To determine
whether hair transplantation is for you -
you need
to know what it can or can't do for you.
You need to have realistic expectations. So keep in mind that hair transplants do not create new hair. It simply relocates it from your donor area (the sides and back of your head) to your area of male pattern baldness. Therefore your transplanted hair may look wonderful and full, but it will never be as thick as it once was. As your questions on our Hair Loss Q&A site, where these can be answered by those who have experience the same thing. To really get a good insight, visit the Hair Restoration Research forum and communicate directly with those with the same condition.
Without creating "new" hair, there is only so much hair to go around (redistribute).
So the look you can achieve is really a question of "supply and demand". The supply is how much viable donor hair (genetically programmed to last a life time) you have and demand is how much male pattern bald area you want to cover.
To see what hair transplants can do for you -
lets begin by taking stock of what you have to work with.
On all men, even those with severe baldness, there is typically hair that grows for life on the sides and back of the head. This is because the hair in this "donor area" is genetically different from the hair on the top of the head in men who go bald.
The hair follicles in the "donor area" are genetically resistant to the effects of such baldness causing hormones as (DHT) dihydrotestosterone. That's why they continue to grow while the hair on the top (in the male pattern baldness area) thins and goes bald over time. The good news is that if this bald resistant donor hair is relocated (transplanted) to the bald area, it will continue to grow for a life time. It will grow just as it would have if it were left on the sides and back of the head. For a detailed explanation of why this works read the ABC's of Baldness.
How much viable donor hair you have is largely determined by the amount and density of the hair you have left on the back and sides of your head. The vast majority of people have enough viable donor hair to at least one or two hair transplant procedures.
To create a way of measuring a persons degree of "Male Pattern Baldness" and the amount of donor hair they have, the "Norwood Scale" was devised by Dr. O'Tar Norwood. It gives a person a visual standard to describe their degree of baldness.
Measuring where you're at - picking your classification
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Men considered Class 1 hair loss have not lost any
appreciable amount of hair, so no surgical hair restoration is
recommended.
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Men with Class 2 hair loss are usually experiencing
the beginnings of frontal temporal hair erosion that may become
quite severe in 5-10 years.
Hair Transplants, along with a drug treatment such as propecia, is usually recommended. By doing hair transplantation at this stage, patient can restore their hairline, while drug therapy can often halt any further thinning or balding.
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Men with Class 3 hair loss are experiencing accelerating hair loss that often becomes severe in 5-7 years. In developing a prognosis and treatment plan, factors such as patients age, family history, amount of hair loss, type and texture of hair, and amount and quality of donor hair need to be considered. At this stage, the results of one mega session (1500 to 2,000 all micro grafts) would restore the hairline and crown area enough to a satisfy most men. In addition to propecia, rogaine (minoxidil) may also be useful at this stage in maintaining hair in the crown (back of the head). |
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Men with Class 4 hair loss are experiencing substantial frontal temporal recession and, often, an enlarging "bald spot" in back. At this stage, the results of two mega sessions (1500 to 2,000 all micro grafts) would restore the hairline and crown area enough to a fully satisfy most men. However, some may decide to do a subsequent procedure to increase the density and thickness of the hair in their formerly balding areas.
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Men with Class 5 hair loss are experiencing very severe frontal temporal recession and, often, an enlarging "bald spot" toward the back of the head. At this stage, the results of three mega sessions (1500 to 2,000 all micro grafts) would restore the hairline and crown area enough to a fully satisfy most men. However, some may decide to do a subsequent procedure to increase the density.
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Men with Class 6 hair loss are experiencing very severe frontal temporal recession and an extremely large "bald spot" toward the back of the head. Person's available donor hair is generally too limited to reestablish the look of a full head of hair all the way from front to the back of the head. Some men choose to use what limited donor hair they have to reestablish a full and natural hairline, with some moderate to light new hair coverage in the crown (back of the head) area. Others may concentrate on only reestablishing their hairline and then wearing a hair system behind it. This allows the person to have a totally natural hairline that would be very hard to produce with a hair system alone. The hair system, however, allows the person have the appearance of a full head of hair.
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Men with Class 7 hair loss may be candidates for limited transplantation procedures. With very limited donor hair available, usually only the hairline can be recreated - leaving the crown area bald. Such a severely bald person may may want to reestablishing their hairline and then wear a hair system behind it. This allows the person to have a totally natural hairline that would be very hard to produce with a hair system alone. The hair system, however, allows the person have the appearance of a full head of hair.
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What are your expectations?
How much hair do you need to be happy?
At virtually any stage of baldness a person can benefit from hair transplantation - if their expectations are realistic. It really comes down to - how much hair do you need in your male pattern bald area to be happy.
Some people are very satisfied to just reestablish a refined thinning look in an area where they were once bald. While others are not satisfied until they've achieved a look of having a full head of hair.
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What was my diagnosis and cure? I would classify my self as a "Class 5A" according to the Norwood Scale. I'm pictured here after three mega sessions of 1400 plus all micro follicular unit grafts. I wanted a full look from front to back and had more than ample "donor supply" to achieve it. - Pat
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