Am I a candidate for hair restoration surgery?
Often we are asked “How do I know if I am a good candidate for hair transplant?” Patients who are interested in hair transplant should be aware of a few things.
Those interested in hair loss should know that if they are thinning, their thinning must be such that there is room to transplant more hair. Often patients want to have a transplant at the first sign of their scalp but they may not be ready. When transplanted, each follicle must have a bit of tissue around it so it takes more space than just a hair strand growing out of the scalp.
A hair transplant done prematurely could actually do more harm than good. Those whose thinning does not yet warrant a hair transplant should try other remedies( medication, topical solutions, laser treatments) and may be able to thicken their hair and avoid a transplant all together.
For patients who have thinned enough for a transplant, the donor area must be thick and healthy. For most with hair loss it is pattern baldness- male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness. This means that the patient is losing the hair on the top of the head only. Unfortunately, for some the hair loss has spread over the entire head and is known as generalized thinning.
These patients cannot have a hair transplant procedure. Patients who have thinning in the donor area and have a hair transplant procedure run the risk of the hair not growing or falling out after it grows. In the consultation, Dr. Behnam carefully examines the patient’s donor area to ensure that it is thick and healthy.
Another requirement is the patient must not be experiencing rapid hair loss at the time of the procedure. Patients who are experiencing a loss of over 500 hairs per day should wait until that shedding stabilizes before scheduling a procedure. This can be accomplished with alternate therapies such as P.R.P. injections.
Those considering a transplant procedure should also have realistic expectations of what can be accomplished and have goals that will create a natural look at any age. Often males under the age of 25, who have experienced early receding, want their hair line lowered back to where it was when they were 18. For most patients, Dr. Behnam will not lower the hair line below seven and a half centimeters above the eyebrows.
This is the height that will continue to look natural at any age. Hair restoration can be a great thing, but it is not something to jump into. In the free consultation with Dr. Behnam all of the above is examined and patients leave knowing if they are a good candidate and why. Dr. Behnam is committed to only performing surgeries that he is certain will be an improvement. For a free consultation, please call 310-829-4291.