Hair Restoration

A graft is a small tissue unit containing 1–5 hair follicles. When transplanted, all follicles in that graft are moved, restoring density. Note, these are not the “plugs” of the past, these are the natural groupings your hair exists in.

• A hair follicle is the microscopic structure beneath the skin that produces a single strand of hair.
• A hair graft is a unit containing tissue and one or more of these follicles. When we transplant a graft, we are transplanting all of the follicles within it. Hence the term follicular unit extraction.

This depends on your level of hair loss, donor supply, and goals. A typical single procedure averages around 2,000 grafts. Reconstructing a hairline may require 800–1,200 grafts, while a crown could take 1,200+ depending on size. We use the Norwood Scale for most patients to assess and plan appropriately. If your hair loss is still progressing, we need to stabilize hair loss with medication and plan carefully to preserve donor supply for potential future procedures.

Surgeons divide the scalp into zones – the frontal hairline, temples, mid-scalp, and crown. Each zone has a typical graft requirement for adequate coverage. For example, reconstructing a natural hairline may take 800–1,200 grafts, while filling the crown alone may require 1200 or more depending on its size. We also assess your hair loss using scales such as the Norwood Scale. These scales map the progression of common hair loss patterns, which helps guide how many grafts are likely needed and how hair loss may progress.

The permanent donor zone is the back and sides of the scalp, most resistant to genetic balding. Overharvesting can cause thinning or scarring. Most patients can safely yield a few thousand grafts across their lifetime.

Most patients can safely receive up to 2,000 grafts in a single day. In select cases with excellent donor density, more may be possible, though larger cases are often staged across multiple procedures. Large “mega sessions” of thousands of grafts may seem appealing, but harvesting too many grafts at once risks over-thinning the donor area to the point that it cannot recover, and lowers graft survival because. Packing thousands of hairs into one sitting also stresses the scalp and impairs healing. Staging procedures in planned sessions preserves graft quality, scalp health, and donor reserves for the best long-term results. This is why clinics advertising unusually high graft counts should be approached with caution.

Most patients report minimal discomfort during the procedure. Local anesthesia is used to numb the scalp, and mild soreness may be felt for a few days afterward.

Initial shedding occurs in the first month, with new growth appearing by three to four months. Final, permanent results are typically visible within 9 to 12 months.

Many patients achieve their desired results in one session, but larger treatment areas or more advanced hair loss may require multiple sessions.

Hair transplants replace hair in balding areas but do not stop ongoing loss. If you are still losing hair, medical therapy (such as finasteride, dutasteride, or topical/oral minoxidil) or regenerative options (like PRP or exosomes) will be recommended before or alongside surgery to stabilize your hair loss. Stabilizing your hair loss can reduce the number of grafts required now and protect your hair for the future. We cannot implant ‘extra’ on top of existing hair to enhance the area against anticipated future loss. Hair can only be implanted where hair currently is not.

Patients may need multiple hair transplants over time to fill larger areas. 

Some patients have balding areas that exceed the size of the donor area. In this case, it would not be possible to treat all balding areas as there is simply not enough donor area to cover the space needed, but we can prioritize which areas to treat. 

Our hair experts can plan for this and discuss realistic expectations and additional therapies.

Yes! Ideally hair transplant should be combined with topical or oral medication, microneedling/PRP or PDGF and/or exosomes for the best results. Patients often combine hair restoration with treatments, facial balancing, or other cosmetic procedures offered at AR Aesthetics for enhanced results.

Risks are minimal but may include infection, temporary numbness, swelling, or uneven growth. Choosing an experienced provider, such as Dr. Ibrahim, significantly reduces these risks.