The Philosophy of Hair Restoration

To get the best hair treatment results from hair transplants, medication or hair restoration, it is essential to consider how the different treatments available work and the timing of them.

Each treatment treats the hair loss in different ways and “one size” does not fit all. Often these treatments are combined and some are more appropriate at different stages of hair loss – The philosophy of hair restoration

Early hair Loss – Norwood 2 -3

In the early stages, particularly in the younger years (20 – 35 years), it is a good idea to think about preventative hair loss treatments. It is a fact that modern medicines available now and well proven to work and be safe, are able to stop, reduce or even regrow male pattern hair loss in 90% of men! We realise that not everybody likes the idea of taking medication but on the other hand, such effective treatments cannot be discounted out of hand. These include Propecia, Regaine and Avodart (aka Finasteride, Minoxidil and Dutasteride).

Medium hair loss – Norwood 3-5

Once you have some hair loss, either on the temples, frontal or crown regions, it is unlikely that medications alone will regrow that hair. A decision then needs to be made whether hair transplants are the answer for you. It is important to be realistic – a low, teenage or 20’s hairline is not a good idea for a number of reasons. As you age, a youthful hairline will tend to look odd. In addition, it requires a large number of hair grafts to achieve and these will not then be useable later, if you start losing hair further back. But a good strong hairline and frontal thickness, albeit receding, suggests youthful vigour but is very natural looking. It is still important to consider medication as retaining as much hair as possible will give a better long term result.

Advanced hair loss – Norwood 6-7

At this stage, although medication may help retain some hair and hair quality in particular, too much hair has been lost to achieve a full look without other treatments, such as hair transplants or wigs. The focus should be hair transplanting to the front, restoring a hair line and mid vertex. If a good donor allows, then the crown may also be transplanted for a full coverage.