Q: I have seen some incredible photos on some websites. In some cases, they seem too good to be true. Are they real? — P.V., Jersey City, N.J.

A: Evaluating results is more complicated than simply looking at photos – even if they are un-retouched and not studio shots.

For example, if 4,000 grafts were used to make a young person’s hair line look very dense, you might say that was a spectacular result. However, if he only has a total of 6,000 follicular units in his donor area (the average), then he is going to have many problems as he continues to bald, since there will be only 2,000 grafts left for the rest of his head.

Not only was too much hair used up in the front, but the high density of the frontal hair line will not look balanced as the person ages, as this density can not be sustained.

Similar problems occur when the frontal hairline is placed too low or is too broad. These look great in photos early on – and are great for marketing purposes – but become real problems as the person ages.