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How Long Does Hair Transplant Last?

asked 3 years ago by DaveM123 in Toronto, Canada
Latest answer by Sanusi Umar, MD
Question viewed 19,973 times
Tags: duration, last, longevity

I'm considering a hair transplant and I have male pattern baldness. Is surgery just a temporary solution? How would I be able to achieve full head of hair if Male Pattern Baldness is progressive? The doctor recommended i get 4000 grafts. If I can get it done in one surgery OK, but I don't want to be going in and out of surgery every few years. Am I just delaying the inevitable?

21 answers to How Long Does Hair Transplant Last?

Hair Transplant Is Permanent

A hair transplant (done right) will last a lifetime, since the donor hair comes from a place where it's not affected by DHT. However, it is true that male pattern baldness is progressive, thus, even good hair transplant results may become unfavorable over time. Every case is different. It is a surgeon's responsibility to be able to gauge your pattern of hair loss and the rapidity with which it is thinning--in order to either tell you: to come back at a later date to be... more

Sanusi Umar, MD
Redondo Beach Dermatologic Surgeon

www.finetouchdermatology.com

Transplanted hair will stay

The key to understanding hair transplant is the genetics of hair follicles. The hair in the back of the scalp does not fall out like hair on the top and in the front. And transplanted hair from the back of the scalp (or chest) maintains this ability to stay. The problem is the rest of the hair in the front/top areas it may continue to dissapear. That is why avoiding permanent scars on the scalp is crucial - you never know what will happen over time and you do not want to be stuck with... more

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Duration of Transplanted Hair

Male Pattern Baldness is a gradually progressive problem. To what degree your hair loss progresses is multifactorial but mainly genetic. At the same time there are two products available that may decrease the rate of hair loss and even grow hair. They are Propecia and Rogaine, and both work by different mechanisms of action. So even if you're considering surgery there is no downside to starting one or both of the approved medications for male pattern hairloss. The transplanted hair... more

Andrew Kaufman, MD
Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon

Hair grows only as long as it was programmed to grow!

Transplanted hair will only grow as long as your genes are programmed for that hair to grow. For instance, if hair were harvested from the vertex "impending bald spot" where it eventually thins for many men, then this hair would disappear. Fortunately, we have learned that the best place to take the hair from is the back of the scalp, below an imaginary line drawn between the tops of the ears. This horseshoe shaped distribution of hair will always be in place for most men. For... more

Nicole E. Rogers, MD
New Orleans Dermatologist

Do hair transplants have permanent or temporary results?

The hairs that are transplanted are permanent. It is still possible, particularly if you are young, that you may continue lose some hair but not the transplants.

Kenneth L. Stein, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

How long does hair transplant last? Is it permanent?

The hairs transplanted from your donor area are permanent. What you have to understand is how much hair loss you have now and how progressive is it? If you're in your 20s and have lost a lot of hair (including your crown), you're most likely not a good candidate and will need many more sessions in the future. 4000 grafts is a good amount assuming they all survive and you won't have progressive loss. It's important to have a long term game plan and... more

Ramtin Kassir, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

How long will it last

Your properly removed donor transplant hair from the back of your scalp should last a lifetime no mater what area of baldness it is placed into, this hair is genetically programmed to last a lifetime no mater where it is placed.

Richard Galitz, MD
Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon

Is Transplanted Hair Permantent?

You are absolutely correct, hair loss is progressive and happens in almost everyone. In fact, when you see a 50 year old man who has a juvenile hairline, it looks almost bizarre. Because of the slow and progressive nature of the process, a transplant session needs to anticipate both present recession and future loss. Most men with mild to moderate hair loss, a 4000 graft session will get you a lot of hair. If placed both in areas of present loss and anticipated... more

John Bitner, MD
Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drjohnbitner.com

Transplanted hair should be permanent

Hair transplant results (of the acutal hair that is transplanted) are permanent. Approximately 95% of the transplanted hair "takes" and becomes permanent. However the results can look like they are going away because other susceptible follicles (the native hair that is still leftover naturally) can start to fall out.

Navin K. Singh, MD
Washington DC Plastic Surgeon

Hair transplant results

Hair transplantation involves taking hairs from the back of the head and transferring them to areas suffering from hair loss. The back of the head is used because it is less affected by DHT (Dihydrotestotorone), a natural metabolite produced by the human body, which is mainly responsible for hair loss. Therefore, once the procedure is complete the results will be permanent.

