What Percentage of the Transplanted Hairs Grow?

What is the average number of hair grafts  that will grow from a hair tranplant?   Some people have reported up to 60% hair growth while I have seen web sites for hair transplant surgeons in Australia that guarantees at least 50% hair growth.

Thank you for your inquiry.  

Hair growth of thetransplanted hairs is dependent on a number of variables.   The biggest determiner to this is the  selection of hair transplant doctor and the type of hair restoration surgery.

There are a number of things that can potentially damage a follicuar unit graft during surgery which is why selecting a quality  hair restoration physician  is  a vital part of ensuring  quality hair transplantation which includes hair growth yield.   Unfortunately, many hair restoration physicians still use old or outdated technology, tools, and techniques to perform hair transplantation surgery.   Use of a double or even tripple blade to remove a donor strip can transect a number of the hair grafts, dissecting the hair grafts without a microscope can also cause unnecessary damage to hair grafts,  improper insertion of the follicular unit grafts into recipient sites, and  any improper care of the hair grafts can negatively impact the ultimate hair transplant result.

There are additional risks depending on the type of hair restoration surgery that is performed.

Follicular Unit Transplantation  (FUT – Strip Surgery) in the hands of a first-rate hair restoration physician has been said to be around 95% in hair growth yield.   Follicular Unit Extraction  (FUE) has been said to be around 90% in hair growth yield.   These percentages  should not  be taken as an absolute.

FUE can be a bit lower in hair growth yield  because of the additional risks associated with it.   For example, the risk of hair follicle damage/hair follicle transection is greater when extracting the hair follicles due to the supporting tissues and epithelium often being torn away from the traumatic   cutting and pulling during  extraction process.   The splaying (or flaring outward) of the base of the hair follicle makes it difficult to cut around the underlying follicles with a punch creating a greater risk of hair follicle transection.   In addition, the hair grafts produced by FUE are typically almost devoid of protective dermis and fat and are therefore particularly vulnerable to damage and ultimately poor hair growth.   This also makes placement of the hair graft into recipient sites more difficult.   Proper and careful placement of the follicular unit graft therefore, becomes more difficult.

Bill
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

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