1. What is happening during the first consultation?
You will be examined by a Hair grafting specialized surgeon who will honestly explain to you the details of the various treatments which can be performed keeping in mind the hairstyle you wish to have. Thorough council and estimate will be provided. The consultation is critical, of importance and lasts about 45 minutes.

2. What special care do I have to observe before the surgery?
As a general rule, a blood test is required in order to check your health. You should avoid aspirin 2 weeks prior to the surgery because aspirin favours bleeding. The hair of the crown should not be too short (at least 2 cm long). The day before the surgery, you have to wash your hair using your usual shampoo. You should not come to the clinic on an empty stomach, you have to eat normally.

3. Is long hair a problem for hair grafting?
No. On the contrary the hair of the crown has to be at least 2 cm long in order to hide the extraction scar. It is not necessary to cut your hair before the transplantation. Long hair is not a problem for us.

4. Is there any scalp preparation before the surgery?
There is no need for any scalp preparation the moment the scalp is normally treated with the usual shampoo.

5. Why isn't it possible to graft somebody else hair on my scalp?
It would lead to a systematic rejection because somebody else hair will be considered as a foreign body by your own organism.

6. Is there an appropriate time to do the hair transplantation surgery?
Not at all, you can have hair transplantation at anytime. However if you are planning holidays on the sea side, it should be better to have the graft done 2 weeks prior to any swimming. Sun is not a contraindication but it is advisable to protect your head for 15 days.

7. Are grafted hairs more fragile?
No, these hairs are very strong and will grow forever. They will have the same structure of the one of the crown. You can treat your hair normally such as cutting, brushing, dying, etc

8. Is grafting appropriate to anyone?
No, some baldness patterns are very large with a very narrow crown and bad quality hair. Unfortunately, people suffering from this kind of baldness pattern cannot benefit from hair transplantation. However these cases are very rare.

9. Can women benefit from hair transplantation?
Yes, women can benefit as well as men from hair transplantation. They often have a hair fading on the top of the skull. Their hair can become thicker by hair grafting treatment.

10. Is there an age limit for hair grafting?
No, you can benefit from hair transplantation from about 20 years old till 85 years old. The most important thing remains, being in good health.

11. How many grafts can be transplanted in one single session?
This amount depends on the area to cover. It can go up to 4000 grafts that is to say more than 6000 hairs in one single session, if the quality of the crown is good.

12. Is there any pain during surgery?
No, you do not have to worry about the surgery neither during nor after. Nowadays, the techniques allow us to locally anesthetize the skin without any pain. During the session, you can chat with us, listen to music or watch a movie.

13. How long does the session last?
The session duration depends on the technique chosen and on the amount of grafts to be transplanted.
For the micrografting technique, approximately 2 hours for a 350 grafts session will be necessary and about 3 to 4 hours for a 700 grafts session.

For the ultra micrografting technique, approximately 2 hours for a 500 grafts session will be necessary, 3hours 1/2 for a 1000 grafts session, 5 to 6 hours for a 2000 grafts session and about 7 to 8 hours for a 4000 grafts session.

14. Do you shave the hair already present on the top of the head in order to transplant the grafts?
Not at all, the remaining hairs have to be kept if any. The grafts will be inserted in between the existing hairs. This is the way we proceed for partial baldness patterns with thin hair in order to recover hair density.

15. Is there any risk of infection or contamination?
There is absolutely no risk of infection or contamination. The grafted hairs are your own hairs. The surgery equipment used is sterile or one use only.

16. Can we go home safely afterwards?
Yes, you can go home safely. However, if you need to take your car for a long ride, it is advisable to have somebody with you.

17. Is it possible to have an air travel after the surgery?
Yes, travelling by air does not change anything. You can rest or sleep by leaning your seat backward.

18. Is there any treatment to follow after the surgery?
As a general rule, a light treatment (oral tablet) is prescribed for 5 days.

19. When can I start my professional activities again?
You can go back to work normally as soon as the day after the surgery.

20. When can I start practicing sports again?
You can practice sport in moderation as soon as the day after the surgery. However some violent sports as well as swimming should be avoided for 10 days.

21. When can I shampoo my hair again?
One or two days after the surgery, by using your usual shampoo.

22. Is there any special hair care to observe after the surgery?
No, hair grafting is a natural technique which does not need any particular care (product or lotion). If you are already using a capillary lotion with a Minoxidil base, you can start again two weeks after the surgery.

23. Is it necessary to remove the crown's suture?
No, the stitch used on the harvesting area is an absorbable suture and it will fall after 20 days.

24. Do I have to meet the hair specialist to have a control check up after the surgery?
No, this is not compulsory. The stitch used on the harvesting area is an absorbable suture, it will fall after 20 days. However, if you wish to come back for a control check up, you will be welcomed by us at any time. We are available by phone 24/24 hours. As a general rule, a control check up can be done after 8 months to assess the hair growth.

