Hair Loss Questions & Answers

Here are some frequently asked hair loss questions and answers you may find helpful.

As always if you don’t find the answers to your hair restoration questions feel welcome to contact our team in New York City or Columbus, OH to get your questions answered so that you’re not left fumbling around in the dark trying to find the best hair restoration treatment for you.

Every Frank & Honest Hair Consultation is personalized and we only recommend treatment that is best for the client, no pushy upsells or scare tactics used at our office.

Questions About Hair Transplants (AKA Surgical Hair Restoration)

How long do hair transplant results last?

A very common question is are transplants a permanent solution for hair Loss? The short answer is — yes, transplants are permanent. However, many factors affect hair transplant outcomes, and not everyone is a good candidate for a hair transplant.

Some patients benefit more from hair restoration treatments such as low level laser light therapy, while others can benefit more from taking oral or topical minoxidil and finasteride (aka Propecia).

Ultimately each patients treatment needs to be tailored to fit their needs, and the best person to help do that is a qualified hair restoration doctor.

Which is the Best Hair Transplant? Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) or a Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT)?

This questions comes out thinking there is a bigger difference between FUE (or “follicular unit extraction”) and Follicular Unit Transplants (FUT) (aka strip harvesting) then there really is.

Both are highly similar ways of permanently transplanting hair from an area of the scalp that has hair to an area that has lost it, but both are excellent methods of transplanting hair.

There are differences between these two techniques, but those difference have much to do with addressing the needs of different types of hair loss sufferers.

Another major difference between the two techniques is preference. Some patients actually prefer the FUT over the FUE because theres no shaving required of the donor area and FUT can mean they can get back to work and their normal life without folks noticing they had a procedure done.

FUE is a great option for someone with a large donor area as the follicles are plucked across the area and are spread out so as not to make one spot more apparent than any of the others.

A properly done FUE can be hardly noticeable in the donor area, however a properly done FUT can also be equally indistinguishable when the suture is done correctly. I personally had he FUT and I love the results I had, my scare is barely noticeable and you couldn’t tell where it was unless I pointed it out.

Fortunately we offer both options for patients and go over all the reasons to do either hair transplant technique in our no risk consulations with patients.

Can A Hair Transplant Fail Years After Having A Hair Transplant?

It’s very unlikely that a transplant will fail after years of the transplant being done; however, it is possible. The reasons why hair transplants fail are often caused by a lack of post op care on the patients part, though it does sometimes occur from a poorly done hair transplant. 

In the event that you have a hair restoration doctor who over harvests your donor area or doesn’t educate you properly on how to care for the newly transplanted follicles, sometimes patients lose the ability to transplant more hair in follow up procedures.

This is why its so important to make sure you’re working with a qualified, and licensed, hair restoration physician who has experience in performing these procedures. Someone fresh out of medical school, or having only been to hair transplant tech school, isn’t fully qualified to be removing and moving follicles from the back of your head and moving them to where you need them.

There are several nuances to hair restoration that most people can’t gain from just watching youtube videos or seeing tiktocks from popular influencers. It takes years of practice and a specialized team of 3 techs and a licensed medical doctor in hair transplants to ensure a flawless transplant, and the patient being properly educated on the process of nurturing the newly transplanted hairs.

A simple saline solution used to moisten the area is all you need, that and making sure not to touch (not just scrub or rub the hairs) but even brushing your hand across it in the first 6-8 weeks post op, can cause the hairs to be jarred out of place resulting in a failed hair transplant.

when done properly, and cared for correctly, most hair transplants take. After the 12 month mark it’s highly unlikely that hairs will “fall out” or be removed, and the donor hairs are stronger and more resistant to DHT (the hormone that your body produces that kills the hairs on the top of your head).

How well do hair transplants work?

Hair transplants, when supervised by a licensed hair transplant doctor and performed with a seasoned team of hair transplant technicians (no less than 2 techs and the medical doctor) can result in truly permanent restoration of hair to a given area.

Hair transplants alone are usually not the only way to help restore your hair. Taking topical or oral finasteride (aka propecia) in conjunction with a regiment of low level laser therapy and a surgical hair procedure are the best ways currently known to truly restore your natural hair line and get you looking 5-10 years younger.

Our very own Dr. John Frank has been experiencing hair loss since the age of 24 and has been using low level laser therapy in conjunction with topical and oral finasteride to combat the DHT that is naturally produced in most hair loss patients bodies, and has undergone an FUT (follicular unit transplant) to permanently move follicles from the back of his head to the front of his head giving him a more youthful look and a “full head of hair”.

Many people experiencing balding or hair regression feel that surgical hair restoration may be too far out of reach due to costs or thinking they are too far gone, however it is often the contrary. Taking practical action to prevent DHT from destroying your hair follicles and proactively stimulating the hair follicles you do have through treatment such as low level laser therapy, can not only help prevent further hair loss but actually make you a better candidate for hair restoration surgery.

What are some of the common problems & is there such a thing as hair transplant failure?

As mentioned above, there can be hair transplant failure when the surgery is performed in a factory line style fashion. Mistakes can be made, and follicles can be lost.

That’s why it’s so important to have a qualified hair transplant doctor, and team of expert technicians, perform the delicate process of transplanting your hair. Leaving the follicles out for too long from a saline solution, or over harvesting the donor area are common issues that are faced in hair clinics overseas and the “price per graft” promoters states side.

Many hair clinics are in such a rush to perform as many surgeries as possible they don’t provide the time and attention before, during and after the procedure to properly educate patients on the procedure, outcome, and follow up care to ensure a successful hair transplant.

