The 10 Commandments of Hair Restoration Surgery

1. You will always want more hair

Anyone contemplating having a hair transplant procedure should be cognizant of the phenomenon sometimes referred to as “hair greed”. The idea is that, due to its nature, you will always want more hair and you will always wish your hair were denser. You will always want to refine it, we ALL do! 

2. You will never have enough hair

After a hair transplant procedure, a patient may be initially thrilled with his/ her results. However, over time, a patient may become accustomed to his/her new appearance and focus on getting more hair either because they lost more hair over time or because it was an area that they chose not to target in the last procedure. Be aware of this common occurrence!

3. You will always consider “another” procedure 

Have I made my point yet? 

4. We can only predict so much in medicine and there will always be the 1/10 of 1% chance that don’t work out the way every other case does

5. There is no such thing as a “scarless” hair transplant 

With the FUT, The only evidence of surgery is a single, thin line that is typically around 1-3mm in width, hidden under the hair that grows vertically on the back of the head and Dr. Dauer utilizes measures to further camouflage it. 

Some misinformed patients and physicians have the misconception that FUE is a completely scarless procedure. This is not the case. The FUE surgical technique creates small puncture wounds (typically, 0.8mm-0.9 mm in diameter) that leave tiny white dots. Typically, these scars are of no cosmetic consequence to the patient as they are generally not visible unless the hair is shaved to a very short length (less than 1 cm). 

6. FUE is not scarless

See above 

7. This procedure comes down to “supply versus demand”. 

Donor area versus area experiencing hair loss. 

8. Always create a higher hairline with greater density than a lower hairline with lower density.

9. In all patients but in younger patients especially, imagine the end point of hair loss over time and create the complete treatment plan over many years accordingly. It is important to consider the full extent to which one’s hair loss will progress over his or her lifetime, rather than only myopically acknowledging the current hair loss exhibited. This factor is imperative because hair transplants rely on using a finite amount of donor hair from the back of your head for any areas exhibiting hair loss over your entire life. So, if we only consider the current hair loss evident, we may distribute the donor hair too heavily in one area, leaving too little for later when it may be needed in another area. Instead, we want to plan out carefully where to distribute your hair so as to achieve the best overall effect. 

10. Rarely if ever perform a hair transplant in Santa Monica, CA on someone under the age of 20. 

Thanks to Marc Dauer, MD for their insight into hair restoration and surgery.