Procedures to Make Hair Grow Straighter or Curlier?

Question

Are there any procedures to make hair grow straighter or curlier? Is there anyway to affect this? Would getting laser hair removal and then a hair transplant of straighter hair work?

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

Most people who have curly hair, would have it in all areas of the scalp, so that hair transplants would not be successful to straighten the hair, unless donor areas of straight hair were found and used. It has to come from you, not a different person. It is not unusual that fine hair transplanted from a donor site in the scalp to the recipient sites grows slightly wavy after transplantation. The technique is available that can uncurl hair by changing the hair follicles.

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

Procedure to make hair straight is not hair transplant surgery.  If you have curly hair, transplanted hair will also be curly.  A cheaper way to straighten hair is at a salon.

Sanusi Umar, MD · Answer

No, laser hair removal followed by a hair transplant will not permanently straighten hair. Hair follicles maintain their original nature concerning volume and length regardless of surgical procedures. The use of tools, conditioners, relaxers and other chemical processes can temporarily make hair more curly or straight. However, continuous use over time weakens the keratin structure. It also reduces the tensile strength of each follicle.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

Making the hair straighter or curlier is not done with surgery but rather with a skilled hair stylist who can do this quite well.

Satinder Singh, MBBS, DNB · Answer

As the hair follicles maintain its original characteristics the curly hair will grow curly and straight hairs grow straight. There is no surgical procedure by which a straight hair can be made to grow curly or vice versa. For making the hair straight or curly one needs a good salon/ cosmetologist.

Jeffrey W. Hall, MD · Answer

At this time, we can only use your own hair for transplantation.  It will keep the same genetic makeup (straight or curly) at the new transplanted site.

Jack Fisher, MD · Answer

Whether hair is straight or curly depends entirely on inheritance. A straight hair shaft on cross section is round and a curly hair on cross section is oval. There really is no direct way to control this.

Janet M. Neigel, MD · Answer

A hair transplant takes your hair and moves it around. If it is curly it remains curly. I have found that the Brazilian keratin treatment works very well to make curly hair straight for several months. Laser hair removal removes hair but does not affect the curliness or straightness of hair.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

There are no surgical options available to make straight hair grow out curly or vice versa, I suggest you go to a salon if you want to change your hairs characteristic appearance .

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

Changing the curl or straightness of your hair does not require surgery. A good cosmetologist can treat the hair to effectively make these changes -- it is a relatively simple treatment.

Procedures to Make Hair Grow Straighter or Curlier?

Answers (10)