Candidates for Hair Transplant Surgery

It is a very common misconception for individuals to believe that anyone and everyone is a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery. As much as hair transplant procedures have evolved over the last forty years, this type of surgery is still a work in progress. Persons who are considering hair transplant surgery as solution for hair loss should realize prior to their initial consultation, that this is not true. In some instances, due to varying circumstances, some people are simply not candidates for hair transplant surgery. This can be a bitter fact to swallow. However, most reliable hair transplant surgeons feel it is their ethical responsibility to be completely upfront with all patients and explain what can realistically be expected in terms of results and what cannot be expected. This means that in a few cases, the surgeon must explain to the patient that while they can attempt the surgery, in all likelihood, the procedure will not be able to produce viable results.

One of the most common situations in which a person might not be a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery is when hair loss has already proceeded to the point that there is simply not enough donor hair left with which the surgeon can successfully work. If there is an extremely limited supply of hair left, there wont be enough to cover the balding area without creating noticeable gaps elsewhere on the scalp. Research is currently underway which will hopefully one day allow surgeons to be able to make the most of a single strand of donor hair. Today, however; one strand of hair can only be used once. It is hoped that one day in the not too distant future surgeons will be able to dissect that one strand of hair into two, three or more pieces and use it in multiple recipient locations. Until this process is successfully developed, however; we must face the harsh reality that individuals who have already lost a significant amount of hair will likely not be able to benefit much from hair transplant surgery.

That said, it is important for prospective patients to realize that they should seek the services of a qualified hair transplant surgeon relatively early in their hair loss in order to achieve optimal results. Waiting can be extremely dangerous, if a patient is truly serious about using this procedure as a solution.

The flip side to this, however; is that individuals in their twenties who have already begun to bald may not be suitable candidates because it is anticipated that by the time they reach their forties and beyond they will have experienced significant loss of the existing hair, which means that the balding combined with the hair transplant surgery will result in hair on top of the scalp and none left around the fringes; a concept that never occurs naturally. Unfortunately, many individuals who begin premature hair loss may not have an opportunity to access hair transplant surgery before the loss progresses to fair simple due to the fact that it developed in these patients at such a young age. In very rare circumstances, some men have been known to begin losing their hair before they were eighteen years of age.

While the texture of the patients hair does not disqualify them from being considered a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery, it will make a difference in the end results. Patients with thicker, coarser hair or wavy hair have traditionally been able to achieve a better cosmetic appearance after their hair transplant surgeries because these types of hair simply appear to be denser. Persons with fine or straight hair, on the other hand, may not be able to achieve as good of a result because these types of hair do not lend themselves to a very dense appearance.

In addition, only individuals who have been diagnosed with having Androgenetic Alopecia, that is permanent hair loss, are candidates for hair transplant surgery. While other, temporary forms of hair loss can be very distressing and troublesome, they are temporary and so therefore there is no need to undergo the stresses of surgery to correct a situation that will naturally right itself.

Persons considering hair transplant surgery must realize that the procedure does not use hair from other individuals. While it is donor hair, it comes from the patients own scalp. Donor hairs are taken from areas of the scalp not affected by the balding process; normally the sides and back of the head. In order for the process to be effective and successful, these donor sites must produce healthy hair.

Other than narrowing down the cause of the hair loss, the most important consideration in determining whether a prospective patient is a good candidate for hair transplant surgery are their expectations and how they feel about their hair loss.

For some people, hair loss is not that much of an issue. A number of male celebrities, including Bruce Willis, Patrick Stewart and Michael Jordan just to name a few; are either bald or exhibit signs of hair loss and are considered more attractive and sexier because of it. If you do not feel less attractive and the loss of hair does not bother you, there is no reason to undergo surgery. For most people, however; hair loss is a significant issue in how they view themselves and their sexuality.

Persons considering hair transplant surgery should be in good overall health. Most physicians will not consider performing hair transplant surgery on someone who may be at risk for serious complications while undergoing the surgery. A large number of surgeons will do a pre-operative work-up, consisting of lab tests and blood test, in order to be assured the patient has does not have immune deficiencies or other illness that would put them at risk.

The prospective patient will also undergo a pre-operative consultation with the physician. At that time he or she will discuss their reasons for wanting to have the surgery, explain how they feel about their hair loss and describe what their expectations are for the results after the surgery.

Questions to ask yourself before consulting a surgeon:

1. How is your overall health?
2. Do you take any blood thinning agent or are you prone to bleed easily?
3. What is your goal?

As described in the previous chapter, the surgeon will perform a number of examinations to determine the cause of the hair loss, eliminate medical conditions as the cause and to develop a plan for the hair transplantation. As everyone has different hair structure and may lose their hair in a different pattern, this is an important aspect of the planning stage to insure successful and natural looking results.

Any patients who are taking anti-coagulants (blood thinning medications) will either be advised they are not suitable candidates for surgery or else they will discuss with their physician the possibility of discontinuing the medications prior to the surgery. *Under absolutely no circumstances should a prospective patient discontinue the use of any medication without first consulting their physician

So, the best candidates for hair transplant surgery appear to be those individuals, either male or female, who are older than 30 years of age, who have not yet loss a significant amount of hair, are in good health, have realistic expectations and whose hair loss is permanent rather than temporary.