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Hair Transplant FAQ
The following questions are most frequently asked by would-be hair transplant patients. If you have any other questions, please contact us.
- What causes hair loss ?
- What medications can help with hair loss ?
- Do hair transplants work ?
- Are there other hair loss treatments ?
- Will hair transplants ever fall out ?
- Are hair transplants painful ?
- Does my head have to be shaved for surgery ?
- How long does a hair transplant take ?
- Who performs the surgery, Dr. Hasson or Dr. Wong ?
- What is the difference between mini/micro grafting and follicular unit grafting ?
- What is the lateral slit technique ?
- What is coronal angle grafting ?
- What is saggital grafting ?
- What about scarring ?
- Why does Hasson & Wong recommend more grafts than other clinics ?
- Is it safe to do large sessions ?
- How do I know if I need a large megasession ?
- Can I request 2 sessions even though Hasson & Wong could perform the hair transplant in one session ?
- Does Hasson & Wong pay for accommodations ?
- Do I need to take time off work for the procedure ?
- How long does it take for grafts to grow ?
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What causes hair loss?
The hair loss usually occurs in one of several specific patterns and hence it has been called male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia. Only about one percent of hair loss is caused by other conditions. These include various nutritional, metababolic and hormone disorders.
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Male pattern baldness involves a genetic susceptibility of some of the hair follicles to the hormone dihydrotestosterone, (DHT). This hormone acting over time on these susceptible follicles causes a gradual shrinking, (miniaturization), and finally death of these follicles.
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What medications can help with hair loss?
There are two primary medications used to slow or halt the hair loss process:
- Finasteride (Propecia)
Finasteride is available to men by prescription only. Women who are or may become pregnant should not take or handle tablets because Finasteride can cause birth defects. Finasteride is in pill form and is taken once a day. Studies indicate that Finasteride stops hair loss on the scalp and can regrow hair. Hasson & Wong Clinic recommends Finasteride for all male hair loss sufferers. - Minoxidil (Rogaine)
Minoxidil is available to men or women without a prescription. It is sprayed or rubbed into the scalp twice a day. Minoxidil is often recommended for women who suffer hair loss because women cannot take Finasteride (Propecia). Some people who take Minoxidil only grow hair that is wispy and thin. Studies indicate that Minoxidil seems to work best on people younger than 30 years of age who have been losing their hair for less than 5 years.
- Finasteride (Propecia)
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Do hair transplants work?
Hair transplants, performed by experienced, qualified surgeons, are the only effective means of reversing hair loss. Hair transplantation is a proven surgical method that has evolved to become the answer for those that suffer from hair loss.
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Are there other hair loss treatments?
The hair loss industry is a billion dollar a year industry that sells everything from balms to sprays. Many companies make claims about hair loss products and treatments that are unsubstantiated and not supported by empirical studies. Many in the medical community agree that hair transplantation coupled with prescription hair loss medication is currently the only effective means of reversing hair loss.
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Will hair transplants ever fall out?
No. The transplanted hair is harvested from the permanent donor zone. This hair is resistant to the effects of DHT. No matter where the hair is moved to it will maintain its resistance to DHT and survive indefinitely.
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Are hair transplants painful?
The entire procedure is performed under local anesthetic. In general the only pain experienced is associated with administering this anesthetic. Most patients liken this discomfort to the sensation of a bee sting. There should be no other pain experienced during the procedure.
Postoperative pain is unusual with less than ten percent of patients requiring medication for this problem. Tylenol #3 is provided by the clinic in the event that you do experience any pain.
We do not generally provide any sedation during the procedure. If however you are experiencing anxiety we can provide you with some sedation. You will not be able to drive after the procedure if sedation is administered.
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Does my head have to be shaved for surgery?
Yes, the recipient area must be shaved. In order to achieve the most natural results, the angle of the new hair must match that of the native hair perfectly. The incisions into the recipient scalp must be made parallel to the direction of native hair growth. Only when the hair is shaved to roughly 2mm is the true direction and angle of hair growth revealed.
If the native hair in the recipient hair is not shaved, the doctor must move the hair out of the way to make incisions. When this is done, the visible angles of hair growth are distorted and it become virtually impossible to match the angles, resulting in permanent shock loss of the existing hair.
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How long does a hair transplant take?
A hair transplant procedure can take anywhere from 8 - 14 hours depending upon the size of the number of grafts and the complexity of the transplant. Patients are made very comfortable at our clinic and the time goes by quite fast. You can watch movies, read, or snooze during parts of the procedure. Lunch is ordered for you from one of several fine local restaurants, and you can take a break whenever you need.
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Who performs the surgery, Dr. Hasson or Dr. Wong?
If you would like schedule your hair restoration procedure with a specific doctor this can be arranged. Otherwise scheduling is carried out based on availability.
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What is the difference between mini/micro grafting and follicular unit grafting?
