01
Donor supply
A fixed, non-renewable budget. Density, hair calibre and laxity determine how much can be moved over a lifetime.
Fundamentals
What actually makes a transplant succeed
Donor supply, graft survival, angle and density. Technique matters, but it is fourth on the list.
How transplantation works
Hair on the back and sides of the scalp is genetically insensitive to dihydrotestosterone, the hormone that miniaturises follicles in pattern loss. Move that hair to a bald area and it keeps its original programming — it grows for life.
That is the whole principle, and it has not changed since the 1950s. What has changed is the unit being moved: from 4 mm plugs holding fifteen hairs, to minigrafts, to today's follicular units of one to four hairs dissected under magnification.
The four variables that decide your result
02
Graft survival
Decided between harvest and placement. Crushed, dried or over-warm grafts simply do not grow.
03
Angle and direction
Hair exits the scalp at shallow angles that change across the head. Recipient sites must copy them exactly.
04
Density
Coverage is a function of hairs per square centimetre over the area treated — not of total grafts moved.
Surgical considerations
01
Hairline design
An adult hairline is irregular, slightly receded at the temples, and age-appropriate. Straight, low hairlines are the most common giveaway of bad work.
02
Recipient site size
Sites cut to the exact calibre of the graft reduce trauma, bleeding and popping, and allow tighter packing.
03
Staging
Leaving donor reserve for the future is a design decision made before the first session, not an afterthought.
Talk to the surgeon who would perform your procedure
Consultations are free, measured and without obligation — in Newport Beach or by video.