Frequenlty Asked Questions

There are several products on the market today that promise regrowth of hair. Unfortunately, most of them are ineffective, costly, and certainly not permanent. Of all the options currently available, hair transplants are the only permanent solution and CHR Clinic makes them more affordable over a lifetime then other types of  recognized treatment methods.

Both finasteride and minoxidil are treatments for hair loss that have been reported to be successful in growing new hair. Minoxidil has a 1 in 3 success rate for crown hair growth in men and finasteride reports a 2 in 3 success rate for new hair growth on the crown region. Even though finasteride may not work for all men, it is generally accepted as a treatment to stop further hair loss. If your goal is just to keep the hair you have without losing more, and getting new hair growth with hair grafts, finasteride is an excellent co-treatment option along with hair transplants. Any new hair growth that finasteride can provide should be considered a bonus.

Because it can take 6 to 12 months for your new hair grafts to grow in, you need to wait that long before you can have another procedure. The faster your new grafts come in, the sooner you can have a second procedure if needed. Your hair transplant Doctor will be able to see the new hairs coming in from the first procedure, this will enable them to effectively map out where to implant the new grafts for your second procedure.

To a new hair transplant patient, waiting for his hair to grow in can seem like an eternity. For those of us who have been there, we are anxious to see our new "look." In 3 to 6 months on average, patients will notice their new hairs growing in, slowly at first and not all at the same time. Hair grows at the rate of 1 cm to 1/2 inch per month. Just be patient and keep in mind that for some hair transplant patients, waiting 8 to 12 months is necessary.

The time it takes to complete a procedure depends on the number of hair grafts implanted. Please call us for more information on how long the procedure lasts.

Patients report only a small amount of discomfort associated with a hair transplant procedure, (when the local anaesthetic is first given). Further, all patients are given a relaxing medication prior to the procedure which improves the hair transplant experience.

In typical male pattern hair loss, hair follicles that carry genetic coding bond with DHT (a hormone that slowly kills the hair follicle), weaken hair and slowly cause it to fall out. The hair follicles on the back and lower sides of the head do not attract DHT. Hair on the front, above the temples, top of scalp and crown can all be DHT receptive, depending on your genetic coding. Hair grafts are taken from donor areas on the back and sides, where follicles are not affected by DHT. When these grafts are transplanted to the front, crown, and top of scalp, they retain their resistance to DHT hair loss and last a lifetime.

Some medicines, hormonal changes, disease (such as lupus or diabetes) and major stress to the body (surgery, accident) can cause hair loss.

DHT hair loss affects two in three men. While many other "solutions" and miracle shampoos promise their product blocks DHT, only two were approved by the FDA, finasteride and minoxidil. Although a great product, it still doesn't promise fast, natural, permanent and cost effectiveness that hair grafts promise.

Although there may be some redness and swelling for a few days following your procedure, it is usually not very noticeable. Existing hair, if possible, may be combed over the grafted area to hide them while they are healing. You may shampoo the donor area gently 24 hours after your procedure and recipient area 4 days after the procedure.

The term "common baldness" usually means male-pattern hair loss. Male-pattern hair loss is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait (hair follicles receptive to DHT bonding). Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head.

At your initial consultation, with trained staff will carefully evaluate your present hair pattern to determine the best possible design for your new grafts. Not everyone is a hair transplant candidate, so if we feel a hair transplant is not in your best interest, we will tell you so! The procedure will be completely explained and you will know in advance all costs involved. In most cases, the hair implantation procedure takes only a few hours. Since only local anesthesia is used, you will be home the same day.

The largest number of grafts the CHR Clinic can implant at one time may vary between 2,500 and 3,000. Larger mega sessions than this are rare since your Doctor needs to allow adequate room in between each new hair graft for blood supply. In a subsequent hair transplant procedure, our Doctor can then implant new grafts in between the hair grafts from the first session to provide greater density and fullness.

The hair transplant procedure takes place at the CHR Clinic in Dublin, Ireland so there is no need for expensive hospital stays. The procedure is safe and simple in the hands of the experienced staff. The staff recommends that a friend or loved one drive you home after the procedure. Or, CHR Clinic can make hotel reservations for you to spend the night in Dublin and leave the following day. Some patients even choose to fly out of Dublin the same day, provided they have transportation to pick them up at their destination city.

In most cases, patients will leave the office without even a Band-aid. A baseball cap works well to hide the graft implanted area for the first few days.

Anyone who has experienced permanent hair loss may be a candidate for hair restoration procedure, including:

• Men with male pattern baldness
• Women with female pattern hair loss
• Men or women who want to restore or change the shape of their hairline
• People with areas of scarring from injuries or "scarring" skin diseases, and also patients who experienced some hair loss after surgery, such as face lift procedures
• People who want to thicken or restore eyebrows, and beards
• Men and women who want hair in an area where they have little or no hair

It is perfectly normal for the newly implanted hairs to fall out during the healing process. Understand that by being transplanted, they have gone into a sort of shock or trauma which moves them (ahead of schedule) into the resting phase of the 3 stage Hair Growth cycle. All of this is completely normal and you should not worry as the dermal papilla of the hair root is firmly implanted in your scalp and will regrow again. In some rare cases, the newly implanted hairs will scab as they heal - but not fall out within the next few weeks following your procedure. Sometimes, the hair stays in place, but this happens only rarely.

Like most types of out-patient procedure, you will not be able to drive home immediately after your procedure. In addition to the local anesthesia, patients are given a mild sedative to help them relax, prior to their procedure. Patients who want to leave immediately after the procedure should bring someone with them.

The CHR Clinic employs the FUE method for grafts. The grafts are taken by our doctor from the back or sides of your head which is the donor area. We recommend the donor area to be shaved for extraction which will have small red dots for 2 to 4 days maximum which will fade each day. The FUE method is a non-invasive technique where there is no cutting or scaring.

That will depend on the extent of your hair loss and the number of implants per procedure. It takes about 4 months to see the new growth. That is a good time to return for further evaluation to see if more sessions are indicated.

The old hair plug days of "Doll" hair are long gone. Hair transplant technicians today (worldwide) use various techniques that transfer one to five hairs maximum (per graft) from the donor area to the recipient area. By implementing these techniques, your new hair will look and feel natural and no one will know the difference unless you tell them!