Meeting a patient’s expectation of density is the second most important goal in goals in hair transplantation right behind naturalness. What a patient wants to know is how much area can be covered and how thick will it look. The answer to these questions varies extensively depending on a number of factors. The good news is that if a patient is a good candidate meeting expectations of density can be achieved.

However, meeting density expectations can be difficult due to the constraints of a limited donor supply. The amount of hair available from the donor area is limited and less then the amount of hair that originally existed in the recipient area before hair loss started. Therefore we can never re-create the true,”hair for hair”,density (hair/unit area) that existed before hair loss started. As a consequence, a critical challenge in hair restoration surgery is to create the best illusion of density at lower than normal densities. Fortunately this illusion of density or appearance of fullness can be created with much less than the original amount of hair. The maximum degree of density that can be achieved varies from patient to patient and is determined by many factors including: donor supply, current hair loss, future hair loss and hair characteristics (colour curl and caliber).

To achieve maximum density a physician must have the two distinct skill sets. First he must have the skill to move large numbers of delicate grafts in a way that ensures the maximum survival and minimal waste of each precious hair. However, simply being able to move large numbers hairs is not enough. A second, equally as important is to know how to move the hair in the most effective way possible. By effective we mean utilizing patterns, distributions and techniques that create the greatest appearance of fullness with the least amount of hair. Skill and experience in these two areas will determine if a surgeon is able to enable a patient to reach his maximum potential.

Dr. Ron Shapiro.