Hair in the scalp grows in small naturally occurring bundles known as follicular units. The transplantation of the hair follicles in these same groupings is termed follicular unit transplantation or follicular unit grafting. By definition microscopic dissection of the donor tissue is required.
Mini/micro grafting is a technique by which small grafts are transplanted which do not necessarily correspond to the original follicular units. These hair grafts are usually obtained from a strip harvested with a multi-blade scalpel and without microscopic dissection.
There are multiple advantages to using the newer follicular unit transplantation method, including:
- higher graft yield
- improved naturalness
- higher density
- Smaller graft size and correspondingly smaller recipient sites, which heal more quickly with less scarring. For more information on follicular unit grafting please visit our Microsurgery section.
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What is the Lateral Slit Technique?
The Hasson & Wong Lateral Slit Technique is a method of creating recipient site incisions that allows for far more accurate control of hair graft angulation and direction. In addition, the coverage of bald scalp is increased on average by two hundred percent.
When closely examined the transplanted hair will grow in exactly the same orientation as found in nature.
Hasson & Wong have also introduced the concept of custom sizing incisions precisely to the size of the follicular unit. These incisions are smaller and greatly reduce trauma to the recipient scalp. Healing times are correspondingly much shorter. Read more about lateral slit technique.
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What is Coronal Angle Grafting ?
Coronal angle grafting is synonymous with lateral slit grafting in that incisions are made perpendicular to the direction of hair growth.
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What is Saggital Grafting ?
Sagittal grafting is the old technique for recipient site creation. This technique resulted in greater scalp trauma and a less natural growth pattern. While this technique remains the most common technique used it is in our opinion now redundant.
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What about scarring?
There are two areas where scarring is a concern, the donor area and the recipient area. We address the issue of donor area scarring by not taking one long donor strip. We simply remove one small portion at a time. While doing so we continuously check for tension. Once the donor area harvesting is complete in a given area we use stainless steel staples that are specifically manufactured for cosmetic surgery. We have found that the use of these staples leaves consistently finer donor scars than traditional sutures.
Recipient site scarring is avoided by the use of the Hasson & Wong Lateral Slit Technique. The very nature of our technique requires the use of very fine custom cut blades. They are custom cut to match the width and depth of the very grafts we are placing in the scalp, thus eliminating unnecessary trauma to the scalp.
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Why does Hasson & Wong recommend more grafts than other clinics?
Because we can accomplish in one procedure what takes several procedures in other clinics. Smaller sessions, while perhaps appropriate for some of our patients, rarely bring about the desired result in one session. We try to achieve what's known as a one pass result for each of our patients for a number of reasons.
- Less downtime for the patient
- Faster time to desired results
- Less donor site scarring
- Better yield
- Better value
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Is it safe to do larger sessions?
Yes, we perform these super-megasessions daily. In our hands these procedures are very safe.
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How do I know if I need a large megasession?
Not every patient can receive one of the large megasessions that Hasson & Wong are known for. There are many factors that determine whether a megasession is right for you, not to mention if it is even possible. These factors include but are not limited to:- Donor site laxity. How loose is your scalp?
The looser your scalp is the more donor tissue we can safely remove.
- Hair density. How many follicular units do
you have growing per square centimeter in your donor area? The
more you have the higher the chance that we can perform a large
megasession for you.
- Hair texture. The type of hair you have dictates how many grafts you need as much as how loose your scalp is. If you have thick, coarse hair you do not need as many grafts harvested as someone with fine, thin hair. One coarse hair can equal three or even four fine and thin hairs therefore not as many hairs will need to be harvested.
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- Donor site laxity. How loose is your scalp?
The looser your scalp is the more donor tissue we can safely remove.
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Can I request 2 sessions even though Hasson & Wong could perform the hair transplant in one session?
Just because we can do 5000 grafts in one session does not mean that we insist upon doing so. We understand that there are many factors involved with your decision to undergo a hair restoration procedure and the financial requirement is usually near the top of the list. Hasson & Wong understands this issue, which is why we have teamed up with several financial institutions that specialize in cosmetic surgery financing. Should financing not be an option Hasson & Wong can certainly work with you to determine the route that makes the most sense. If it involves two smaller sessions as opposed to one then we will certainly accommodate you.
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Does Hasson & Wong pay for accommodations?
Hasson & Wong pays for up to 2 nights accommodations at one of several hotels conveniently located in the heart of the city.
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Do I need to take time off work for the procedure ?
Most patients need only take 5 days to 1 week off from work. Most hair transplant surgeries are completed in a single session and recovery is minimal.
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How long does it take for grafts to grow ?
For the average patient, grafts will begin growing noticeably between 3 and 4 months post-op. The most significant growth will be seen between 6 and 8 months and growth will continue for up to one year post-op before you see the final results. Your transplanted hair will continue to grow for the rest of your life.
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