Do hair transplants work?

In a word, yes. Hair transplants use your own hair from parts of your body with more abundant hair, usually the back of your head. Then follicular units of 1 to 4 individual hairs are harvested from that donor site, and transplanted to the thinning or bald areas. Within 10 months a fuller head of hair is clearly visible. Most men and women with male or female pattern baldness are candidates for a hair transplant. Seeing is believing, so visit our hair transplant before and after gallery.

Why is there any confusion about whether hair transplants work?

The results of a hair transplant are not instantaneous. You do not come into a clinic bald and leave with a full head of hair. That is because shedding transplanted hair is a normal part of the process. This is because hair goes through phases, called the anagen, catagen and telogen. Transplanted hairs will only be visible after they have gone through the cycles, and end up back in the anagen. The graph below illustrates the cycle.

What is shock loss?

Some patients experience a condition called “shock loss.” This is the thinning of hair that is in the area where the grafts are placed as a reaction to the trauma and inflammation from the transplant procedure. The hairs then typically regrow after exiting the resting phase and resume a new growth cycle. The use of 5% minoxidil may decrease the risk of shock loss. While this can be demoralizing, it is also a temporary state.

An emotional journey

Dr. Harris can often perform the needed quantity of grafts for a full transplant in a single session. Some patients even go back to work the next day. What doesn’t happen overnight is a full head of hair. “I go out of my way to manage expectations,” says Dr. Harris. “It can be tough to spend the money, go through the procedure, then basically have to sit back and wait. Some men, and women, get quite anxious during this phase. I reassure them that as long as they follow the simple post-op instructions we provide, the results will come.”

It takes patience

It can be difficult to believe that 3-4 months out from a procedure—with no evidence of success—that the end results will match or exceed your expectations. But this is precisely what will happen between 10 and 12 months. At that point the follicular units have taken root and begin to grow, just like they did when they were in the original donor site. A few months later you look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do hair transplants work?” Your answer, and the evidence to prove it, is right there on your head.

It used to be that hair loss was just something you had to put up with. Those days are thankfully over. Call the clinic or contact us when you are ready for a state-of-the-art transplant performed by Dr. Harris, a physician who is the patented inventor of hair transplant instruments that are used throughout the world and a recognized leader in the field.