This question comes from a member of our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums:
I’ve heard that because of issues with donor density and hair characteristics, African American hair loss sufferers can’t undergo hair transplant surgery. Is this true?
First, it’s my understanding that the usual characteristics of African American hair makes dissecting follicular unit grafts or cleanly extracting units slightly more difficult. It seems like the hair characteristics can be a bit curly, thick, and “wirey,” which makes working with these follicular units more difficult. However, these same characteristics, in my opinion, often create excellent density and coverage when transplanted into thinning scalp.
Additionally, as you stated before, African American patients tend to have lower density in the universal extraction region when compared to Caucasian patients, for example. However, “lower density,” does not imply that hair transplantation is not possible; it simply means that session sizes may be a bit more conservative (which could again be countered by the excellent characteristics of the donor grafts).
Finally, it’s my understanding that African American patients tend to scar a bit easier than individuals from different racial backgrounds.
Having said that, you should keep in mind that this information is based on generalizations, averages, and anecdotal information. Additionally, almost all hair transplant procedures involve some sort of variable, and unique cases are definitely not confined to the African American patient population. Frankly, in the hands of a talented hair transplant surgeon, state-of-the-art hair transplantation is just as feasible for African American patients as it is for hair loss sufferers of any other race. To prove this, I wanted to share a few recent African American hair transplant cases from our recommended hair restoration physicians:
Dr. Jerry Cooley – 3,168 grafts in African American Male; 6 months
African American Patient – Dr. Edmond Griffin
Dr. Pathomvanich – African American patient
These are simply a few examples of the numerous African American hair transplant cases performed each year. As you can probably tell, African American patients can successfully undergo hair transplant surgery.
_______________
Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube
Get Proven Hair Loss Treatments at the Best Prices by visiting our new Online Hair Loss Product Store
Technorati Tags: Hair Restoration, African American, hair loss, hair transplant surgery, African American hair loss sufferers, follicular unit extraction, FUE, follicular unit transplantation, FUT, hair transplant, African American hair, follicular unit graft, hair transplantation, hair transplant procedures, hair restoration physicians, African American hair transplant
I'm at thirty-one year old man with a Norwood 6 level of hair loss. I…
I'm a 31 year old male I have been losing hair for the past six…
I'm concerned that i'm going bald. My dad is 54 years old, and still has…
I'm a 30-year old male with a Norwood 4 hair loss pattern. I have been…
I'm twenty years old and already have aggressive hair loss. I'm imbetween a Norwood 5…
I'm interested in getting a hair transplant later this year, but I am a very…
View Comments
Hair transplantation is very successful for African American patients, both men and women. In Chicago and the Newport Beach area I routinely complete these procedures. African American hair is usually more coarse and curly, both factors give the illusion of greater density. The FUE method is perfect for patients that wants to keep the hair very closely cut. The strip method also yields outstanding results. I know from personal experience. I am African American and have the benefit of having hair transplantation and I also perform the surgery everyday.