When is the Right Time to Get a Hair Transplant?

23 Aug When is the Right Time to Get a Hair Transplant?

Are you interested in a hair transplant procedure? If so, then you may be wondering when the right time might be for you to undergo treatment. There is no easy or a straightforward answer as to when the right time is, as there are a number of factors that can contribute to whether or not someone is a good candidate for a hair transplant in the first place.

When potential patients visit the clinic to learn more about the procedure, wondering if they are a good candidate for the treatment right now is top of the list of questions asked and concerns discussed.

The personal deciding factors

Determining when is the right time for hair transplant treatment is typically based on several personal factors. Some of these include the following:

• The existing stage of hair loss on the head
• The age of the patient
• The health of the potential harvest site on the head
• The expectations of the patient

It’s important to provide a full medical history, along with any history of hair thinning and baldness in the family.

The stages of baldness to consider

There are several stages of male pattern baldness, and knowing where you fall on the scale can help to determine whether this is the right time for you to undergo treatment.

Stages 1 and 2. These first two stages include light loss of hair. Patients start to see slight receding of the hairline, without any marked changes at the crown. There may be thinning at the temples or slight hairline recession that is largely unnoticed at stage 1. By stage 2, the temple hair loss is showing more receding.

Stage 3. The baldness will be a bit more apparent, with temple recession continuing until there little to no hair around the temples. This is often where the hair on the top of the head starts to become recognisably thinner. Bald spots may start to develop. It will become more of a challenge to conceal hair loss.

Stage 4. By the time stage 4 arrives, it will be evident that the patient is experiencing male pattern baldness. There will be noticeable bald spots, thinning at the crown and there may be patchy hair loss around the front and the back of the head.

Stage 5. Patients will start to exhibit the signs of the so-called horseshoe-shaped hairline. Hair loss enters a more severe stage at the point, and it may become more of a challenge to treat.

Stage 6. Patients who are at stage 6 will have lost a large portion of their hair. Any remaining hair on the crown will be thin and provide little to no scalp coverage.

Stage 7. At stage 7, it is considered complete baldness. The top of the head will be completely bald, and at this point, it’ll prove to be very challenging to recover hair, even though a hair transplant treatment.

The right stage to get treatment

Successful hair transplant therapy relies on the patient having healthy donor hair that can be safely transplanted. During your consultation, the health and condition of your hair and scalp will be closely examined. If your hair loss has progressed to the point where you no longer have healthy donor hair follicles, then you may not be a good candidate for hair transplant therapy. It’s important to discuss your goals during your consultation with Dr Molton, so that you can have realistic expectations about what may be possible for your treatment.

Keep in mind that the sooner you reach out for your consultation, the more likely it is that you’ll be a good candidate for the treatment. Lacking healthy donor follicles may mean that you need to consider alternative solutions to treat your hair loss.