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Revised: 11/6/02

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The hopes and dreams of thousands of hair transplant patients were about to be realized. The Holy Grail of hair restoration was within sight; the never ending donor supply. Well, I had more down to earth hopes for this technology in that donor wound closures could heal with little to no evidence of surgery. I am sad to report that at this time neither my ambitions nor those more bold ambitions of others have come to pass. It may still yet be something that is beneficial but it is not magic solution.

Now we have PRP therapy. PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma and the “therapy” in this new development is the process in which the patient’s blood is drawn, placed into a centrifuge and then the plasma that is separated from the blood is re-injected into the patient’s scalp. The idea here is that a “stem cell” type of reaction occurs in that the patient’s hair follicle will thicken up. Supposedly the PRP will help to stimulate thicker hair growth. So far, to me, the evidence that this is a benefit is not only circumstantial but is outright MIA.

Lately I’ve been seeing both of these “therapies” thrown around as if they are valid treatments by various clinics. A few clinics even offered PRP within mere DAYS of the buzzwords being introduced to the hair loss online communities. No research was done, no results to validate any efficacy, nothing. But the clinics offering these therapies have no problems charging the patient for the added benefit of these unproven offerings. Sorry, but I think that if one is going to charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a treatment they should have consistent results to warrant such fees.

I have seen announcements made as if they are a big deal but in my opinion these announcements of bogus scientific offerings do little more than help to perpetuate the black sheep image that the hair restoration industry has garnered in the medical community. Save your money, people. There are so few things out there that actually do something positive for you hair. The more you listen to these bogus claims the more you will believe them and then of course the more you will buy them. Use your better judgement and of course remember that if it is too good to be true then it most certainly is. Only with CONSISTENT evidence of clearly documented results can you even begin to believe and even then you should still be skeptical.

The following links open in a new window

• Bobman’s Hair Transplant Blog
  Bobman had a total of 8475 grafts in two sessions and his results are amazing. He photoblogged his results in real-time.
• NicNitro’s Hair Transplant Blog
  NicNitro had over 10,000 grafts! In two sessions at Hasson & Wong. His before and after photos are inspiring.
• Shuffle’s Hair Loss Blog
  Shuffle had 5300 grafts in one session. Check out his blog.
• Biscuit’s Hair Transplant Blog
  Biscuit had 4411 grafts in one session. His photos chronicle his transformation.
• London Lad’s Hair Transplant
  London Lad had 7761 grafts in one session. View his hair transplant results photos
• GarageLand’s Hair Transplant
  GarageLand had 4859 grafts in one session. He was nearly bald on top…not anymore!
• SoThin’s Hair Loss Blog
  SoThin was, wel, so thin. Now he is so thick!
• Evolution’s Hair Transplant Blog
  Evolution had 4300 grafts in one session. Take a look at his hair transplant blog photos. Great result!

View more hair transplant blogs.

After undergoing a hair restoration the grafts go through a bit of an adjustment period. Hair has two main growth phases; Telogen (the growing phase) and Anagen (the dormant phase). When hair grows it grows continuously for a few years (the number will vary depending on which Dr. you are asking).  Once this telogen phase comes to an end the hair goes into the anagen phase. I call it the recharge phase. During this three to five month period the hair shaft not only stops growing it actually falls out. This can be at any time during the anagen phase and can even happen at the end of the anagen phase due to the new hair regrowing in the old hair’s place and is pushing the old hair out.

For no known reason having a hair transplant actually triggers the anagen phase of a hair follicle’s cycle. This is why with virtually every hair transplant performed the hairs will fall out between three and five weeks post-op.  No one knows why this happens but it is perfectly normal and part of what some call the “ugly duckling phase”.  You are basically taking five steps backward before you take twenty forward with your new hair.

The hairs usually stay dormant for three to five months but some patients will sprout earlier and an unfortunate few will sprout later. This is a very small percentage of patients, so few in fact that I cannot remember any patients that took this long to start growing. Once the hair starts to sprout it will not come in all at once. There will be some areas that come in sooner than others so in the beginning the new growth and appear rather patchy. This is when the phone calls to the clinic really kick in with quesitons about the growth.

Usually at about the six month mark a healthy percentage of the hairs have started to poke through. I would wager this to be about 60% but this is very subjective. By eight to ten months is when all of the grafts should have come through and with a decent amount of length of at least one inch or more for most of the grafts.

The debate now moves to anything past the eight to ten month mark. I have recently read that results take at least 18 months to come to fruition. This is not an accurate statement. True, hair characteristics will continue to change/improve well past the one year mark but the full growth should have been realized well before the one year mark. Very small and subtle changes continue to take place for months after the initial burst of growth but they are so subtle it takes months just to see the change.

I realize this could have been the actual point by those that say results take a year and a half or more to realize but it should be made more clear that the actual growth comes on a lot sooner than this. Texture and yes even slight color changes do take longer to work themselves out. In the first few months after the growth has really come in the hair can have a kinkier texture than the native hair in the recipient area. This almost always works it’s way out to where the hair softens with time. Any wave that should not be there will also work itself out.

Bottom line, don’t think that it will take a year and a half or longer just to see the change you are looking for. It will happen in less than a year and will be the biggest change you will have. The time afterward is for the very subtle changes that will continue to improve your overall appearance.

For proper disclosure you should know that while I currently work for Hasson & Wong Clinic, I did not work for them when I had my first two procedures with Dr. Wong. The documentation was unbiased and in real time.

If you are a would-be hair transplant patient, I hope you can learn something from my experience. Take a look at my hair transplant photos, and read my story. If you have any questions, contact me. I’ll try to answer and may even post that answer on the blog to help other hair loss sufferers.

Here is the most recent video of my hair restoration results.

hair transplants by Hasson & Wong