For these reasons it’s important you ask your provider how many procedures they’ve done, what is the process like, and what is the follow up care like on your part to ensure each and every follicle you get transplanted has the best chance at taking.

What Does a Hair Transplant Cost & Why Does It Cost What It Costs?

It’s important to understand how hair transplants are priced in the hair replacement industry to get the best value for your money.

There are several factors that go into pricing a hair transplant, some of which include the number of grafts one needs to give a restorative look and feel to your hair line, whether or not you have had a procedure in the past and if so does your donor area have enough to take from for an FUT or would an FUE from the sides outside the donor area be more effective.

Some other considerations are how curly or straight your hair is. Believe it or not, curly hair is actually more difficult for a hair transplant technician and doctor to work with. The angle has to be just right and modern machines, like the arvis and neograft, are promoted as being “faster” and “better” than a set of hands, but they often times miss as much as 25% of the possible grafts perfect for transplanting to the area that’s affected.

This is one of the other reasons why a hand done hair transplant may cost a little bit more, but the results end up being far superior to a robotic transplant.

One of the other reason for hair transplants costing what they cost is the level of care that a hair transplant and their doctor need to provide post operation.

What Do Differently At The John Frank MD Hair Clinics

In our office, patients are followed up with and advised on how to best care for their newly transplanted hairs, and this all takes time. Time away from performing more procedures and making more money for the business. Which is why often times you’ll find cheaper options overseas or in the “big box” hair transplant clinics who price their transplants on a per graft basis.

However one of the challenges to going to the bigger names is that you’re often times quoted one price on the call or in the consultation and they sometimes split grafts to reach the number of follicular units and try to upsell more for a higher price. This is called “bait and switch” and because the nature of the transplanted patient being less educated and unable to count the number of grafts on the spot it’s rather difficult for you to prove they didn’t transplant the number of grafts.

Could you go home and count them yourself, sure, but lets face it you probably wont. You’ll just trust that they actually did the work they said they were going to do. For that reason we don’t price on a per graft basis, instead we go for the maximum number of hair follicles we can on your first visit so that you can have more hairs regrow faster and notice better results 6, 8 and 12 months from the procedure.

Additionally many hair transplant doctors recommend topical or oral finasteride to help combat further hair loss. We do for every patient unless they are allergic or have a negative reaction, and many of our patients prefer to also use our low level laser light caps that help to rejuvenate the thin follicles and regrow hair.

This combined with a properly done hair transplant can result in wonderful full hair again.

Questions About Hair Loss Prevention & Treatment Drugs

Can DHEA cause hair loss?

DHEA is often touted as a wonder drug that restores youth and vitality, but many people worry that it can cause hair loss. If you’re talking DHEA, should you be worried about hair loss? We think so. If you’d like to learn more about DHEA and hair loss then you can do so by reading this article: DHEA hair loss prevention

What’s the latest word on Propecia (Finasteride) & Sexual Side Effects in Men?

There’s definitely a lot of worry & concern in some men out there, but the evidence to date suggests the level of worry is overblown. While a very tiny proportion of users have experienced problems, the vast majority of users have not. Hears a great article we wrote on DHEA and hair loss prevention

How Effective Is Propecia and When Should I Start Taking It?

Propecia is the hair loss drug of choice in our office. It’s highly effective and is best taken as soon as possible to prevent hair loss in both men and women.

It’s always recommended that you consult with a medical processional first before taking propecia because it can negatively react with other drugs or you could have an adverse reaction to the drug and it would be a little to late after you’ve started taking it to speak with a doctor to prevent it from happening. To learn more about Propecia and hair loss it’s recommended you check out this article or simply schedule a Frank & Honest Hair Consultation with Dr. Frank to learn more about how we can help you stop hair loss in its tracks.

Can Zoloft & Other Antidepressants Cause Hair Loss?

It’s bad enough to be depressed. Now research suggest that Zoloft & other antidepressants can cause hair loss but fortunately, if hair loss occurs, it is rarely permanent. To learn more about zoloft and the potential hair loss effects we recommend you read this article titled: Does Zoloft Cause Hair Loss?

How I Can I Tell If My Female Hair Loss Is Permanent or Temporary?

In this article we try to give women some general guidance to help them assess the severity of their hair loss.

Every woman is different; however, the main cause of hair loss is from a hormone your body is producing called DHT (dihydrotestosterone) and is the main cause of hair loss in women. This is an article we wrote on female hair loss and how to combat it effectively with both surgical and non-surgical treatments: Female Pattern Baldness

Here’s another article we wrote that is all about female pattern hair loss on Hive health Media.

Can You Slow or Prevent Age Related Hair Loss?

In this HiveHealthMedia.com article we lay out an effective defensive strategy against age related hair loss, some common food staples that one can add to their diet to help combat age related hair loss.

Hair Care & Hair Loss Prevention & Treatment Q&A

What are the latest research & findings about female hair loss and treatment?

Female hair loss, also known as Female pattern baldness, is very complicated. Unlike male pattern baldness which is often caused by excess DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in the body not being processed effectively, female pattern baldness is caused by many different reasons.

Here we go into more detail about some of the causes of female pattern baldness and solutions that one can take to restore their more youthful hair line and look.

Have more Hair Loss Questions & Answers?

Contact our team to schedule a Frank & Honest Hair Consultation and learn what hair loss solutions could be best for you to try.

Often times a simple regiment of properly timed finasteride, along with low level laser therapy is all you need to get your hair back on track, but many patients benefit from surgical procedures too if they are suffering from scaring, follicular decline, or hair that has been destroyed due to chemicals or burns.