Question: I have sparse hair all over my head naturally. My brother is the same way, just not a lot of hair. I have recently begun to lose hair at my hairline. I know that I want a hair transplant before it gets too bad. How do I know if there will be enough hair on my head to serve as donor follicles without the donor site appearing bald? Which procedure would be the best one to use in this case?
Answer: Hair transplantation in patients with limited donor material is challenging. This can occur with advanced balding patterns or in patients with sparse hair density. In either case, there will be fewer available follicles for transplantation. If the strip harvest technique is used, the donor site will not appear bald because the scalp is closed in a thin line once the strip of hair is removed. This line is easily hidden. If a limited number of follicles are obtained from the strip, they will have to be transplanted strategically to give the appearance of as much density as possible in the preferred areas. For these reasons, it is important to have a consultation with an experienced hair transplant surgeon who can take all these factors into consideration.