Question 1

How does a hair transplant work?

Accepted Answer

A hair transplant is a surgical procedure in which hair follicles are taken from one part of the scalp and grafted onto another area of the scalp where hair is thinning or balding. This procedure is usually done under local anesthesia and can take several hours to complete. The transplanted hair usually starts to grow within 3 to 6 months after the procedure, but it may take up to a year for the full results to be seen.

Question 2

Can anyone have a hair transplant?

Accepted Answer

Most people are eligible for a hair transplant, however there may be certain medical conditions that may make having the procedure unsuitable for you, or reduce the likelihood of the transplant being successful. 
Having a consultation with a medical professional to determine if it is the best solution for you beforehand is vital.

Question 3

What is the success rate of a hair transplant?

Accepted Answer

If your procedure is carried out by an experienced surgeon at a reputable clinic then it is very rare for a procedure to fail and the hair grafts not to take.
My-Hair UK's clinics own success rates for regrowth are between 98% and 100%

Question 4

What makes a good candidate for a hair transplant?

Accepted Answer

There are several factors that make a good candidate, all of these should be discussed with a medical professional before deciding if the treatment is right for you.

Age: having a hair transplant whilst very young can be premature if you are experiencing rapid thinning and have not stabilised the hair loss, and also your body's healing slows down as you age so people over 65 may find they get less grafts regrowing successfully.

Reason for Hair Loss: Hair transplants generally treat androgenic alopecia and traction alopecia very well, however if you have alopecia areata or are losing hair due to chemotherapy treatments then a hair transplant will not work for you.

Amount of Hair Loss: Hair Transplants treat small to medium amounts of hair loss well, however as the procedure is moving your existing hair follicles to a different location and does not create new hairs, if you have major hair loss you may not have enough hairs left in your donor area to cover the area you want.

Medical Conditions: you may have certain medical conditions that mean a transplant is unsuitable or unsafe for you, or that may result in a poor result

Hair Type: Different types of hair such as Afro Caribbean hair need treating differently and may need a specialist in that hair type to perform the surgery. Generally the thicker and denser your hair the better coverage the transplant will provide.

Question 5

What medical conditions may prevent me having a hair transplant?

Accepted Answer

You should notify your medical professional of any medical conditions before you decide to proceed with surgery so they can advise you fully on this, failing to mention any medical condition may at the least result in a last minute cancellation charge or problems arising during surgery.

Some more common conditions can be recent heart or liver problems, if you are on blood thinners or certain types of heart medication, very high blood pressure that is not controlled, if you have HIV, or other blood diseases like Syphilis, or if you have Type 1 Diabetes. This is not a complete list and you should discuss fully with your medical professional during your consultation.

Question 6

How long does a hair transplant take?

Accepted Answer

A hair transplant takes anywhere from 4-8 hours typically, depending on the amount of grafts you have. Our procedures normally require you to arrive at clinic for 8am to prepare and the surgery itself starts around 9am.

For longer procedures we will stop for a half hour at lunchtime to allow you to have a break, stretch your legs, use the toilet, call friends and eat some food which we will provide, before continuing until 3-4pm.

Question 7

What is the recovery time for a hair transplant?

Accepted Answer

For the most common type of hair transplant surgery - FUE, we recommend 10 days - 2 weeks recovery time. During that time we want patients to stay in a clean environment to avoid infection.

You will have a bandage on the back of the head for 24 hours which you remove at home, and if you are having grafts in your front hairline you will also have a bandana to wear for 4-5 days to isolate any swelling and stop it coming down into your face and eyes.

There will be little scabs where the new hairs are implanted and these typically fall off after 10-12 days. After that there will be some sensitivity and redness in the area for another couple of weeks.

You cannot wear anything on your head for the first 2 weeks, and should keep the head out of strong sunlight for the first month, and out of any swimming pools, jacuzzis, saunas etc for the first 6 weeks.

Question 8

How long does the new hair take to grow?

Accepted Answer

You will see the new hair grafts start to grow initially, then most of the new hairs are expected to shed over the first 4-6 weeks.

The first of the new hairs start to come through after 3-4 months and are initially rather thin and fine (like baby hairs) and these will slowly thicken up and increase in number until the 12-18 month mark when you have the final result.

We expect to see:
0-3 months post op: no growth
at 4 months: 10% new hair growth
at 6 months: 30% new hair growth
at 9 months: 60% new hair growth
at 12 months: 90% new hair growth

Question 9

Do hair transplants hurt?

Accepted Answer

Hair transplants are done under local anaesthetic, and most patients will tell you that the only bit that can be painful is when the anaesthetic is injected for the first few minutes.

Thankfully that bit is over quickly, and following that the whole head goes numb and no pain is felt during the procedure itself.

If you are concerned about this or needles in general ask about our needle-free anaesthetic option which significantly reduces any initial pain felt and can be added to your treatment package.

Question 10

Can I have more than one hair transplant?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as long as you have enough hairs left in your donor area you can have further transplants, our surgeons recommend leaving at least 6 months between transplants to allow the head to recover before more surgery.

Book a free consultation with one of our professionals to have your donor area assessed.

Frequently Asked Questions