25. Can the scar be visible on the crown? Does hair grow on the top of the scar?
The extraction's scar is not visible and it is immediately hidden by the hair of the crown at the end of the surgery. That is the reason why the hair of the crown should be at least 2 cm long. It is just a horizontal line on the crown area. Hair grows on both sides of the scar.

26. Is the new medicine preventing hair falling effective (Finasteride or Propecia)?
Finasteride or Propecia is a medicine which has been commercialized for several years. It is available in tablet form to be taken every day and all life long. Its efficiency is variable from one individual to another and slows down hair loss at the back of the head after several months of treatment. It seems to be less efficient on the top of the head. It can exceptionally lead to adverse reactions (gynecomastia, decreasing of libido and impotency) which disappear when the treatment is interrupted. When there is a good treatment tolerance, we prescribe it for young men with early baldness patterns or as a complement to the transplantation in order to save the primitive hair.

27. How long do I have to wait after the surgery for the hair to grow again?
As a general rule, 3 months are necessary before seeing the first hair grow. They will grow at a rate of 1 to 2 cm per month.

28. Is the result guaranteed?
Yes, if a great care has been taken in extracting, cutting, and transplanting the grafts, the regrowth is guaranteed. Obviously, the hair will not all grow the same day. The regrowth takes time. But after several months, 98 % of the grafts will have grown! So the loss is insignificant.

29. Is it possible that transplanted hairs might fall one day?
No, because they have been harvested from the hair crown and therefore they are planned to grow all life long. These hairs are very resistant.

30. Is the quality the same between grafted hair and natural hair?
The growing grafted hairs are identical to the original hair. The sole difference is that they will never fall again. They are resistant.

31. When is it possible to go back to the hairdresser?
It is possible to go back to your hairdresser 20 days after the surgery. Your hairdresser is a professional who knows well about hair transplantation. He/She will be able to normally wash, cut and brush your hair but he/she will not be able to dye or bleach your hair before one month after the surgery. After this time, your hair dresser will be able to give you any capillary treatment.

32. Some centers are offering artificial hair grafting. Is there any risk in doing this?
Presently, there is no matter perfectly well integrated to the organism. Artificial hairs are considered as foreign bodies by your organism. Not only artificial hairs fall but they are cause of infections. We do not advise such treatment.

33. What is the use of Laser in capillary implantation?
Laser used in surgery allows tissue cutting. When applied to hair transplantation, it has been used by some clinics to prepare the transplantation area slits. Unfortunately, it destroys existing hair roots by burning them and it slows the healing process! Actually, Laser technique does not have any advantage! We strongly advise you against it. It has been given up by most of the hair specialists.

34. Are the consultation and the surgery practiced by doctors?
Some "capillary care centers" practice consultations and redirect the patients to hair specialists. At A Best Hair Center, the consultation and the surgery are done by the same hair doctors. You will always have surgery made by the doctor who knows you well since he/she is the same doctor who welcomed you from the first consultation.

35. Do I have to be hospitalized after the surgery?
No, hair grafting is a surgery done under local anaesthesia. It does not require staying over night in the clinic.

36. Can I go back home the next day of the surgery?
Yes, if you wish to go back home the next day, you can spend the night at a hotel located near to A Best Hair Center. To book your hotel room, please check in the Useful Information page.

37. Are there any surgical techniques other than hair transplantation to treat baldness?
Yes, apart from hair transplantation, other techniques exist, such as the flaps technique, scalp technique, and the tissue expansion technique (temporarily implanted balloon like device or expanders) but they are less and less used nowadays.

The scalp flaps technique consists in taking large areas of hair-bearing scalp transplanted from the back of the neck to the bald area. This technique is used only in very special cases. Despite giving a high hair density it does not allow homogeneous hair therefore the result is far from being natural. Moreover this technique is prone to lead to high necrosis risks (cell death) and large scars. This heavy technique is generally used in plastic surgery (accident, burns...)

The scalp reduction technique consists in excising bald areas at the top of the head and the adjacent hair-bearing scalp can be stretched to fill in the defect. This can be called a "scalp lifting". The inconvenience of this technique is the scar which is left on the top of the skull. This technique can be advised when the skin on the top of the head is very loose but it does not exempt the patient from doing hair grafting afterwards.

