Is One Hair Transplant Enough?

I am 24 years old and headed towards a Norwood 5 level of balding. I am interested in having a hair transplant, but I want to know if one hair transplant is enough for full coverage?

The short answer is no, but allow us to explain the reasons why one hair transplant is not enough to provide full coverage and density. The first reason is hair loss progression, while it’s understandable why someone may want to have one hair transplant, it is not logical. Hereditary hair loss is a progressive condition that spreads and gets worse over time. Therefore, patients may require several surgeries over their lifetime to maintain their appearance and density.

In addition, the average donor supply of a patient is not dense enough to provide full coverage with adequate density in one surgery. The donor supply of a person is finite, some individuals have a thick, robust and abundant donor supply that enables them to cover a significant portion of their scalp with desirable density. However, the vast majority of patients simply have enough donor hair to cover the front and midsection of their scalp; leaving the crown (vertex) either bare or lightly covered.

The last reason why one surgery is not likely to be enough to satisfy the majority of patients is density. Technically, you are able to cover the entire scalp with a few hundred follicular unit grafts. However, the density of the overall result will be poor and not cosmetically appealing. This is why hair transplant surgeons prefer to tackle hair loss in sections, focusing on the front first and the crown (vertex) last. This enables the surgeons to dense pack the hairline and frontal third. The hairline provides the biggest cosmetic impact because the hairline is the frame and foundation the face.

Written and published by,
Melvin- Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network and The Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physician