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. 

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. 

Hair transplant grafts demonstrate behavior as if they had stayed in their donor site. Typically, the hair on the back of the head between the ears never goes bald. Therefore, once transplanted and growing, the hair will not go away. One concern with hair grafting is that the hair posterior to the transplanted grafts can stop growing and lead to gaps just behind the grafted site.I hope this helps.- Dr. Bryson Richards

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 !

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?

First of all, thank you for your question.

Results of Hair Transplant surgery is permanent because the hair taken from the back of the scalp are genetically prone to DHT Hormones .

In male pattern hair loss, the back of the scalp mostly never loses hair.

On the other hand, the hair transplant surgery will not avoid the shedding of the non-transplanted hair.

Thank you for your question. 
With respect to your treatment options - these are broadly non-surgical and surgical. Non-surgical treatments tend to be temporary and do not replace the lost hair. They may increase the hair thickness and overall quality. Some of these treatments may cause more hair growth overall but on stopping the treatments, what has grown will shed. 
Surgery offers a permanent solution because the hair is taken from the back of the scalp - this area never loses hair as the receptors on the hair follicles are different to those on the top of your head.
So when this hair is transplanted, then it does not shed. If you have existing hair on your scalp, depending on your age, they may still shed so timing might be an issue in terms if when you should get the transplant done. Having the transplant will not prevent your existing hairs from shedding eventually. If your scalp has been relatively stable over the last few years then chances are you might not shed any more. But it really depends on your age and the time you started to develop MPB.
In terms of the number of grafts, 4000 grafts is possible but there are certain issues to bear in mind. Using FUT to attain this quantity will mean a wide area of your scalp to be removed. This scar, depending on your laxity will have a higher propensity to stretch as it will be under greater tension. Using FUE, and individually removing each hair also has its disadvantages for that quantity as this can leave a very sparse looking donor site. 
We carry out both methods in our clinic. The main issue is to make sure you get adequate density. It is better to concentrate on either the front or the back and develop a thick head of hair then spread it over the entire area and have a thinning look to your transplant. Most hairs will have grown through by 2 years and at this stage if you feel it is thin then another transplant can be carried out. 
My biggest concern with taking such a large number in one sitting is the effect it will have on the subsequent scar. We get very good results with 2500 hairs and the scar on the scalp tends to be quite hidden and not stretched. When you increase the graft quantity, you increase the overall width of the scar. This is where tension on the scar ends becomes an issue. What you dont want to end up with is more hair on top and then a strip of no hair from the donor site. 
I hope this helps with your question
Kind regards 

Hello,
The complete operation takes 7-8 hours depending on the graft number. The surgery results will be permanent.

Hair transplantation is permanent! Remember though, the hair transplant procedure will not slow the loss of future (non-transplanted) hair loss. Other preventative techniques need to be used to prevent your original hair from being lost including a combination of medications, light therapy, and PRP. Best wishes!