The expander's technique is very like the scalp reduction technique. It needs several surgeries. It consists in implanting under the scalp lateral hooks linked by rubber bands. These rubber bands will progressively move closer together the hairy sides of the crown after several weeks. The hooks and the rubber bands are then removed as well as the skin excess. It does not exempt the patient from doing hair grafting afterwards. This is a heavy, painful technique hardly practiced by surgeons.
The implanted balloon like device technique is very like the expander's technique except that a balloon like device is implanted under the skin instead of a rubber band. It is weekly filled with fluid to stretch the adjacent normal hair bearing skin. The major disadvantage of the technique is the unsightliness of the bulge during the expansion process which stops the patient to have any normal social life for several weeks. This heavy technique is generally used in plastic surgery (accident, burns...)

38. I am having capillary prosthesis; is it possible to plan hair grafting?
Hair grafting is possible for the patients wishing to get rid of their prosthesis. It is obvious that hair grafting can be done depending on the good quality of the crown's hair and a mild baldness pattern. Once hair grafting is planned; your usual prosthesist shall fix the prosthesis with clips or mini hooks without using any plaiting or glue. Then you will be able to take it off and put it back whenever you feel like. Therefore, on the surgery day you will be able to go back home wearing your prosthesis without anybody noticing it. Your prosthesis can be taken off permanently once your hair has grown enough. You should know that the capillary density of the prosthesis is artificial and you should not expect the grafted hairs to give you the same appearance you had with the prosthesis.

39. It is said that hair grafting is cheaper in the U.S.A than in France, is it true?
Not at all, despite of the fact that hair grafting, particularly ultra micrografting has been widely practiced in the USA for several years; it still remains more expensive than in France. The surgery cost is calculated according to the amount of transplanted grafts. It is done on an average basis and costs around 6US$ per graft. For the same technique, A Best Hair Center charges appreciatively 3.66€ per graft i.e. nearly 50% cheaper!

40. How do you calculate the cost of the surgery?
The surgery cost depends on the exact amount of grafts that will be transplanted in one session. The more grafts there are the more the price will increase. A flat fee meaning "we will do our best..." without specifying the exact amount of grafts does not seem to be a good solution. Indeed a good scalp examination will determine the minimum amount of grafts to be transplanted.

41. How do you calculate the amount of grafts obtained in the course of the surgery?
While the grafts are dissected, every ten minutes each assistant counts one by one the grafts he has dissected. This amount is recorded on a special count sheet. At the end of the intervention, the total amount is calculated from the individual count sheets. Most of the time, this amount is far higher than the one planned previously without adding extra charges and this to our client great satisfaction!

42. Why does the cost of surgery vary from one center to another?
This is due to the freedom of cost. The cost should depend on the precise amount of grafts transplanted per session. In A Best Hair Center, state of the art technological equipments along with our know-how allow us not only to increase the amount of grafts but also to reduce the surgery duration without bringing down the quality of the results. Therefore the cost is decreased and there is no "intermediary". Don't hesitate to get other information from other centers, to compare similar techniques and never forget to get a detailed written estimate specifying the exact amount of grafts and the price.

43. I have already had a hair transplant surgery to treat my baldness. Is it possible to improve my appearance as my grafts can be seen on the front of the head?
Yes, it is possible to improve the aesthetical appearance of patients who have already been treated with older techniques. Ultra micrografting is particularly indicated to correct a "Barbie Doll" look by hiding the frontal line with a natural hair border once it has started to grow again.

45. Do we have to do several hair transplant sessions to treat baldness?
Not necessarily, a baldness pattern can be corrected in one session depending on its width, its stability, the remaining hairs quality, height and flexibility of the crown, and also it depends on the hairstyle you wish to have. However, it is not rare to undergo several sessions in order to obtain a bigger hair body. There is no objection in grafting an already transplanted area.

46. I am planning to have several hair transplantation sessions. How long shall I wait between two sessions?
Usually, the average wait between two grafting sessions is about 3 to 6 months. Normally, this period allows you to assess the hair regrowth as well as the flexibility of the crown. Then you can plan a new session. Be that as it may, everything that has been acquired in the first session remains. The sessions are independent. They are added one to another.

47. Is it possible to do another hair grafting on an area which has been already transplanted?
Yes, it is possible to transplant new grafts between the grafts previously transplanted without any damage. This is the case when someone wishes to make a fading hair thicker.

48. Why other clinics do not offer such a large amount of grafts in one single session as A Best Hair Center?
A Best Hair Center is practically the only center in Europe to offer safely very large hair grafting sessions up to 4000 grafts (i.e. more than 6000 hairs) as far the crown has all the required criteria .This is due to our very special know how that has been acquired for many years using new specific technologies.

49. I have heard about "hair cloning". Is it possible?
It is true that science allows us today to clone identical ewe, but it is much different than reproducing hairs which would have been harvested from one patient and reproduced by thousands in laboratories! A hair is not a cell but it is a very complex and genuine organism constituted of tissues from various origins. Dreaming of growing a hair would be equivalent to clone a complex organism such as a human eye. For the moment, this comes close to being science fiction...