Can a Hair Transplant Increase Hair Density?
One of the reasons today’s hair transplants achieve much more natural-looking results is that smaller hair grafts can be placed close together to increase hair density. These smaller, “follicular unit groupings” containing just one or two hairs are features of FUT or FUE hair transplant.
Here’s a brief explanation of hair density, whether a hair transplant can increase hair density, and why you should choose The Center for Hair Restoration in Pittsburgh when you’re ready.
Low-density vs. high-density
Regarding hair transplant surgery, hair density refers to how many hairs or grafts you have per cm². Average hair density is approximately 100 follicular units per cm², but the average person can lose up to half of their hair before it becomes noticeably thin.
In short, people with fine or lower hair density must have more follicular units extracted to achieve the same result as those with thicker, higher-density hair. Some examples of the factors that determine how many grafts are needed include the following:
- Hair shaft diameter
- Hair texture and curl
- Hair and skin color contrast
- Ongoing hair loss
There is a physical limitation to how close hair can be implanted to each other, so most patients receive 35-45 grafts per cm². While not 100% of the natural hair density, it doesn’t need to be; this average reflects 50-60% of the natural hair density on the scalp and will blend better with your natural hair.
A hair transplant can increase hair density
A hair transplant is one of the best, most common ways to improve the thickness and density of your hair. Some people also get a hair transplant for a fuller buzzcut, especially if they want to grow their hair again. The Vero Hair Restoration Program is one of the most innovative hair transplant methods to increase the hair density.
The Center for Hair Restoration in Pittsburgh is one of only ten practices that offers this exclusive all-inclusive Vero Hair restoration program, which combines Artas® Robotic Hair Restoration with Neograft® Automated Hair Restoration. Patients who need treatment over larger surface areas or desire a single treatment session followed by one recovery period will benefit significantly from VERO. The system allows us to harvest healthy hair follicles more widely, getting anywhere from a staggering 4,000 to 4,5000 grafts at a time. ARTAS will harvest 1,000 to 1,300 grafts hourly while the superior access of Neograft harvests the remainder. This interchange allows for faster and more efficient treatment and fewer, shorter convalescence periods. The grafts are excellent, and we can do their placement either manually or robotically.
No density after transplant? This might be why.
If you don’t see an improvement in hair density within six months after your hair transplant, you may need to wait a little longer to see results. It may take up to eighteen months before your final density is visible.
After that point, if there’s still no improvement in hair density, it may be due to the following:
- Your surgeon has overpromised your results, so you’re disappointed with your final hair density
- Your surgeon did not design an appropriate, realistic hairline
- Low graft survival rates
- Poor aftercare on your part
- Incorrect, inappropriate, or poor surgical technique
- The surgeon attempted to pack too many grafts into a hair transplant on scar tissue
Choosing a skilled surgeon is the first step to increasing hair density with a hair transplant, so you should select one of western Pennsylvania’s premiere board-certified plastic surgeons, Dr. Brian Vassar Heil, MD, FACS.
With nearly two decades in practice, he is renowned as one of Pittsburgh’s top hair transplant surgeons and restoration specialists. Constantly remaining at the cutting edge of hair restoration technology, Dr. Heil brought NeoGraft to Pennsylvania in 2011 and believes there is no patient he can not assist with hair restoration.
When you’re ready to increase hair density with a hair transplant, contact us to schedule a consultation and begin your hair restoration journey.
