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Dauer Hair Restoration

Step one

Consultation Process

Your journey begins with a comprehensive in-person or online consultation where we take time to listen, evaluate, and develop a personalized plan tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Free Consult (310) 748-2224

What Happens in Your Consultation

  1. Understand Your Goals

    We start by learning about your experience with hair loss: when you first noticed it, how it has progressed, any family history of pattern baldness, and most importantly, what results you hope to achieve. This conversation helps us understand not just your clinical needs, but your personal expectations and concerns.

  2. Comprehensive Scalp Assessment

    A thorough assessment of your scalp allows us to evaluate several critical factors:

    • Your current hair loss pattern and progression.
    • Donor area density, quality, and available supply.
    • Scalp laxity and flexibility.
    • Hair characteristics including texture, color, and curl pattern.
    • Overall candidacy for different surgical approaches.

    We document your current condition with detailed measurements and photographs, creating a baseline for tracking your progress and planning your procedure.

  3. Customized Treatment Planning

    Based on your candidacy, we develop a detailed surgical plan addressing your specific needs:

    • Which technique best suits your situation.
    • Estimated donor harvest size and expected graft yield.
    • Before-and-after examples from patients with similar patterns.
    • Realistic expectations based on your unique donor characteristics and goals.
    • Timeline for achieving your desired result, including whether multiple sessions might be beneficial.

    Our planning focuses on donor area size and target density rather than a fixed graft count, an approach that tends to produce more predictable, natural results.

  4. Transparent Pricing Discussion

    Pricing is set at your consultation, once your treatment plan is clear. We explain exactly what's included in your procedure, answer your questions openly, and make sure you understand the cost before moving forward.

    Because every plan is individual, there is no one-size-fits-all price. Your quote reflects the technique and the scope of treatment your goals require.

    See our pricing policy

Why Density Matters More Than Graft Count

A common approach to hair transplantation is to set a target graft number for each zone, then harvest whatever donor tissue is needed to reach that count. Density-based planning works differently, prioritizing predictable results over target estimates.

Rather than starting with graft counts, we begin by measuring the total area requiring restoration. From there, we determine the optimal hair density for that specific location based on your age, sex, hair characteristics, natural hair-to-skin contrast, and aesthetic goals. This density target (measured in grafts per square centimeter) becomes the foundation for planning your procedure.

The same target density can require vastly different graft numbers depending on your individual donor characteristics. Two patients receiving identical coverage in the same zone may need very different harvest sizes because donor density varies significantly between individuals. What matters for natural appearance isn't hitting a specific graft count. It's achieving the right density for your unique situation.

Realistic Density Targets

Clinical experience in hair restoration points to density ranges that produce truly natural results:

  • Frontal hairline and forelock: 50–70% of original density creates fullness that looks completely natural.
  • Crown (vertex): 70–90% of original density ensures natural appearance even under direct light.

These ranges inform realistic targets at which transplanted hair seamlessly integrates with your existing characteristics.

A Three-Step Assessment

How a measured area becomes a donor plan, before any surgery is scheduled.

We begin by precisely measuring the balding area requiring coverage. If the area measures 100 square centimeters, for example, that becomes our baseline for calculating donor requirements.

Accurately assessing current hair density in the recipient area is challenging but essential. Through careful examination or high-quality photographic analysis, Dr. Dauer provides a clinical estimate of your existing coverage. This allows us to determine the density increase needed to achieve natural fullness, typically raising frontal zones to 30–40 grafts/cm² or crown areas to 25–35 grafts/cm², adjusted for individual goals and hair characteristics.

As individual follicular unit size and quality varies between patients, exact graft yields cannot be predicted with absolute precision before surgery. However, we can plan accurately based on the donor tissue characteristics and dimensions needed to achieve your target density increase. With FUT, this means calculating the strip size in square centimeters. With FUE, this means estimating the number and distribution of extractions needed from your available donor zone.

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