Why We Need a Master Plan When We Think About Hair Transplants (Photos)

These photos were taken from an article published in the Hair Transplant Forum by Manny Marritt, M.D. in October 1993. Dr. Marritt died a week ago, but his ideas helped many of the caring doctors in the field of hair restoration think of the patient’s future hair loss when considering a hair transplant.

The need for a Personalized Master Plan in hair transplantation is evident in the photos below of a man who supplied pictures of himself as he aged from 16 to 62. It should be evident to all of you that this man could be you. A hair transplant that might have helped fix his receding hairline when he was 22, would look freakish when he was 35 or 62, unless there was a Master Plan to account for his advanced balding, which happens in almost 100% of balding men. Fixing this man’s hair at 22 will not help him when he is 35 or 62. I see patients every week who are caught in this conundrum – they had a hair transplant without a Personalized Master Plan.

Too many doctors, encouraged by the overly enthusiastic patient who wants to get their hair back when they are young (this could be you), do not really do them a service if they can’t see a long-term plan allowing for changes due to the progressive nature of genetic hair loss. These pictures speak for themselves. For those of you who want to know what will happen to you when you get a hair transplant, challenge the doctor who is offering you a hair transplant. With a proper explanation of what may happen to you and what will be your options if you should develop significant balding, you will have been properly educated so that you understand your future, if you continue to bald as you get older (almost a certainty). Short-term fixes at the age of 22, does little for your long-term future without a Personalized Master Plan in hand. You must know what is your donor supply with mathematical detail because unlike a bank account, you can only make withdrawals, never deposits and with poor planning, you can deplete your donor bank running out of your donor hair before you complete your balding pattern leaving you deformed from hair transplants at sometime in the future.  This is almost a certainty for young men who do not approach hair transplants with a Master Plan with a good doctor.

If this man were to go to Turkey, high might get 5000 grafts at the age of 23 to fix his frontal hairline and for a year he would look great.  Then in a year, he might need to address his crown so by going to Turkey he could get another 4000 grafts into his crown.  Then he would be bald in the donor area plus he would have no hair to join the crown with the frontal reconstruction.  He would look freaky!  Solution, shave his head and get SMP for the scarring.  A lot of money and time to end up with a shaved head and a tattoo.

Age:  16                                     22                                    35                                    62