What is the optimal hairline placement angle??

[Under Construction]

What is the optimal hairline placement angle to produce the most natural looking hairline?

 

When I look at natural hairlines, it appears that the hairs are actually angled back slightly(towards the crown). Yet, from the work that I have seen, most HT doctors seem to transplant hairs so that they stick straight up, or even lean forward. Am I correct here? Is there something that I can communicate to my HT doc to get optimal appearance?

 

Thanks

[Under Construction]

What is the optimal hairline placement angle to produce the most natural looking hairline?

 

When I look at natural hairlines, it appears that the hairs are actually angled back slightly(towards the crown). Yet, from the work that I have seen, most HT doctors seem to transplant hairs so that they stick straight up, or even lean forward. Am I correct here? Is there something that I can communicate to my HT doc to get optimal appearance?

 

Thanks

[Bill - Seemiller]

Under Construction,

 

The answer is, whatever the direction of the patient's natural hair is pointing.

 

It appears that the majority of patient's natural hair angles forward rather than backward. I'm one such exception to the rule.

 

This would certainly be a good question to ask your doctor too followed by any concerns about creating a natural looking hairline. Optimal hairline design and placement certainly is key and it's important that you go over this in detail with your selected surgeon.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

Under Construction-

Great question.

In general, in the majority of patients, hair along the frontal hairline is angled forward- unless there is a "cowlick" as it were. As the hairline moves from the central portion (midline) to the temporal areas there is a gradual change in hair direction: they begin to point "down" as it were, to a point where there is quite a rapid transition so that they blend into the general downward direction of the sideburn/sidewall area. When natural hair is combed back at the hairline, while it may appear to grow in a backward angled direction- this is typically not the case. There will be a gentle bend in the hair shafts as they exit the scalp before they angle back with this styling. This gives a very natural, soft look to the hairline. If a transplant surgeon purposefully angles the hairs back, (I've seen it done...), the look is very unnatural, at best. Again, this is not when talking about a patient that has the unusual, uncommon "cowlick", which, as Bill points out, would be followed by the surgeon in those cases in an effort to recreate a previous unique look on that individual patient.

So, to summarize, the general rule is to angle forward at a relatively acute angle.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

[Under Construction]

Dr. Carman

 

That is very helpful...thank you very much for the informative explanation.

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

My pleasure.