When you first look into hair transplants, many questions come up, such as “Why doesn't transplanted hair fall out again?”, “Which is better, incision or non-incision?”, and “Is it normal for transplanted hair to fall out after surgery?”
A hair transplant is a surgery in which hair follicles from the occipital or temporal area, which are relatively less affected by hair loss, are moved and implanted into the areas where they are needed. However, simply implanting a large number of hairs does not necessarily create a good result.
The current state of hair loss and the possibility of future progression, the condition of the donor area, hairline design, harvesting and implantation methods, follicle handling, and post-operative recovery all need to be considered comprehensively.
In this article, based on explanations by Director Yoo Hwa-jung of Modi Hair Plant, we will look step by step at the principles of hair transplantation, who it is for, the difference between incision and non-incision, implanters and slits, the shedding phase, graft survival, and post-operative care.
Key Summary｜7 Things to Know Before a Hair Transplant
- A hair transplant is a surgery in which follicles from the occipital or temporal area are moved and implanted into areas affected by hair loss.
- A hair transplant itself is not a treatment that stops the progression of existing hair loss.
- Donor hair in the occipital area is limited, so a long-term plan for distributing follicles is important.
- Representative harvesting methods include the incision method and the non-incision FUE method.
- Representative implantation methods include the implanter method and the slit method.
- From about 2 weeks after surgery, a shedding phase in which transplanted hairs temporarily fall out may occur.
- When evaluating results, not only the number of transplanted hairs but also follicle survival and a natural design should be considered together.
Everything About Hair Transplant Surgery in Video
In the video, Director Yoo Hwa-jung personally explains everything from the basic principles of hair transplantation to surgical methods, the recovery process, and care that takes graft survival into account.
What Is a Hair Transplant?
A hair transplant is a surgery in which healthy follicles are harvested from the occipital or temporal area, which is relatively less affected by hair loss, and moved to areas where hair is needed, such as the hairline, the M-shaped areas, or the crown.
In male pattern hair loss, the male hormone testosterone is converted into DHT (dihydrotestosterone) by 5α-reductase, and follicles that are genetically sensitive to DHT may go through a miniaturization process in which they gradually become thinner.
In contrast, some follicles in the occipital and temporal areas are relatively less sensitive to these effects. The phenomenon in which these follicles largely retain their original characteristics even after being moved to an area affected by hair loss is commonly explained as donor dominance.
Why Transplant by Follicular Unit Rather Than a Single Hair?
When you magnify the scalp, you can see that hairs do not always exist independently one by one; rather, one or more hairs grow together from a single follicular unit.
This is called a Follicular Unit.
In modern hair transplantation, it is important to harvest and implant while preserving the natural follicular unit as much as possible. In the hairline in particular, how the thickness of the follicles, the number of hairs, their position, direction and angle are arranged can affect naturalness more than the simple number of hairs.
Does a Hair Transplant Also Stop Hair Loss?
No. A hair transplant is not a surgery that treats the underlying cause of hair loss or automatically prevents future hair loss.
Separately from the transplanted hair, hair loss may continue to progress in the surrounding existing hair.
Therefore, at a stage where hair is thinning but follicles still remain, non-surgical hair loss treatments such as medication may be considered first or in parallel, depending on the patient's condition.
Conversely, in areas where hair loss has progressed for a long time and the follicular structure does not sufficiently remain, a hair transplant may be considered.
Who Can Receive a Hair Transplant?
When determining whether a hair transplant is possible, it is necessary not only to look at the size of the area affected by hair loss but also to evaluate the condition of both the recipient area and the donor area.
- Whether enough follicles remain in the area affected by hair loss
- Whether there is sufficient donor hair in the occipital and temporal areas
- How far hair loss has currently progressed
- In which direction hair loss may progress in the future
- Whether the patient has had a hair transplant before
- Whether the patient's age and desired hairline are appropriate over the long term
These factors need to be checked comprehensively.
Why Are Donor Follicles a Limited Resource?
A hair transplant is not a surgery that creates new follicles; it is a surgery that moves existing follicles to another location.
Therefore, the donor hair that can be harvested from the occipital and temporal areas is limited.
If the hairline is lowered excessively or a large amount of donor hair is used right now, you also need to consider the possibility that there may not be enough follicles available later, when hair loss has progressed further.
