Before you make any decision regarding hair restoration surgery, you need to find out whether you are a suitable candidate for the procedure. For the right candidate, this surgery can achieve considerable improvement in appearance. However, not everyone is a suitable candidate. Are you a good candidate? Here are a few points that affect your eligibility.

Have you tried other treatments without any results? The surgical procedure should always be your last option. If you think you are going bald, your first step should be to consult a hair loss specialist. He/she will analyse your condition, make a diagnosis and prepare a treatment plan.

Your treatment plan may only include medical treatment if you are losing hair from a particular area of the scalp. However, if your treatment plan incorporates medical and surgical procedures, you may have to undergo this surgery. It is necessary to discuss about the surgery and understand every detail about it before you reach a decision.  

Do you have adequate donor hair? The amount of hair available from the donor site plays a significant role in the results you may achieve with hair transplant surgery. If you have thinning hair on your entire scalp, you may not be a suitable candidate for the surgery as you may not have adequate hair to restore to the recipient site.

Moreover, the hair from the donor site needs to be used efficiently for suitable results. This will only be possible if you get it done by a competent surgeon. Whether individual follicle transplantation (Follicular Unit Extraction) or strip surgery (Follicular Unit Transplantation) will be suitable for you also needs to be determined.

Do you have realistic expectations? People opt for a hair transplant surgery for cosmetic purposes. It helps to improve the effects of hair loss. However, if you have unrealistic expectations from the surgery, you may face disappointment. The surgery may rectify your appearance; however, it may not achieve the look you had before hair loss.

Another common misconception is that small surgeries will be able to keep up with the progress of hair loss. Surgical procedures often cause ‘shock loss’ in individuals. You may never get back the hair you lose immediately after the surgery. Therefore, if you have a full head of hair and just a balding spot, you had better try medical treatment instead.

Certain groups of individuals are good candidates for the hair transplant surgery:

• Individuals diagnosed with male pattern baldness, especially those who have endured the effects of it for the last five years or more
• Individuals who have a stabilised pattern of baldness for years
• Individuals who have realistic expectations from the surgery, especially the necessity to continue medication even after it
• Individuals who have lost hair in accidents or due to trauma
• Individuals with loss of natural hairline due to cosmetic procedures such as facelifts

The easiest way to assess eligibility is to consult a surgeon. He/she has the knowledge and expertise to understand your condition, evaluate hair loss pattern and progress and create a treatment for baldness. If you are an eligible candidate for surgery, the surgeon may recommend a hair transplant.

Author Bio

Rose Hamilton is a specialist hair surgeon. She provides a few points that affect your eligibility for a hair transplant surgery for treatment of baldness. If you are looking for more details on Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE, or Follicular Unit Transplantation, or FUT, she suggests you visit www.hairtransplantsurgery.ie.