Can Hair Transplantation Be Done More Than Once?

We know how life-changing and self-confident experience hair transplantation is. However, if you had a hair transplant when you were very young, for example in your twenties, you may notice that the areas of initial baldness gradually enlarge over time. In this case, while your hair in the transplanted area still looks bushy and healthy, there may be lightening and thinning in the surrounding areas.

The only reason for this is not always hair transplantation performed at a young age. Your hair loss rate and shape may be unpredictable, or hair loss may spread to different areas, so thinning and opening may occur in new areas.

Whatever the case, don't worry. Having more than one hair transplant is a very normal and natural process.

It All Depends On How Strong The Hair Roots In The Donor Area Are

How many times you can have a hair transplant will of course depend on the amount of hair follicles to be used for hair transplant. Hair follicles to be used in hair transplantation are generally located at the back of the head, at ear level. This area is known as the “safe donor area” and contains strong hair follicles that grow strong hairs that are unaffected by the hormones and genetic factors that cause hair loss. During the first hair transplant, your doctor will take the hair follicles from this area and transfer them to the areas to be transplanted.

All humans have a limited number of hair follicles, some of which are strong and some are weak. If the number of strong hair follicles is small or the donor area is small, a second hair transplant may not be beneficial. Our specialist doctors will advise you on this issue and only do hair transplantation if they think it will be successful.

If you want to have a second hair transplant, you are expected to have experienced one or more of the following:

• Your hair density in the transplanted area is insufficient
• Your transplanted hair is weak and falling out.
• Due to the so-called 'shock loss', your hair is constantly falling out and new hair does not grow.
• You are not satisfied with your new hairline or your hair looks like it has been filled
• Hair transplantation was not successful

Let's take a closer look at each of these:

Hair Density

If your new hair looks thinner than your natural hair after the first hair transplant, you may consider having a second hair transplant. This is usually a natural result of taking healthy hair follicles from a small area at the back of the head and transplanting them to a larger area. Your doctor will explain to you during the first procedure that a second hair transplant will be necessary.

In his early twenties, a young man usually has 100,000 hairs on his head. When we realize that our hair is thinning and decide to take action, we have already lost about half of these hairs. For a successful hair transplant procedure, approximately 2,500 to 4,000 hair follicles should be collected from the donor area. In case of taking more hair follicles, there is a risk of remaining open areas at the back of the head. Therefore, when we consider that 2,500 to 4,000 hair follicles are used to cover a large area with many more hairs before, we can understand why a second hair transplant is often necessary to achieve the ideal hair density.

Hair Removed from Weak Hair Follicles

Because the hair follicles taken from the donor area were weak in the first hair transplant, patients who did not get the desired result and who sought advice on a second hair transplant also come to our clinic. Removing hair follicles from outside the safe donor area inevitably leads to substandard results.

This is because these follicles and the hairs growing out of them are weak and susceptible to hormonal and genetic risk factors for hair loss.

Taking these weak hair follicles from one place to another does not solve the problem – they continue to be affected by hair loss risk factors. The transplanted hair will begin to thin and fall out in the same way, causing disappointment and sadness.

An experienced and expert hair transplant center knows exactly where the strongest donor area on the scalp is and does not use the weak follicles outside this area.

Although it sounds very tempting, do not ask your doctor to take as many hair follicles as possible and transplant them. Our doctors will definitely avoid using weak hair follicles from areas other than strong hair follicles, but people who do not care about inexperienced and ethical behavior can take this risk to earn more money.

There are many hair follicles in your scalp that can be successfully transplanted per square centimeter. However, planting too many hair follicles per unit area will result in shedding of some of them as they cannot be fed enough. Transplanting too many hair follicles to one area may also adversely affect the existing hair in the transplanted area.

Hair That Does Not Grow Again After Shock Shedding

Although the hair transplantation process is performed as precisely as possible, newly transplanted follicles may go through a process called 'shock shedding'. Because when the delicate follicles are removed from the scalp and transplanted to another location, the scalp experiences a 'shock'-like trauma. This is completely normal and affects women more than men. Shock shedding is the process of shedding the newly transplanted hair within a week or two.

You may panic when you see that your new hair, which you have been patiently waiting for hours to be planted, begins to fall out. However, with minor exceptions, new hairs will grow in a few months and they will be permanent.

It's very rare for new hair to not grow after shock shedding, but if you're concerned, make an appointment to see your doctor again.

Hairline and Filling Appearance After Hair Transplantation

The most common reason for having a second hair transplant is that patients are not satisfied with the hairline created in the first procedure. Incorrect determination of the front hairline can cause the hair to be set too far back or have an unnatural shape. An experienced and specialist doctor will take your opinion and create a hairline to avoid this event and make sure you are satisfied with the desired result before starting. However, some centers or doctors can act without the patient's opinion.

Similarly, if the first hair transplant operation did not completely cover the area with hair loss, you can request a second hair transplant procedure. Talk to your surgeon about how you want your hairline to look.

Hair transplantation does not completely solve the general hair loss problem, that is, your hair on the top, front and sides of the head will continue to fall out. Successfully transplanted new hair will remain in place as it comes from genetically stronger donor follicles. However, when your existing natural hair falls out, new hair can be opened up and this can lead to the appearance of filling. If there are enough healthy hair follicles in the donor area, a second hair transplant can help correct this situation.

Failed Hair Transplant

You may have chosen a hair center without doing enough research and found yourself in the hands of a non-specialist. You may be tempted by cheap prices, attractive advertisements or a luxury image hair transplant center. If the hair transplant procedure was unsuccessful or the result was disappointing, our team can assist you.

Our specialist doctors and experienced hair transplant team have carried out many corrections to date and ensured that patients have the hair they want.

Whatever your reason for wanting a second hair transplant, they are all very valid reasons for us.

You deserve to look and feel better, so make an appointment now and talk to our specialist doctor.