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Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration
Hair Restoration Answers

How Can I Better Understand How I Will Look After My Hair Transplant Before The Actual Procedure?

Q: How can I better understand how I will look after my hair transplant before I actually do the procedure? — E.M. ~ Wantagh, N.Y.

A: A key part of a hair loss evaluation is for the doctor to manage the patient’s expectations for possible benefits from both medication and surgery. The way we decide how to plan a hair transplant is through a careful history and examination, demarcating the extent of the hair transplant on the patient’s actual head and photographing it. When showing other photo results to patients, it is important to not only show before and after photos of the recipient area but also of the donor area; how the back of the head looks immediately after the procedure, at post-op intervals, and at different hair lengths. Most importantly, one should point out that every patient is different so that a picture of another person does not necessarily represent what you might achieve.

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Hair Restoration Answers

Do You Transplant Hair Evenly if I Part My Hair on the Left?

Q: For patients who intend to keep their hair parted on the left side, do you follow any rule of making the left side more dense then the right or is it distributed evenly? — M.S., Simi Valley, C.A.

A: On a first hair transplant procedure, I generally place the sites/grafts symmetrically, even if a patient combs his hair to one side. The reason is that the person may change his styling after the procedure and I like to have the first hair transplant symmetrical for maximum flexibility. An exception would be a person with limited donor reserves. In this case, weighting on the part side is appropriate in the first procedure. Once the first hair transplant grows in and the person decides how he wants to wear his hair long-term a second transplant can be weighted to accommodate this. Weighting can be done in one, or both, of two ways: 1) by placing the sites closer together on the part side or 2) by placing slightly larger follicular units on the part side.

If a person decides to comb his hair back, then forward weighting is used. For greater details on this, please see some of my publications where I address the aesthetics of hair transplantation:

Bernstein RM, Rassman WR: The Aesthetics of Follicular Transplantation. Dermatol Surg 1997; 23: 785-99.

Bernstein RM, Rassman WR: Follicular Transplantation: Patient Evaluation and Surgical Planning. Dermatol Surg 1997; 23: 771-84.

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Bernstein Medical In The News

Dr. Bernstein’s Key Contributions to Hair Restoration Outlined in Historical Review of Dermatologic Surgery

Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyDr. Bernstein is credited with introducing the “follicular unit” to surgical hair restoration, the innovation that allowed for a “completely natural-looking hair transplant” to be achieved. The commentary on Dr. Bernstein’s contributions to the field of hair transplantation are outlined in an historical review of dermatologic surgery that appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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Hair Restoration Answers

Does Surgeon Determine Angle of Hair In Hair Transplant?

Q: I notice that some patients end up with hair that seems to stand straight up while others have hair that flows to one side or the other. Does the angle at which you place the follicles in the scalp ultimately determine how the hair will lie? Is there some artistic talent needed when placing these follicles so that patients end up with hair that lies flat or sticks straight up? What determines this? Do we have control over it? — H.B., Fort Lauderdale, F.L.

A: Great question. You are correct, the angle of the recipient sites largely determines the hair direction. Hair should be planted the way it grows (i.e., in a forward and horizontal direction at the frontal hairline.) It is extremely important that it is transplanted that way to look natural. The body will alter the angle a bit as it heals, usually elevating it slightly and re-creating any prior wave (yes, waves are determined by the scalp, rather than by the hair follicles per se). In a properly performed hair transplant, a straight-up appearance should be due to grooming, it should not have been a result of the actual procedure. Hair should never be transplanted perpendicular to the scalp. I discussed these important concepts way back in my 1997 paper “The Aesthetics of Follicular Transplantation“.

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Hair Restoration Answers

How Are Follicular Unit Grafts Distributed in a Hair Transplant?

Q: How are grafts distributed in a hair transplant? Are they distributed evenly? — B.V., Jersey City, NJ

A: Actually, we don’t make the transplanted hair evenly distributed. It is usually front weighted, so that the hair restoration will look most full when looking at the person head on.

Framing the face is the most important part of the restoration. Covering the top is the next most important region and, if the patient has enough donor supply, then hair can be added to the crown.

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