FKS Clinic doctor, Dr Gizem Yarımbaş states: ‘In my interviews, I first listen to the patient carefully, and try to understand his/her point of view. We all see ourselves differently in the mirror when it comes to aesthetic concerns. I think how the patient sees himself in the mirror is very important. There is no universally right age for a hair transplant. A 20-year-old patient whose hair was slightly thinned out and another 20-year-old patient whose anterior temples are completely emptied should be considered differently.

It is important to inform young patients about the hair loss process. Hair loss may continue in the years after the operation. In these cases, the patient’s donor capacity should be preserved as much as possible in the first session. For younger patients, it is not recommended to harvest high graft numbers in the first session. In the event that the hair loss continues, a second session might be necessary to cover the empty areas that will appear in the future.

A relevant question we hear often from our patients is “Is it best to wait until all my hair falls out and get it done when it’s all gone.” Dr Gizem Yarımbaş answers this question as follows: “Full coverage in a single session is not possible in full front-to-back balding, except for exceptional cases. Baling areas in Norwood scale 6-7 cannot get full coverage in one session. The number of healthy grafts that can be taken in a single session should be lower than 6000. Anything over that limit might damage the donor area, and decrease the success rate. For more detailed information, you can read the Graft numbers in the hair transplantation article.

So, It is wiser to plan 2 sessions over the years, instead of waiting for complete shedding and planning a single session. The total number of grafts that can be taken in 2 sessions is much higher than the number in a single session too. Moreover, living in your 20s and 30s without enough hair just to wait for full shedding will be a waste of time.