Hair transplant without shaving: is it possible?

Why is it necessary to shave the hair before a hair transplant?

When the hair surgeon performs a hair transplant, he or she first defines the recipient area, the area in which the follicles harvested from the donor area will be implanted. Generally located at the back of the skull, on the occipital area, the donor area must be shaved to be able to extract the most vigorous grafts and transplant them into the recipient area. Obviously, it is impossible to take a hair that has already bloomed and is vigorous to replant it: risk of infection, weight of the hair preventing it from taking root and healing, are some of the reasons mentioned by the expert surgeons. In addition, the follicles must be very carefully removed, selected and soaked in a sterile solution before being re-implanted.

Also, the cranial epidermis of the recipient area, previously marked by the surgeon, must be absolutely healthy and cleared so that the surgeon can implant and densify regularly, by sapphire blade or micro-punch, the harvested follicles. Impossible for him to work in a bushy environment! Finally, for post-operative care, a hair transplant without shaving complicates everything: the remaining hair can interfere with the proper conduct of care procedures, application of cleansing products, healing and evacuation of scabs.

Hair transplant without shaving: in which cases is it possible?

Hair transplantation without shaving, or more precisely with partial shaving, is possible for some cases. To hide a scar or to correct a small localized alopecia, requiring less than 1000 implanted follicles, the shaving applies only to a limited area of collection, and the surgeon shaves only the small recipient area and its immediate surroundings. The back of the neck will then be only partly shaved, just enough to harvest the necessary follicles. For the patient, this hair transplant without shaving will be discreet, almost invisible. However, the patient will have to pay special attention to its post-operative care.

Which technique for a hair transplant without shaving?

For a hair transplant with partial shaving, the surgeon will choose the manual FUE hair transplant method, with the use of a Choi implant stylet by DHI hair transplant. It cannot be performed with a sapphire blade and/or metal implant tool.

What are the advantages of a partially shaved hair transplant?

In addition to its discretion, the hair transplant without shaving allows to correct a partial hair transplant, to densify a small bald area of the scalp or the beard, or to make a scar invisible. It avoids a linear healing zone, as the graft is integrated into the hairy area. After 3 to 4 months, the first implanted hairs grow back, and the grafted area becomes completely invisible and covered with new hair after 12 months.

What are the advantages of a hair transplant with shaving?

Some patients are apprehensive about seeing themselves with a shaved head. They can be reassured: hair always grows back, especially if the transplant was performed correctly, with a surgeon working on a clear head and facilitating the extraction and implantation of the grafts, if it was “boosted” by a PRP treatment beforehand, and if the patient scrupulously followed all the post-operative care and advice, including from a nutritional point of view. In addition, some patients, both men and women, shave their heads for the first time and discover that their skulls have harmonious proportions. The fear they had previously felt evaporates. It just needs a few months of patience… And then, don’t we say that women find men with shaved heads sexy? And that men like women with short hair, often revealing the fineness of their features? Finally, as my grandmother used to say, you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs…