Is shaving head necessary for hair transplant?

One of most popular and of course the most effective ways to have natural and long-lasting hair is hair transplantation. In this method, hair grafts are transplanted to empty parts of head, and for this reason, there will be no sensitivity or rejection of transplanted organ for patient. During the years that hair transplantation has been performed in world, scientists have invented various methods. The methods that have progressed over time and have created better results and less problems for applicants.

One of the problems that people had at time of hair transplantation was the need to shave all head hair before procedure. In older methods of hair transplantation, it was necessary to shave all hair on person's head in order to better identify suitable grafts. This made the implant site more visible and affected person's beauty. Fortunately, today there are methods that provide the possibility of hair transplantation without shaving head, so that applicants, especially women, can do this without worrying.

Stay with us until end of this article to know the best methods of hair transplantation without shaving.

Why do we need to shave our head before hair transplant?

Shaving head hair before transplant operation has always been a problem, especially for women, and many of them would like to know if this is really necessary? In procedures where the graft is harvested in a granular manner or the applicant has many white hairs, the doctor shaves harvested area to better identify grafts position. In addition, in order for the density and uniformity of hair in recipient area to be as expected by applicant, part of hair around this area is also shaved so that doctor has sufficient control over determining exact grafts location.

This shows that shaving head is necessary for hair transplantation; but today, there are methods that do not require shaving. In these procedures, it is even recommended to keep your hair long so that harvested area is completely covered until it heals. The important thing is that these methods cannot be used for all people and the doctor must determine whether the applicant is a suitable candidate for this work or not. Hair transplantation is usually used for women without shaving head; but it is also possible for men depending on their conditions.

What people do not need to shave their head for hair transplantation?

Among the applicants for hair transplant, there are some people who like to look completely natural and beautiful during treatment process, and others do not notice that they have done this operation as much as possible. Usually famous people such as actors and athletes have this request from doctor due to the nature of their job. In addition, usually women also apply for hair transplant in these ways and they do not like to shave their hair completely for transplant procedure.

In contrast to those who have long hair that interferes with the doctor's work or can lead to transmission of infection, it is better to shave or at least trim their hair in areas of implantation and harvest.

Hair transplant methods without shaving head

Currently, there are many methods for hair transplantation, some of which do not require cutting or shaving hair. In the following section, we will introduce these methods.

FUT hair transplant

FUT hair transplantation is one of the oldest methods of harvesting and planting grafts, which usually creates a large scar on head. Today, this method has been improved to a great extent, and with the use of new techniques, its sutures are no longer recognizable, and it is used for people who have extensive baldness.

In modern FUT procedure, the doctor only shaves hairs of harvesting strip so that they do not become a problem when the follicles are isolated under microscope. In this method, the extraction site is a very small rectangle that is easily hidden under person's long hair.

Super FUE hair transplant

In Super FUE hair transplantation, grafts are harvested individually. This method is less invasive compared to FUT and does not leave scars. This is the reason why it has gained many fans in recent years. Depending on density of individual's hair bank and number of grafts needed to be harvested, this procedure can be performed both without shaving and with shaving.

The part that differentiates this method from other hair transplant methods is careful checks that are done before transplant. In Super FUE, the doctor controls condition of individual's hair with help of different devices and harvests grafts after adjusting device.

In this way, the hair follicles are less damaged and a higher percentage of them reach the growth stage. Doctors usually perform Super FUE implantation for women; but in cases where the woman has very thick or long hair, it is necessary to shave side parts of harvesting area.

DHI hair transplant

DHI hair transplantation is exactly similar to FUE; with difference that the harvested grafts are placed directly in recipient area with help of a Choi pen. In DHI, harvesting and planting are done at the same time, and hair grafts are not placed in outside environment at all. For this reason, the possibility of damaging the grafts is much less and usually creates a better density. This method, known as direct implantation, is a very good solution for people who do not like to shave their hair.

Hair transplant by Micrograft method

In micrograft method, very accurate micrometer devices are used to harvest grafts, and skin tissues along with hair follicles are not removed. This issue increases the speed of harvesting grafts and their preparation, and it is possible to place more grafts in desired location in one session; As a result, hair density will increase.

Considering that very delicate devices are used in Micrograft method, the doctor may not ask you to shave your hair and perform the procedure without shaving or even cutting your hair.

Advantages and disadvantages of hair transplant without shaving

Usually, in hair transplant methods without shaving, the doctor cuts hair in donor and transplant area; but there is no need to use a razor or Gillette to do this. This work has advantages that we will explain below.

• The person's appearance remains completely unchanged.
• The place of hair removal is difficult to recognize.
• After completion of hair transplantation, there is no clear crust or scab on the person's head; because it is hidden under other hairs.
• Women can safely do hair transplant.
• The results of implantation are not affected and will be completely same as implantation with shaving.

Not shaving head for hair transplantation has disadvantages and may cause problems; this is reason why doctors do not recommend it to all people and only go for these methods in special cases. Some of most important ones are listed below.

• Performing this operation requires very high precision and skill, and not every doctor can handle it.
• Due to the length of hair, it becomes a little more difficult to identify suitable grafts for implantation, and this slows down work. For this reason, the density of implanted hair in these methods will be less than usual methods.
• Hair transplant operation time will be longer than other methods; because doctor must be more careful to harvest grafts.
• Considering that every doctor cannot perform hair transplantation without shaving head, the cost of this procedure will be higher than other implantation methods.
• There is a possibility of transmission of infection from hair to skin of donor area; Of course, this problem will be completely solved by observing the health issues and you don't need to worry about it.

Can people with thick back hair do hair transplant without shaving?

As we said, hair transplantation without shaving head depends to a large extent on doctor skill, and if the specialist in clinic does not have experience in this work, he will not usually do it. People who have very thick hair and only parts of their head are empty, the sensitivity of procedure is slightly higher. If implantation is to be done without shaving head, the time will be very long and doctor's work will be more difficult than usual methods. As a result, the cost will be higher.

A convenient solution for people with thick hair who do not like to shave their entire head is to shave only part of harvest area and leave planting area intact. In addition, they can shave hair in such a way that hair of surrounding areas completely cover it and beauty of person's appearance is not damaged.

How many sessions are required for hair transplantation without shaving?

In usual methods, hair transplantation is done in one session and a very good density is created in applicant's hair. In these methods, it is rare for a person to transplant hair again; unless he intends to plant in another area or bald area is so wide that it cannot be covered in one session.

On the other hand, in order to get desired results from hair transplant methods without shaving, you need to increase it during several sessions. Doctors remove a certain number of grafts in each session, and finally, after several sessions, each person reaches desired density.

Hair transplant costs without shaving

The cost of hair transplant methods without shaving is calculated similar to usual methods; This means that to determine them, you must consider factors such as number of grafts needed for implantation, method used, doctor's salary and clinic you visit.

In methods without the need for shaving, you should also add number of required sessions to cost determination factors. In addition, due to fact that this method requires high precision and experience and is time-consuming, usually the doctor's salary will be higher than usual solutions. Based on this, it can be said that the total cost of hair transplant without shaving head will be more than normal hair transplant.