Yael Halaas, MD
Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon

Your age and hair loss pattern are key issues

You can consider hair translantation to be permanent, since the donor follicles are harvested from an area on the back of the head where hair loss generally never occurs (with a few exceptions). However your age, response to medical therapy and hair loss pattern, based on the Norwood classification, are very key issues. The donor supply must be thought of as a bank, and must be utilized optimally in the restoration process. Many times a more conservative approach with a... more

Harrison C. Putman III, MD
Peoria Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hair Transplants are Permanent, Sort Of...

Great question. I like to say that hair restoration is like painting a canvas that gets ever bigger with ever diminishing paint. Not a pretty picture. However, a hair transplant surgeon's judgment is how much canvas and how much paint is there to work with. Someone with very little area to cover of baldness with very high density that is much older is the best combination. The worst combination (and in my opinion untransplantable) is a very young patient (early 20s) with rapidly... more

Samuel Lam, MD
Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

Transplanted Hair is Permanent in Majority of Patients

During a hair transplant, hair is taken from an adequate donor area along the sides and back of the scalp which is not affected by patterned baldness. These follicles are insensitive to DHT (dihydrotestosterone) and will not fall out when you normally go bald. There, the implanted hair should be permanent and last the rest of your life in its new location. In rare cases, if for whatever the reason the donor area thins with age, so will in the same proportion, the hairs that have been... more

Edmond Griffin, MD
Atlanta Dermatologic Surgeon

How long does a hair transplant last?

If the hair transplant grafts are taken from a donor site that will not become bald during your life-time, the transplanted grafts will grow hair permanently. The skill is determining the best donor site. In someone who is around 45 or older and the loss is a slow process, it is much easier to determine this than in someone who is in the twenties and losing hair rapidly. The goal is to make it as permanent as possible. There is no way to determine if 4000 grafts is the right amount for you... more

E. Ronald Finger, MD
Savannah Plastic Surgeon

www.fingerandassociates.com

Longevity of Hair Transplant

If the hair is taken from the right location the results should be permanent because usually most men do not lose hair in the back near their neck. In some patients you cannot achieve a full head of hair. To get that amount of hair is very uncommon. Most patients need at least two sessions to get that many grafts. The real question is you or the doctor is confusing the number of grafts and the number of hairs. In most people 2,000 grafts is over 4,000 hairs. more

Jack Fisher, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

www.fisherhaircenter.com

Hair grafting

I would highly recommend hair grafting for any male suffering from male pattern hair loss. This does not guarantee that you may not have progressive continued hair loss in non grafted areas of the scalp, but grafted areas should maintain the good hair growth for years to come. I usually combine the use of propecia with the grafting procedure. This drug is started before the procedure, and should be continued for years thereafter to maintain the hair graft... more

Francis (Frank) William Rieger, MD
Tampa Plastic Surgeon

How Long do Hair Tranplants Last?

Hair taken from an area of the scalp that is not genetically programed to fall out later with age will last a lifetime. An experienced surgeon must estimate the ultimate exent of baldness because hair loss is usually progressive. If you are a young man (less than 50 years old) additional transplants will probably be necessary to treat additional hair loss. I am generalizing; please get a consultation so a surgeon can make recommendations considering your appearance and age. While the same... more

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hair transplanted is permanent

Greetings Dave, Hair which is tansplanted from the back of the head will not be subjected to the same conditions which cause typical male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia - bottom line they are permanent. As you might guess, it is mathematically impossible to get the same density of hair that you had when you were 20 by simply rearranging the hair that you have. And unfortunately your native hair may continue to fall out from the top and crown of your head necessitating future... more

D.J. Verret, MD
Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hair Replacement Surgery is permanent if properly done

Hair taken from a "donor" area (back of the head) and placed in a balding "recipient "area (front or top of the head) assumes the genetic characteristics of where it is taken from and not where is placed. Thus, if the hair is destined to remain in the back of the head throughout the life of a person, then it will survive permanently in the recipient area of that same person. If someone has recommended 4000 grafts in one session, I would be somewhat cautious. Instead, I... more

S. Randolph Waldman, MD
Lexington Facial Plastic Surgeon

It depends on supply and demand

In order to know what your supply and demand will be in the future, one has to make an educated guess. If the crown shows any signs of thinning, you will probably have heavy loss. See a professional who has been doing this for a long time and investigate not only grafts but Flaps as well. Though done by few surgeons in the right hands it can give you natural, uniform density without a texture change in the hair and no "rows of corn" look. This procedure requires a high skill level... more

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hair transplants

Hair transplants are permanent because the hair used is from the back of the hairline which is usually resistent to the norma hair loss progression of male pattern baldness. However, you will not get a full head of hair from this. It will fill in, but never be as rich and full as it was in youth.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

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