Frequently Ask Questions
What causes hair loss?
There are multiple factors that cause hair loss, but the most common is inheritance - or genetics - and is often referred to as male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness generally comes from the maternal side of the family, although there can certainly be influences from the paternal side, too. As a result, what one's maternal grandfather or uncles look like is often a reliable predictor of future hair loss and hair pattern.
Do products like Rogaine and Propecia provide the same results as hair transplantation?
Products like Rogaine and Propecia can reduce hair loss and occasionally enhance growth, but neither can give a bald individual a full head of hair like transplantation can.
Who is a candidate for hair transplantation?
Other than being in good health, the only requirement is that the patient have good hair density at the back and sides of the head.
Can women undergo hair transplantation surgery?
Yes, some women are good candidates for hair transplantation when a woman has pattern baldness similar to that of a man. There are other indications where women may be candidates, especially if hair loss is localized or associated with previous surgical procedures.
Should young adults undergo hair replacement surgery?
Occasionally, but not often. Some of the worst long-term problems are experienced by patients who have hair transplants too early in life. Hair loss is a lifelong process and if transplantation is done too early, the grafts can be placed too far forward on the head and the patient may later lose the hair behind his implanted hair.
How much does hair transplantation surgery cost?
The cost varies according to the number of grafts required. The price ranges from $6,000 to $15,000. For more information, please contact Fisher Hair Center.
Will Dr. Fisher perform my surgery?
Yes. Dr. Fisher personally performs all hair replacement procedures, placing each and every graft himself.
How long does hair transplantation surgery take? Does it involve more than one trip to a surgical center?
1500 grafts take approximately four hours. This includes harvesting the donor area, cutting the grafts and implanting them. The number of trips to the surgical center depends on the number of grafts needed. Dr. Fisher conducts "megasessions", implanting between 1000 and 3000 grafts per session. This approach minimizes the number of surgeries required to achieve the desired result. Back to Top
What are the risks involved in hair transplant surgery?
Infection and healing problems are extremely rare in hair replacement surgery, especially when follicular hair transplantation is performed. Occasionally however, there can be healing problems in the donor area at the back of the scalp. These problems are more frequent in patients who have had previous procedures using the older plug techniques, where there is a significant amount of scarring in the donor area.
Some patients also report numbness in the donor area at the back of the scalp. In the majority of these patients, this will resolve in a couple of months. Back to Top
Is the surgery painful? Is the patient under anesthesia?
Most patients report minimal discomfort with this surgical procedure. The donor and recipient areas are numbed with local anesthesia, similar to that given at a dentist's office.
In the post-operative period, light medication can control any post-operative discomfort, such as feelings of tightness in the donor area. Back to Top
Is there any pain after a hair transplantation procedure?
There is minimal discomfort after the procedure, however patients will experience a sense of tightness at the back of the scalp in the donor area. Back to Top
How much follow-up care do patients require?
Very little. The day after the procedure, the patient's dressing will be removed. In 10-12 days, the patient's sutures will be removed from the donor area. Back to Top
How long after surgery do patients have to wait before returning to their daily routines?
Many patients can return to their daily routines within one to two days, as long as they don't do anything too strenuous. No strenous exercise until donor sutures are removed in 10-12 days. Back to Top
What do the transplants look like before they start to grow?
Immediately after the procedure, there is small stubble because the hair transplant involves follicles and short amounts of the hair shafts. Small scabs in the recipient area are also common and generally are present for two to three weeks. Over the next few weeks, most of the hair shafts will fall out, and in the next three to four months new hair shafts will begin to grow. The final result will be visible in eight to 10 months. Back to Top
What does the donor site scar look like?
In the majority of patients who have not had previous scarring to the back of the scalp or have well-closed incisions from previous donor procedures, the scar is completely hidden in the hair line. Back to Top
How long does it take for a hair transplantation patient to have their final result?
It takes approximately three months for the grafts to begin to grow. Final results are generally seen in eight to 10 months. Back to Top
Can a poor transplantation job be corrected?
With today's new techniques, there is a significant opportunity for many patients who are unhappy with the results of previous transplantation procedures - especially those who have older "plugs" - to improve the look and feel of their transplanted hair. In fact, Dr. Fisher specializes in correcting unsatisfactory "hair plug" results. Back to Top
Meet Dr Fisher
May 21, 2007
Jack Fisher, M.D., is an Associate Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
Causes of Hair Loss
Well you can thank your mom and dad! Hair loss is due to our genetic coding. Like our eye color, hair is an inherited trait. It comes from both the mother and fathers genes...
Bad Hair Transplants
For years, Jeff didn't leave the house without a hairpiece. Like many dissatisfied hair transplant patients, he had hair transplants too young, before a mature balding pattern could be predicted. The result was an extremely unnatural hairline, a "cornrow" effect and balding behind the transplanted area..