The Sweet Spot, Density, And What is Possible: Two Articles

[Jotronic]

I've had a lot of questions lately asking about what is possible with hair restoration and what kinds of hair styles can be had. I posted the article below on my blog quite a while ago but when I was chatting with Dr. Hasson about these questions and my own thoughts on the subject he decided to write his own article on the subject. I think it is worth the time to read it and it is very important for new patients to understand this when they are doing their research.

 

First is my article then Dr. Hasson's article:

 

Over the past several years of having my hair back I have learned a few things about how transplanted hair behaves over time. I'm not saying that it acts differently than non-transplanted hair or anything like that but more rather what the conditions are that allow it to look it's best.

 

If you've never had a hair transplant understand that it acts just like non-transplanted hair if the procedure was performed correctly. You cut it when it grows long, you style it every day, and you can even have highlights or dye applied to it (obviously from my photos:))

 

What I have learned over time however is that if you have had a large area addressed with transplanted hair there is a sweet spot so to speak regarding the length and how it positively or negatively affects the appearance of your hair. By this I mean that certain lengths make it look fuller than others. I have found that for me a medium length will make the density seem the strongest. When I cut my hair really short the results seem to be a bit thinner and when it is really long (like shown in my HT# 3 gallery) it also can appear thinner. I am not really sure why this is the case but it has been confirmed over and over as I have had my hair at drastically different lengths.

 

So, the lesson here is, after your results have grown in you may want to experiment with different styles to find the one that best accentuates your appearance. If it looks too thin, let it grow a bit more or cut it a bit shorter. Good luck!

 

Jotronic

 

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Dr. Hasson's article:

 

Hair Styles And Density, What Works?

 

Frequently patients ask us about styling options after the hair grows in from their hair transplant. Will they be able to style their hair in any fashion or will they be forced to style it in a particular way to maintain coverage and naturalness?

 

In general,if the transplanted hair is directed correctly the styling options will increase with higher transplant densities. At low density it is important to comb the hair in a* particular direction to maintain the hair shingling effect to bridge over bald scalp until the hairs reach the next FU at which point the hairs from that next FU will take over the coverage function. In addition lower densities will require longer length hair for coverage. However, there is a point where the hair can be too long thus making the hair appear to give less coverage. Each patient is different so it is up to the individual to find the best length to maximize coverage.

 

If an individual intends to part their hair through a transplanted area that was previously bald the transplanted hair density required rises dramatically. The shingling effect is largely negated here and what becomes impacted is the distance between transplanted FU's. Generally for a part to look natural transplanted densities of 50 FU per cm2 and up are necessary. Obviously the hair characteristics such as shaft diameter, color and curl will come into play as well.

 

As you can see the patients expectations with regard to styling should be an important part of the pre-op consultation. With sufficient donor availability patients with ever demanding expectations can be satisfied but it is important to identify those patients who are demanding in the absence of sufficient donor. These are the patients who should be counseled more extensively to avoid later disappointment.

 

Victor Hasson MD

[skepticalguy]

Good article guyz~! THese are the things that are on my mind most when thinking about this surgery~

[orlhair1]

Great post and thanks for the article. I think this explains what people mean by "reasonable expectations" from a HT. It seems like the biggest potential road block is where the patient and the doctor are not on the same page with regard to expectations. Factoring in long term planning and other considerations, someone contemplating a HT may not be able to accomplish everything they want in a hairline, etc. Notwithstanding that, a very nice result can usually be obtained from what I have seen and from what I have experienced so far. It seems like more and more younger patients are looking for very dense packing in the hairline to achieve the really thick youthful looking hairline. Joe, do you have any concerns around that using too much donor for longer term planning? Should people be cautious about this?

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Great article on the sweet spot! Can't wait to find mine!

[skepticalguy]

Yes, I had a long talk with jotronic about reasonable expectations, and we discussed that " see through look"meaning like a combover, or if you had a big ball of pubic hair on your head, but when you say see through, almost all hair is somewhat see through, so it might be construed that I could have unreasonable expectations, or maybe I'm conveying that I don't want to get an ht if its gonna look like 2000 graft on a nw 7, cause being skeptical I don't trust before and after pics, and I know that from my own hair that it looks a lot thicker or thinner depending on light angle. Either way going over online pictures with your consultant before going ahead is smart which jotronic took plenty of time to do with me, even easier he knew exactly which profiles I was talking about so this was a huge confidence builder, the fact is that almost every h&w before and after pic shows adequate density. He even thought that some of my stellar examples of 2 week post op density were just average l, which also made me feel confident , now were getting calibrated. As of right now, My sweet spot is Like my hair~ It doesnt exist~ lol

Edited December 4, 2011 by skepticalguy

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Skeptical

I'm glad your making progress!!

[skepticalguy]

Dude we both got January booked with the two baddest ht surgeons on the planet!!! I'm gettin pumped!!!

[aaron1234]

Very good post Joe, thanks for posting it. What is interesting to me is that you are saying that longer hair will not necessarily appear more dense at certain lengths. I just always assumed longer hair meant more coverage, thus more density - or illusion thereof. I'm in the middle of growing out my hair right now and I'm hoping to find a new style and my sweet spot. I'm tempted to try the 7-inch length look that you had at one point but not sure if I can pull it off. Only one way to find out.

[bonkerstonker]

I'm more than aware about sweet spots but I decided to cut my 3 inch curls by about a inch to see if I could still rock my hair with it shorter and straighter..........massive mistake ha ha looks well thinner now but there you go at least I know roughly where my sweet spot is.