Why Some Hair Transplant Results Look Better Than Others
Monday, May 9th, 2011A patient once asked me why his surgery of 2850 grafts did not bear the same results after three years as some who have had the exact same number of grafts. I informed him to never compare other patients results simply based on the number of grafts alone.
Whenever I meet with a patient before hair transplant surgery, I intentionally educate them of what they personally should expect after their procedure. At times I do give big promises to certain patients with better quality donor hair (denser, wavier, and thicker), and some I encourage to get more than one surgery for maximum results. The overall results will be determined by donor hair quality, number of grafts, and hair to skin color contrast.
If two different patients were to be compared who have the same hair characteristics, but one is twice the thickness than the other, a microscope would be used to reveal the cross section of hair. This would reveal the one patients hair is four times thicker (A= r2) and the final result is expected to have a volume of 4 times thicker.
Many factors can contribute to poorer results from a hair transplantation surgery. Some factors may be from the patient themselves, while others situation may be due to the technique of the surgery and how well the follicles maintain post-surgery.