Hair Transplants for Men


Male hair loss is a common problem, it is believed that hair loss will affect two out of every three men, and is a problem that many men look to have rectified through the use of reconstructive therapy or hair transplants.  Within the U.S. hair transplants are among the most common aesthetic surgeries performed for men.  The technique has been used and experimented with for over 50 years, and now has reached a point where the results can be almost invisible to someone with no knowledge of the procedure.

There are three main forms of hair transplant grafts that are used today:


  • Strip grafting - This is where a large strip of healthy hair and scalp is removed and then cut up into smaller parts to then be applied to the necessary sites
  • Micrografting - using smaller grafts of up to 6 hairs to produce a very natural looking finish
  • FUE, Follicle Unit Extraction - Using a punching tool to only remove individual hair follicles which are then applied to the bald or thinning area

It is common in modern surgery to have a combination of techniques used to complete your hair transplant.  Usually the surgery will last around an hour or so, but as with so many cosmetic procedures everybody is different.  The more hair follicles that need to be transplanted, the longer the surgery will last.  The cost of a hair transplant is also dependant on the amount of hair to be transplanted as well as the techniques that you wish to have used within the surgery. 

Reasons for Male Hair Loss

You naturally lose hair on a regular basis as your hair goes through its natural cycles.  Usually your hair grows continuously for 2 to 3 years, it enters a resting phase for around 3 or 4 months, and then it falls out.  As it does so new hair starts to grow in its place.  Around 10% of your hair is resting, and will fall out, this is normal and will be the reason for the hair being left on your hairbrush every day.  Sometimes, however, there will be an increase in the amount of hair that is falling from your scalp, and there are many reasons for this.

There are some conditions that quicken the pace of hair loss, however the reason you will lose your hair is due to hormones and genetics.  Testosterone influences the hairs at the top and front of your scalp, making these the most likely to be lost first, leaving you with a ring of hair around the sides of your head.  Hormones don’t affect this area of hair, which is why in the majority of men they retain hair within this area.  Although hormones have been positively linked to hair loss the exact interaction between hair follicles and testosterone is not completely known.  It is believed that there is a correlation between follicle sensitivity rather than an abundance of testosterone. 

Genetically you are also more likely to lose your hair around the same time in your life as your father did, a condition known as alopecia androgenetica.  Your fathers’ hair loss is a good indicator, but hair loss is thought to run strongest down your maternal side, meaning that the males on your mothers’ side of your family hold the strongest indicator of your hair loss.  This is shown strongest when looking at hair loss within race, with Caucasians and Afro-Caribbeans the most likely to lose their hair, Chinese and Japanese very unlikely to lose their hair and Native Americans almost certain to retain theirs due to genetics. 

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