Q: I understand that even if you have multiple hair transplants you will only be left with one scar in the donor area. — T.J., Yonkers, N.Y.
A: If the closure is performed without tension, each procedure should result in the same fine scar.
The best-placed incision is in the mid-portion of the permanent donor area. Since there is only one mid-point, there is one best position for the scar. All incisions should lie on this plane leaving one scar.
Q: Is it possible to do a hair transplant using follicular unit extraction without shaving the donor area? — V.S., Syracuse, N.Y.
A: In follicular unit extraction, the area that is extracted is clipped to about 1-mm in length. However, if the session is not too large, then the clipped area can be long and thin so that the patient’s existing hair will cover it. The person’s hair should be left long for the procedure.
Q: There is such a big deal made on the chats about people getting Megasessions of over 4000 grafts per session. When I look at the pictures on your website, the results look great, but I am surprised that not many grafts were used compared to what is being talked about. — N.R., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
A: My goal is not to transplant as many grafts as possible, but to get the best results possible without exhausting a person’s donor supply. It is important to keep reserves for future hair loss. Unnecessarily large sessions also risk poor growth and have a greater incidence of donor scarring.
Q: Is it possible to have a hair transplant that is totally undetectable immediately following surgery? — G.F., Stamford, C.T.
A: Not unless a person has a fair amount of existing hair that can cover the transplanted area.
Although surgical hair restoration techniques have improved dramatically over the past ten years, and wounds are so small that patients may shower the morning following the procedure, a hair transplant will be detectable for the first week. During this period, there may be some swelling that settles down on the forehead and some crusting and some residual redness.
Please visit the section on the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration website entitled After Your Hair Restoration for more details. Also see the Instructions After Your Hair Restoration Surgery page regarding the normal post-op course following a hair transplant.
Q: I am considering taking Propecia, but it I went to my local pharmacy in New York City and it is so expensive. Is there a way I can get it cheaper? — A.S.A., Midtown, Manhattan, NYC
A: The website sells Propecia online at a reasonable price. A doctor’s prescription is required.
Please note that Propecia is not yet available in generic form.
Q: Can hair be transplanted from one person to another? M.Y. – Hoboken, New Jersey
A: A hair transplant between individuals can only be performed on identical twins, since they are genetically the same.
In all other cases, including non-identical siblings, the transplanted hair will be rejected.
We are often asked how it is that one can perform kidney transplants from one person to another, but not hair transplants. The reason is that the skin is more antigenic than a kidney i.e. it is more likely to be rejected. The reason is complex, but this makes sense considering that the skin is the first line of defense against foreign organisms.
Q: How did Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction get their names? N.D. – Bergen, New Jersey
A: The first paper on Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation was published by Dr. Bernstein and Rassman in 1995 in the International Journal of Aesthetic and Restorative Surgery. The title of the paper used the abbreviated name Follicular Transplantation. The longer name “Follicular Unit Transplantation” was formalized by Bernstein et. al. in the paper “Standardizing the classification and description of follicular unit transplantation and mini-micrografting techniques.” This paper appeared in Dermatologic Surgery in 1998.
Follicular Unit Extraction derived its name from Rassman and Bernstein’s publication “Follicular Unit Extraction: Minimally invasive surgery for hair transplantation” that appeared in Dermatologic Surgery in 2002.
Q: After a strip procedure, will the scalps laxity return to normal and how long after the hair transplant does it take? C.B. – Roanoke, Virginia
A: The scalp regains most of its laxity in the first eight months following the hair transplant, but it will continue to loosen slightly after that.
Q: Is it possible to tell me roughly how many grafts would be left from donor area if one had a hair transplant of 2,500 grafts and had a density of around 2.0? G.H. – New York, NY
A: How much hair can be harvested in total depends upon a number of factors besides donor density. These include: scalp laxity, hair characteristics (such as hair shaft diameter, color and wave), and the actual dimensions of the permanent zone.
Every person is different, so all of these factors would need to be taken into account to determine the total number of grafts that would be available for the hair restoration.
Q: I have had some grafts implanted into a donor scar. How long does it take to see the final result? B.K. – Newport, Rhode Island
A: In normal scalps, growth is generally complete by 10-12 months. Grafts placed in scar tissue may often take longer to grow.
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