It’s not an easy question to answer, because everyone is different. There are some general criteria for determining when to have hair transplantation.
Male pattern baldness, which affects up to two thirds of men by the age of 35, can start showing as early as age 18. This is called premature hair loss. From 18 -29 your hairline is still forming. What you may think of as a receding hairline may simply be what’s called a mature hairline, which is not quite the same thing as a receding hairline.
By age 35, any hair loss you may experience has typically stabilized. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a hair transplant earlier. But it’s a good idea to wait until any rapid hair loss eases off so that your hair doctor can get a good idea of your pattern of hair loss. It also provides treatment if there is a medical disease causing hair loss.
Hair transplantation is done by transferring hair from the back of your head, that is, from the donor area. If you prefer hair transplantation too early, the operation may need to be repeated if hair loss continues. If there is not enough hair grafts in the donor area in hair transplantation, grafts can be transferred from other areas of the body.
While there are no real limitations on what time of year you can have hair transplant surgery, there are several considerations you should take into account.
How long it takes for a hair transplantation to heal varies from procedure to procedure. One of the most popular techniques, Direct Hair Implant (DHI) practically does not require recovery time.
However, even with DHI, you are advised to plan 7-14 days recovery time. Your head will be covered with tiny red dots from where the hair follicles were extracted and re-inserted, and there may be a small amount of swelling. While you should feel fit enough to go back to work after just 1-2 days post-op, most of our patients choose to take a week or two off to allow their hair to start growing in again, and the tiny punctures to scab over and fall off.
It is also important at what time of the year hair transplantation will be done. Our patients prefer to have hair transplantation more during the public or holiday holidays. In this way, they do not have to use their annual leave, they gain more advantages.
