Various factors have to be considered before moving forward with a hair transplant to ensure that each patient achieves the desired results – permanently.
The most important factors are as follows:
Age
Often hair loss caused by DHT is noticed at an early age. However, not everyone who is experiencing receding temples is going to suffer from baldness so this is not necessarily a cause for concern.
Receding temples are quite common even in men that will not end up going bald. Only very few men will keep a low juvenile hairline throughout their entire lifetime.
Hence, one needs to examine the hair on the entire scalp to determine whether a miniaturisation of hair is taking place.
Family history
Hair loss can be genetically related. Here we need to see whether there is already a history of hair loss in the family.
If so, how many family members had or are experiencing hair loss? To what degree has the hair loss progressed? What are the ages of those in the family that have experienced hair loss?
Sometimes no history of hair loss was recorded in the family, hence this can indicate that there may be another cause for the patient’s hair loss that is not related to genetics.
One most explore all avenues to find the root cause of hair loss of each individual patient in order to provide the correct treatment for long lasting results.
Degree of loss vs Age
Once a patient has started losing hair, we can assume that this process is going to continue – even though the velocity and severity of hair loss may vary from patient to patient.
If a younger patient under the age of 30 is already experiencing severe hair loss beyond a NW3 on the Norwood Scale, it is very likely that he will end up with hair loss NW6.
This means they will lose hair on their frontal hairline, mid-scalp and crown, hence, we must take this into account when planning the hair transplant procedure for long lasting results.
Key to a successful hair transplant is not only the immediate result but a natural cosmetically sound look – long term!
