Q: Is there enough hair in the back of the head for a hair transplantation?

“Considering Transplant” left me a couple of interesting questions in the Chat Box over on the left part of the page, and I thought I would answer them in an entry.

First was, "I'm having trouble believing that the back of one's head has enough hair to keep itself looking full as well as supplying hair for transplantation to the top. Is that really the case?"

Well CT, the answer is yes. It may be helpful if I explain in a little more detail how the donor area works.  When you go in for your restoration, the Bosley doctor actually removes a strip of tissue from the back of your scalp. He’s not just taking out hair or follicles, it’s a full-on strip of skin. Once this donor tissue is removed, the doctor artistically sutures the skin on the back of your head back together. So aesthetically speaking, there is no loss of hair on the back of your head. You can check out a picture from 2 days after my procedure to see how this actually looks. Or, for that matter, look at any of the current photos showing the back of my head.

There is, of course, a limited amount of donor tissue available – basically you can only remove so much from the back of your head before you start to look a little funny. The most procedures I’ve ever heard of one person getting is three – it seems that three procedures’ worth of hair is what’s available to most men in terms of their donor area. Of course, this varies with each individual – some may have more or less donor area available.