Confused By The Different Hair Transplant Techniques Being Offered – Is There One Gold Standard?

Dear Markus,

Funny you should ask!

This is an excellent question so thank you for taking the time to write. For a very long time, few surgeons specialized in hair transplantation, and those surgeons worked to refine the techniques for naturalness, aesthetic appeal, obtaining grafts, decreasing scar formation, etc. Often, surgeons would come up with similar techniques and name it themselves – hence the proliferation of multiple monikers for essentially the same thing. Now that the internet has provided a nationwide (and, indeed, worldwide) forum for this procedure, all the different names get tossed in the same pot of information – and it is up to the consumer to sift through it! This is no easy task, and even I sometimes have trouble keeping track.

Differences among the list you mentioned usually relate to the techniques used to GET the grafts from the back of your head, and how they PLACE them on the top/front/crown. The bottom line is; choose a surgeon who transplants individual follicular units as close as possible with maintaining maximum survival rates. This is the gold standard and this will give you optimal results.

Finally, know that many hair surgeons do quality work so any claims of being the ONLY and BEST should be taken with a grain of salt. The early days of hair transplantation saw a vigorous amount of inter-physician competition, and rivalries were common. Understandably, claims of uniqueness proliferated to gain an edge. The best thing to do is to meet with the physicians you are considering and talk to previous patients to see which one is the best fit for YOUR goals. It sounds like you are off to a good start with your research and many of the physicians who are serious about hair transplantation and respected in the field will belong to the ISHRS, ABHRS and organizations like this one. Good luck!