Patients often ask about our hair transplant surgery success rate. It’s an important question given that this procedure can be a significant emotional and financial investment. At HRBR our studies have shown that 98% of all the grafts we place will eventually grow normal hair.
The success of a hair transplant is frequently judged by the appearance of the patient’s hair after the transplant has fully grown which normally takes a year. The success of the procedure is best judged by the patient as trying to meet the patient’s expectations is the primary objective of the surgeon. In the consultation process, when the patient first attends the doctor, they frequently ask how successful this procedure is and our response is that this depends on what the patient’s objectives are and the quality of the donor hair.
In a non-smoker between 95-98% of the grafts will grow successfully provided the highest international standards of surgery are used in the transplant procedure, such as those used at HRBR.
The key to a successful hair transplant procedure is twofold. First is the number of hair follicles available for transplant and the viability of those hair follicles. The second is down to the skill and experience of the surgeon and how and where the hair grafts are placed. We judge our criteria for success by the fact that a year later when the hair has grown successfully, the patient no longer thinks about their hair on a daily basis. Most patients will comment that nobody has noticed their hair transplant and they feel the success of the transplant comes from the fact that their own self-image and self-esteem have improved.
Follicular Extraction
To maximise the hair transplant surgery success rate it is vital to have each hair follicle outside the body for as short a time as possible; this means they are less prone to drying out and/or infection. At HRBR we have a large team of skilled technicians working on the extraction and dissection of the hair follicles, which ensures a much higher yield of grafts for transplantation. At HRBR our studies have shown that 98% of all the grafts we place will eventually grow normal hair.
See what Dr Maurice Collins, hair transplant surgeon, has to say about success rates in this video.
Minoxidil
At HRBR we have found that the application of Minoxidil to the transplanted area for the 6 months following hair surgery can add to the success of the operation. The transplanted hair is not dependent on the use of Minoxidil, but its use for the 6 month post-operative period can be very beneficial.
Hair Transplant Surgeons
Hair transplant surgeons at HRBR are very successful at providing a natural appearance. The success of the surgery is dependent on the levels of donor hair that can be extracted. The more a patient’s scalp has lost hair, the less there will be to transplant. A skilful hair surgeon can achieve the illusion of hair density by skillfully arranging the transplanted hair in the parts of the scalp that are most visible. This is often where the art of hair restoration meets the science. Even though there might be insufficient donor hair to cover a less visible area such as the crown, the patient is usually satisfied because of their improved appearance.
It is the “man in the mirror” who judges the successful outcome of a hair transplantation procedure as it is the benefit to a patient’s self-esteem and self-confidence that is the primary objective.
If you are considering hair surgery and would like to arrange a consultation with one of our hair transplant surgeons, please contact us.
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.
