How Long Does Hair Transplant Last?

Hair transplant is permanent!  You doctor will be able to tell you his or her success rate per graft.  I quote our patients higher than 95% take rate. 

4000 grafts is a mega session and will likely correct most of the baldness you see now.  If your balding continues and you don't take steps to minimize further baldness, new areas may show up in the future.  Talk with your doctor and make sure what steps are recommended to prevent future baldness. 

Male pattern baldness (MPB) will vary from patient to patient. The surgery is technically permanent as hair is taken from areas of the scalp where the 'MPB' is unaffected and transplanted to affected areas. The affected areas may progress with continued hair loss over time and that progression is unpredictable, which is why more than one procedure is usually recommended. If you are expecting a 'full head of hair' as you have written above, that really will depend on how much hair loss you currently have and I rarely make any such promises. During the consultation process, I always ask my patients what they expect and I draw on them what i feel i am able to achieve and then evaluating the donor area will give good information on the number of grafts we can expect to get.  4000 is definately on the larger side of hair transplants so the other answers below will definately lead you in the right direction with both questions to ask and expectations in results. Other options such as PRP, topical medications and oral medications can all contribute to further hair maintenance and slow down progression of hair loss. 

Yes, hair transplants are permanent. Some follicular units are resistant to hair loss. Hair transplants work by moving these resistant follicles to areas of hair loss. Transferring from one place to another does not affect their properties. Hence, growth in the regions that did not have it before will occur from there on.

If transplanted hair is extracted from the safe donor area (i.e. the part of the scalp with follicles that are inherently resistant to DHT) then yes the transplanted hair should last a lifetime, of course as we age even hairs in the safe donor area can/will thin, but in relation to your concern if hair transplant is done correctly then you should not require surgery 'every few years'. However if you get further loss of existing/native hair in the recipient area then the overall appearance of your hair can with time look thinner/less dense hence why I always advise maintenance therapies after hair transplant especially if there is a family history of advanced hair loss. All the best !

Hair loss is progressive and usually follows a specific pattern - ie Male Pattern Baldness. Utilizing hairs from the back of the head that are not normally affected by MPB you recreate a realistic hairline. Those hairs maintain their donor characteristics and are not affected by MPB. Combining this with other therapies like PRP, Propecia, Rogaine can help maintain the other hairs you have and preserve your results as well. 

Given that we as hair transplant surgeons take hair from the back of the head in an area which is not susceptible to male pattern balding the answer should be yes its permanent. However, most experienced and ethically correct surgeons will tell you that it depends on the method of surgery FUE or FUT as well as differs between patient to patient. If you have the FUE method; for 4000 follicles it is likely that 10-20% of the follicles harvested will be outside of the 'safe donor area' i.e they may be susceptible to future hair loss after transplantation. Therefore, 10-20% of your transplant may not be permanent. If you have the FUT method there is a reduced risk of follicles being taken from the donor area and hence the longevity may be deemed as 'permanent' for a greater proportion of follicles. I perform both surgeries and I feel like this point is not stressed enough. There are too many clinics promising hair for life and guarantees when they know deep down that they are misleading patients. But I guess, who is really going to complain after 10 years?