Because male pattern baldness is progressive and has no cure, the probability of needing more than one procedure in one's lifetime is very high. And if there is family history of male pattern baldness into the more advanced classes (as noted on the Norwood scale), you can bet your boots one procedure will not be enough.
Many patients including myself started their hair restoration in the frontal zone and even into the mid-scalp. So once we begin surgical hair restoration, we are then committed to more future surgery because typically we continue to lose more and more of our natural hair. This is especially noted in folks with a diffusing pattern. The trauma to the scalp caused by the recipient incisions can shock out the surrounding natural diffused hair so guess what? More surgery.
That's why I am so fanatic about encouraging any patient seeking surgical hair restoration to think in terms of lifetime potential for loss as well as getting their donor reserves estimated. If there is not enough donor to meet their own individual goal, then why get started. That will only set someone up for disappointment.
So obviously anyone's goals need to be realistic because our limited donor will never be enough to replace original density. But the good thing is that hair restoration is a visual illusion, we don't need to replace original density levels. The available grafts we do have for transplantation then must be carefully weighed as to where they will go so we do not end up with isolated islands of transplanted hair that does not produce a natural progressive look or pattern.
One last thought. If someone really thinks there is high probability that they will end up permanently shaving or buzzing their scalp, think twice about getting started on a hair transplant. Or at least consider doing FUE on a small scale so that possibilty remains a viable future option. :wink:
