Explanatory Photos

Fig 2.

Photo showing a patient before and nine months after treatment with 1947 FU in a single session using a density of approximately 30 FU/cm². This individual had ideal characteristics: wavy, medium coarse, slightly frizzy and dense hair.

Fig 3a.

Before and nine months after a single session of 1644 FU using a density of approximately 30 FU/cm². The hair has been parted for critical evaluation. This individual had hair characteristics that were typical of a majority of patients seen for hair restoration surgery.

Fig 3b.

A frontal view of the same patient shown in Fig. 3a nine months after treatment.

Fig 4a.

A schematic drawing demonstrating the various zones of the head, the frontal area (F) running from the hairline zone to a line drawn more or less perpendicularly from the ears the mid-scalp area (M) from that point back to where the head changes its orientation from more or less parallel to the ground to more or less vertical, and the crown or "vertex" area (V) behind that area. Areas labeled FE, ME, and VE are zones that still contain hair but can be anticipated to lose that hair over the patient’s lifetime. These areas are in general best treated at the same time as the more obvious areas are transplanted, in order to avoid a constant chasing of an enlargeing bald area.

Fig 4b.

A patient before treatment (top photo) and nine months after the second of two transplants; the first to the frontal area and the second to the mid-scalp area with a total of 3864 FU and a relatively low density of approximately 20 to 25 FU/cm².

Fig 4c.

A frontal view of the same patient taken at the same time as Fig. 4b. Note that the hair appears thicker in this view than in Fig. 4b. Always look for comparable views in "before" and "after" photos.

Fig 5a.

A before and after photo of an individual with fine, fluffy hair with generally typical hair characteristics but in this instance also having relatively light-colored hair. One session of 1504 FU at a density of approx. 30 FU/cm² was done in the frontal area and a similar session in the mid-scalp area nine months after the frontal area had been treated. Transplanting only as far back as the zone in which the head changes its orientation from more or less being parallel to the ground to more or less vertical to the ground produces the appearance of hair from both frontal and lateral views. Many patients choose to only treat this far back on the head, as the results are satisfactory to them and it can be accomplished in most individuals with only two sessions—one to the frontal area and one to the mid-scalp area.

Fig 5b.

A frontal photo of the patient, taken at the same time as the "after" photo shown in Fig. 5a.

Fig 6a.

A patient with apparently very limited hair loss in the fronto-temporal corners of his hairline.

Fig 6b.

The same patient as shown in Fig. 6a nine months after his first transplant.

Fig 6c.

The same patient as shown in Fig. 6a, and at the same time, which demonstrates that he had diffuse thinning through the entire frontal area and that the hair loss was not limited to only the hairline zone, as might at first have seemed to be the case.

Fig 6d.

The same patient as shown in Fig.6c nine months after a session of 2211 FU. One does not have to wait until an area has experienced the loss of the majority of its hair before the area can actually be treated. However, the hair density shown above will not persist for the patient’s lifetime because it is a combination of the transplanted hair and the original hair in the recipient area at the time the surgery was carried out. As the patient loses his original hair, the hair density in the transplanted area will become more like that shown in the "after" photos in Fig. 4b and 4c by the time he would have looked like the "before" photo in Fig. 4b, (if he hadn’t in fact undergone transplanting).

Fig 7a.

A patient before transplanting.

Fig 7b.

Nine months after a single session of 2282 FU at an average density of approximately 30 FU/cm². This individual had very good characteristics for hair transplanting and represents a better than average result.

Fig 14a.

A young man before transplanting. Note that the supra-temporal areas have been outlined and will be treated at the same time as the more obvious areas of thinning.

Fig 14b.

Nine months after treatment with 2137 FU at an average density of 30 FU/cm².

Fig 17a.

A young man with severe (for his age) hair loss in the frontal area before transplanting.

Fig 17b.

One year after a single session to the frontal area consisting of 2246 FU transplanted at an average density of approximately 30 FU/cm². The hair has been parted in the same area as it was in the before photo for critical evaluation.

Fig 17c.

The same patient shown in Fig. 17a before his first session but with the hair wet with an antiseptic solution prior to the surgery. The photo demonstrates considerable hair loss in the mid-scalp area as well as in the frontal area. The mid-scalp was treated with 1998 FU at an average density of approximately 30 FU/cm² six months after the frontal area had been transplanted.

Fig 17d.

19 months after the second session of FUT. This individual had very dense hair in his donor area. Primarily because of his age, the average number of hairs/FU was greater than the typical 2.3/FU, hence the denser than average results. As he gets older and the number of hairs/FU in the original donor tissue decreases, the recipient area hair density will also decrease. Younger patients should proceed with transplanting with more caution because of the greater uncertainty of the ultimate extent of hair loss in both recipient and original donor tissues. However, emotional factors must also be taken into account when a physician decides how long one should wait before starting transplanting in a young man.