A hair transplant procedure is a permanent hair loss treatment for people suffering from androgenetic alopecia. Androgenetic alopecia is more commonly known as pattern baldness. A hair transplant is a complex procedure and should only be carried out by a consultant surgeon with an experienced team of nurses and technicians.
Donor Region
Patients suffering from androgenetic alopecia will always keep an area around the back and sides of their head, which is not affected by the balding process. In a hair transplant procedure this area is known as the donor region. When hair is removed from the donor region and transplanted into an area of thinning or baldness the hair will keep the characteristics of the area from which it came. This means that the transplanted hair will remain unaffected by the balding process and will stay on the patient’s head for the rest of their lives. No special medication or shampoos are needed to maintain the transplanted hair.
Hair Transplant Procedure – What is a Hair Graft?
A hair graft is a naturally occurring group of hairs which can contain between one and four hairs each. On average there are two hairs in each hair graft. Once removed from the donor region each hair graft is individually prepared for transplantation. At the same time, small incisions are made in the recipient areas of the scalp where the new grafts are to be transplanted. Over 4,000 hair grafts can be transplanted in a single day’s procedure. An average hair transplant procedure for a patient with moderate hair loss involves the transplantation of approximately 2,000 hair grafts.
Hair Transplant Design
The design of every patient’s hair transplant must be well thought out to ensure that it looks natural. The transplanted hair will be on the patient’s head for the rest of their life. A properly executed hair transplant should involve very careful planning with a large team of hair transplant technicians and nurses and should only be carried out by a qualified consultant surgeon. In the great majority of cases, our hair transplants go unnoticed because they are so natural looking. Our strong emphasis on this aspect of the hair transplant procedure and our experience in the practice of hair restoration are vital to ensuring a natural looking result.
Hair Transplant Procedure – During Surgery
A hair transplant procedure is carried out during the course of a single day, taking between six and ten hours. A patient will be awake throughout their hair transplant and will feel no pain thanks to a local anaesthetic, similar to that used by your dentist. Patients will relax, watch movies or listen to music during their procedure. Most patients return to work within a few days without anyone being aware a hair transplant procedure has been carried out.
Hair Transplant Procedure – Video
Find out more about what’s involved in a hair transplant procedure. Watch this short video from the team at HRBR.
To find out more about hair transplants or to arrange an appointment with HRBR, please contact us on
01 2091000 or email us at info@hrbr.ie.
About the Author
DR Maurice Collins
Consultant Surgeon
MB, B.Ch, BAO, DLO, FRCSI, FRCS, FRCSEd.
Registered with the Medical Council of Ireland
Dr Collins is Medical Director and Team Principal of Hair Restoration Blackrock. He was educated at Belvedere College Dublin and did his undergraduate medical studies at University College Dublin. After graduating as a doctor he trained in General Surgery and received his Fellowship (FRCSI) in this specialty from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Find out more about DR Maurice Collins and our team of doctors and surgeons.
