-consuming aspect of the hair transplant. Painfully slow but the patience and care will show in the result. With no signs of pitting or ridging in the skin because the hair graft has been incorrectly placed too high or too low in the recipient site. Any unnatural placement, especially along a hairline, will leave permanent scarring and unnatural hair growth. Repairing these problems is not simple and requires even greater surgical skills than treating a normal on a virgin scalp. As a result of poor craftsmanship, skill and expertise the scalp may suffer trauma, pitting, scarring, and cobblestoning. This may not only create an unnatural and unsightly look but also impair the yield or hair growth. For that and for the next procedure.
Donor hair management
We are often drawn to believing big is best. Or, get the most you can in one go. Especially when treating higher Norwood scale hair growth patterns there is an obvious demand for a high quantity of hair. The donor area is a finite resource for everyone. Once the hair is removed it is gone from the donor forever. It does not regrow or regenerate. As a result, donor hair management is an important aspect. Donor hair management can make a significant difference in hair transplant results.
Donor hair management is often an afterthought for many hair restoration candidates. But, there are many aspects that need to be considered. From the correct hair transplant technique, Follicular Unit Extraction compared with Follicular Unit Transplant. Deciding on the size of the donor area safe zone and the risk of future hair loss reducing the area in the future. To how much hair can safely be removed over a single or multiple hair transplants without making any obvious or unsightly cosmetic changes to the donor area. These can include over-harvesting the hair to leave low-density patchy hair growth.
Visible scarring from FUE or FUT. A well thought out and planned hair restoration can leave a well-preserved donor area even after multiple hair transplants have been performed. Whereas a poorly planned and executed hair transplant can damage the donor area in a single procedure.
The difference in hair transplant results
The premise of a hair transplant is rather simple. The redistribution of genetically strong hair from an area called the “donor site” and placing this hair to an area of hair loss, known as the “recipient area”. Hair restoration surgery has moved on from the early years and today exceptional results from skilled surgeons can deliver totally natural and undetectable results. But not all hair transplants are the same. As in any profession, some individuals are naturally more gifted than others. As in any profession, some are more careful and attentive to detail. To create a hairline that even those that know you could not detect as being anything but natural is not a simple task.
As a patient, you should demand the most natural results from surgical procedures such as a hair transplant. Techniques and understanding have evolved. As a result, there is no excuse for a doctor, not to must master the intrinsic art of hairline design, temple closures and graft distribution. Hair orientation and safe and skilled donor hair management.
The start of your hair restoration is often searching for the correct clinic and doctor to meet your expectations. The priority should always be the quality of work and the medical and artistic protocols and clinic adopts. Stats and research by the ISHRS more men than ever are turning to surgical hair restoration. As a result, it opens the door to a wider range of quality. As often said quantity and quality do not always go together. This is often true with a hair transplant procedure. With many bespoke hair transplant clinics only treating one or maybe two hair transplant clients per day opposed to some companies treating 20 or more people in a single day.
Starting your research
A free consultation can help to first diagnose your hair loss stage and your potential hair restoration options. It gives you the opportunity to request information and ask questions without any commitment or obligation. Talking to multiple clinics will help to build your awareness of different protocols. Always remember, maintain realistic goals and do not compromise your high expectations for standards and quality. You deserve the best head of hair possible.
