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DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1739247
Is Every Patient of Hair Loss a Candidate for Hair Transplant?—Deciding Surgical Candidacy in Pattern Hair Loss
Abstract
Patterned hair loss which includes both male pattern hair loss (MPHL) or androgenic alopecia (AGA) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most common indication for hair transplant surgery. However, not all such patients are candidates for hair transplants. There are eight conditions that cause patients to not be appropriate candidates. These are: diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), cicatricial alopecia (CA), patients with unstable hair loss, patients with insufficient hair loss, very young patients, patients with unrealistic expectations, patients with psychologic disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and trichotillomania, and patients who are medically unfit. In addition, there are patients who are poor candidates and who should undergo hair transplantation only if they understand and accept limited results. The key to identifying these patients involves performing careful and detailed history and examination at the time of consultation.
Keywords
candidacy - pattern hair loss - hair transplant - hair restoration surgery - patient selection - long-term treatment plan - progressive conditionPublication History
Article published online:
20 December 2021
© 2021. Association of Plastic Surgeons of India. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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