Hair Implant Donor Area Explanation

A hair transplant is the transference of hair follicular units from a donor region to another region affected by normal male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss.

This is done by removing a strip of hair bearing scalp from the back or sides of the head where hair growth is permanent and not affected by Dihydrotestosterone. (The most common donor area is from the back instead of the sides). Physicians that use the sides above the ears first for donor area are taking a chance of cutting one of your main arteries and not a very wise decision.

This strip of hair bearing scalp can vary greatly in size but as just an example: can measure 1-2 cm wide and 8 or more cm long. After it is removed, the doctor will suture this donor area back together with one running suture. This suture will need to be removed in 10 days and not longer than 14 days. In most cases, the hair transplant scar that is left behind will be very thin like a cat scratch and will fade over time. If you wear your hair a 1/8 inch or more in the back, you will have no problem in covering it up.

Our Medical Facility cautions that some hair transplant clinics cut too deep when they extract the donor strip for hair follicular units causing you more pain afterwards in healing. "You have to take special care to not go too deep. You only need to go as deep as the dermis layer, to the top edge of the fat layer underneath”.

Many hair transplant clinics and surgeons go past the hair bulb, dermis and into the fat layer and below when harvesting the donor scalp. "This causes more pain in the first week of healing and takes longer for the feeling and nerves to bounce back”.

"We only go as deep as we have to and this results in faster healing time, less discomfort and the temporary numbness bounces back faster”.

While the Physician is suturing your donor area, another Doctor or Medical Staff member then divides the hair bearing donor scalp into the desired size hair grafts. Our implant professionals will "dissect" these follicular units into follicular units with the aid of microscopic like "goggles" under extremely powerful lights built for surgery rooms.

Depending on your particular pattern of hair loss and the mutually agreed upon approach to giving you the best hair transplant results, these hair follicular units can vary in size but include:

Follicular Units (most common), micro 1-2 haired units, mini 3-5 haired units and sometimes even 6-9 haired maxi size follicular units for density if desired. Never the old style plugs that contained 12-18 hairs per cylinder.

Once divided into follicular units or larger hair follicular units, a Doctor or Physicians Assistant will prepare the recipient area of your hair loss affected region for follicular unit implantation. Tiny incisions are made with a "micro needle” in the recipient area. This is where your scalp will “receive” your new hair for a lifetime.

This is not as easy to do as it sounds. Great care and Artistic approach must go into choosing where to make these apertures (tiny slits which will receive the new hair grafts). The hairline must be recreated to appear natural with grafts staggered so as not to appear to form a uniform line. Minimal space will be left between apertures to allow enough blood to flow to each unit and allow room for future hair implantations that will give your hair even more "density". Should you loose anymore of your natural hair due to aging.

Often, a hair implantation team will work together - one making the recipient incision while the others implant your new follicular units.

Once your hair implant procedure is finished, your Doctor will advise you on how to take care of your newly implanted follicular units over the next few days. Keep in mind, in all cases of hair transplants, the new follicular units will form a "scab" as they heal. Eventually, in 7-14 days, these scabs will heal and then these follicular units will actually shed the old transplanted hair.

Yes, the newly transplanted hair will fall off with the scab. Sometimes you may keep about 10% but this is not too common.

However, do not worry! In about 3-4 months, most common time frame (Medical text book claims 4-6 months) and sometimes up to 12 months later depending on if you are diabetic or how fast your body heals, your new and permanent hair will grow in its place forever.

We take great care in moving your existing hair out of the way to get our micro needle down to your scalp for your new transplants. But, your hair may look a (little) thinner directly after your surgery due to some of your longer hair getting nicked as the micro needle gets to the scalp to make a new aperture. This hair will grow back to length immediately and be about a inch long in a few months. This hair doesn’t have to go though the 3-4 month dormant cycle like the new transplants.

To get a better Idea of how your Donor Area will look like (done correctly) go to our

Scar Revision Page.