How do you decide on your hairline design?

[gemini]

One of the things that makes me anxious about hair transplant surgery is designing the hairline itself since it's permanent and you're only spending a few minutes on it before the actual surgery. How do you prepare for this major decision? How do you know if it looks natural? How do you know that the hairline will age well? Advice?

Thanks!

[nightcrawler]

May be this helps..

 

[Gasthoerer]

The answer: Have a consultation first and surgery later! This gives you time to reconsider while looking at pics.

[LaserCap]

Great question. A lot goes into it.  And it's a shared responsibility......

First component is trust.  Trust the doctor knows what he's doing and has an understanding of what needs to be done.  Plenty of times I've seen doctors draw a hairline that is way too juvenile for the patient at hand.  So, it is up to the patient to also recognize what's going on.  So hopefully the consultant, staff and all involved have the sense to say something.

Read up about the rule of thirds.  

It's funny how the human eye can catch things.  When things are not in balance, people will question it.  

But there will always be adjustments so the hairline will remain pattern appropriate. A class 6, for example, does not have a hairline in the middle of the forehead.  It should be well recessed with a stronger forelock.

Keeping in mind the hair in the front grows forward at an angle, always stay a bit more conservative. Let it grow.  A year later, if you still feel an adjustment is needed, you can return and lower.  If you start out too low and then realize the mistake, it is very difficult to change.

Educate yourself....

[anzel2002]

Trust your doctor, maybe combined with going with your gut feeling 

Edited January 18, 2020 by anzel2002

[duchaine]

my suggestion is: study and design your hairline several times during the weeks before your HT. Take the pics. Choose the ones you like. Show the pics to your doc. Discuss with him. Let him make the changes he things are needed.

[pkipling]

A lot of this will be determined by your surgeon based on what factors come into play during your consultation... It's a combination of a few things: A) Hair quality/type, B) projected hair loss based age, genetics, current miniaturization levels, and C) race/ethnicity/facial shape... These are the factors your surgeon will consider, and IMO designing an undetectable, natural hairline is what separates the good surgeons from the great ones. 

The other factor to consider is personal preference. You may have the option of having a lower hairline, for example, but perhaps you want something that is slightly higher or angled (think Justin Theroux)... I even remember a guy on this forum who specifically wanted a widow's peak because he always liked the way they looked, and it looked fantastic. 

It's a collaborative effort between you and the surgeon you choose, which is why trust plays such a big role in that decision.