That is why hair transplant design requires long-term planning that considers not only the current appearance but also future hair loss progression and the possibility of additional surgery.
What Is the Difference Between Incision and Non-Incision Hair Transplants?
A hair transplant can broadly be divided into the process of harvesting follicles and the process of implanting them into the required area.
Incision Hair Transplant
The incision method is a technique in which a strip of scalp is excised from the occipital area and then sutured, and the harvested tissue is separated into follicular units for implantation.
Depending on the situation, it has the advantage of allowing many follicles to be obtained efficiently, but a linear scar may remain at the incision and suture site, and post-operative pain or tightness should be taken into account.
Non-Incision Hair Transplant (FUE)
Non-incision FUE (Follicular Unit Excision) is a method of harvesting follicles one by one from the occipital area using a small punch.
It has the advantage of leaving no linear incision scar, and depending on the number of hairs needed and harvesting conditions, the surgery may take longer than the incision method.
Neither incision nor non-incision is absolutely superior for every patient. The decision should be made considering the condition of the donor area, the number of hairs required, previous surgical history, hairstyle, and other factors.
How Do the Implanter and Slit Methods Differ?
After the follicles are harvested, the process of implanting them in the required positions takes place. Representative approaches include the implanter method and the slit method.
Implanter Method
This is a method in which follicles are loaded into an implanter and positioned as the device is inserted into the scalp. During the procedure, it is important to finely control the direction, angle, and depth.
Slit Method
This is a method in which small channels or slits for the follicles are first made in the scalp, and then the follicles are inserted using forceps or similar instruments.
Both methods have their own characteristics, so rather than judging the superiority of results based on the name of the instrument alone, it is important to also consider how skillfully the medical team uses the given method.
What Is the Hair Transplant Shedding Phase?
The hair transplant shedding phase refers to the period after surgery when the shafts of the transplanted hairs temporarily fall out. The fact that transplanted hairs fall out does not immediately mean that the follicles themselves have been lost.
Generally, shedding of transplanted hairs may occur from about 2 weeks to several months after surgery, after which new hairs gradually begin to grow.
- 2 weeks–3 months after surgery: The shedding phase, when transplanted hairs may fall out
- From about 3 months: New hairs gradually begin to grow
- About 6 months: A period when changes gradually become noticeable
- About 9 months: A period when a substantial degree of change can be observed
- Around 12 months: The period for evaluating the final result
However, growth rate and the recovery process vary from person to person, so not every patient progresses at the same pace.
Why Graft Survival Matters in a Hair Transplant
In hair transplant consultations, people often ask, “How many hairs will be implanted?”
However, alongside the number of transplanted hairs, another important consideration is how stably the harvested follicles are handled and implanted.
Follicle survival can be influenced by a combination of factors, including not only the patient's health condition but also the harvesting process, time outside the body, follicle storage environment, physical damage, implantation density, and the environment of the recipient area.
- Damage during the follicle harvesting process
- Time the follicles remain outside the body
- Storage solution and temperature for the follicles
- Physical stress occurring during implantation
- Condition of the recipient area
- Implantation density
- Post-operative care
- The patient's health condition, smoking status, and so on
Is Denser Always Better When Implanting Hair?
High-density implantation should not simply mean placing many follicles into a narrow space.
Sufficient density is needed for a natural, full result, but if many follicles are implanted into an excessively narrow space, the burden placed on the tissue and the blood flow environment of the recipient area must also be considered.
Therefore, rather than determining the target density by a single number, it is important to decide comprehensively considering hair thickness, scalp condition, the donor area, the recipient area, and the overall design.
Why Modi Hair Plant Also Manages the Post-Implantation Follicle Environment
At Modi Hair Plant, on the premise that accurate follicle harvesting and storage, design, and implantation technique are fundamental, we also take into account the environment in which follicles settle in the early stage after implantation.
Depending on the patient's condition and indications, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, treatments that take the blood flow environment into account, PDRN, and hair follicle stem cell–related adjunctive treatments may be considered.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
This is a treatment that supplies oxygen in a high-pressure environment, used with the aim of improving the oxygen supply environment of the tissue.
Treatment Considering the Blood Flow Environment
Depending on the patient's condition, adjunctive care that takes the microcirculation environment of the recipient area into account may be performed.
PDRN
PDRN is an ingredient used in relation to the tissue recovery process, and depending on the medical team's judgment, it may be used for the purpose of supporting the recovery environment of the recipient area.
Hair Follicle Stem Cell–Related Adjunctive Treatment
At Modi Hair Plant, we also perform adjunctive treatment using hair follicle stem cells, taking into account the environment around the follicles and recovery.
However, such adjunctive treatments cannot replace accurate hair transplant surgery itself. Appropriate design, accurate harvesting, follicle handling, and implantation come first, and adjunctive treatments may be considered additionally depending on the patient's condition.
Why Results Differ Even With the Same Hair Transplant
Hair transplant results are not determined solely by whether the method is incision or non-incision, or implanter or slit.
How accurately the current state of hair loss was assessed, how the limited donor hair was distributed, how the follicles were harvested and handled without damage, how the direction and angle of the hairline were realized, and how post-operative care is carried out can all affect the result together.
A good hair transplant is not simply about implanting many hairs; it is a process of planning limited follicles over the long term, arranging them naturally, and managing them stably.
Things to Check Before a Hair Transplant Consultation
- What stage is my hair loss currently at?
- Is a hair transplant necessary at this point?
- Is the density and condition of the donor area sufficient?
- How will future hair loss progression be addressed?
- Why are this hairline and this number of transplanted hairs being proposed?
- How are the follicles harvested and handled?
- By which method are they implanted?
- What is the post-operative recovery process and care method?
Hair Transplant FAQ
Q. Will transplanted hair fall out again?
Follicles harvested from areas relatively less affected by hair loss, such as the occipital area, are known to largely retain their original characteristics even after transplantation. However, the thickness and condition of the hair may change depending on aging, health status, and other factors.
Q. Does a hair transplant also stop existing hair loss?
No. Hair loss in existing, non-transplanted hair may continue to progress. Therefore, if necessary, hair loss treatment for the existing hair, such as medication, may be carried out in parallel according to the medical team's diagnosis.
Q. Which is better, incision or non-incision?
It cannot be said that one method is better for all patients. The decision should be made by comprehensively evaluating the number of hairs required, the condition of the donor area, previous surgical history, preferences regarding scarring, and other factors.
Q. If hair falls out after a hair transplant, does that mean it failed?
Not necessarily. A shedding phase in which transplanted hairs fall out may occur for a certain period after surgery, and new hair may subsequently grow from the follicles.
Q. When can hair transplant results be seen?
Generally, new hair begins to be observed little by little from about 3 months, and changes may gradually become more apparent over 6 to 9 months. The final result is usually evaluated at around 12 months, though this varies from person to person.
Q. Is it better to implant as many hairs as possible?
Not necessarily. Donor follicles are limited, and the number of hairs required should be determined considering the area of the recipient site, hair thickness, the possibility of hair loss progression, and the target density.
If You Are Considering a Hair Transplant
When deciding on a hair transplant, rather than comparing only price, the number of hairs, or a single surgical technique, it is important to check whether a long-term plan is being established that considers both your current state of hair loss and future hair loss progression.
Because a hair transplant uses a limited amount of donor hair, it requires a comprehensive approach from the beginning, covering appropriate design, distribution of the number of hairs, follicle handling, implantation method, and post-operative care.
Check the Number of Hairs You May Need Before Your Consultation
▶ Hair Transplant Hair Count Calculator
https://app.modihair.com/patient_calculator/
▶ Modi Hair Plant Website
https://modihairplant.com/
▶ KakaoTalk Consultation
https://pf.kakao.com/_ExmRuT
References
- Orentreich N. Autografts in alopecias and other selected dermatological conditions. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1959;83:463-479. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1960.tb40920.x (Concept of donor dominance)
- Dua A, Dua K. Follicular unit extraction hair transplant. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2010;3(2):76-81. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2077.69015 (Non-incision FUE harvesting method)
- Romera de Blas C, Vega Díez D, Ricart Vayá JM, Gómez Zubiaur A. Complications in follicular unit excision hair transplantation: current evidence and practical approaches. Front Med (Lausanne). 2026;13:1750989. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1750989 (Latest evidence on FUE complications and graft survival)
※ Hair transplant methods, the recovery process, whether a treatment is applicable, and results vary from person to person, and a suitable treatment method should be determined through consultation with a medical professional.
This article was uploaded after review by our medical team.