Can You Have A Hair Transplant Without Shaving?

So you'd like to have a hair transplant without shaving your head - is this possible and is it right for me?

Let's find out...

nurse shaving mans hair with clippers realistic.jpg

So you're considering a hair transplant, but wondering if you can do it without shaving your head?
The answer to this comes in a few parts, as there are few different scenarios. There are 2 different areas of your head to consider, the area that the hair is typically taken from which is known as the 'Donor Area' (see where does the hair come from in a hair transplant) and this is usually the back of your head, a band between your ears - see the picture below. This area always needs shaving, as the method we use to extract the hair needs the hair to be at stubble length to get the extraction tool over the top of each individual hair follicle.

If you have long hair - especially typical in women's hair transplants, it is possible to shave an area but leave the hair above it long, so that it overhangs the donor area and hides it from being seen, and gives time for the donor area to regrow.

A lot of men's hairstyles nowadays such as fades already have this area very short anyway, so most men don't mind it being shaved as it only takes a matter of weeks to get back to its original length.

Now, onto the area that we are putting hair into, the transplant area.

First scenario: If the transplant is to repair a front hairline or temples, to bring forward the hairline, or for the equivalent of forehead reduction surgery then in most cases we will not need to shave the area as it is already clear, we are working in front of any existing hair, so as long as the existing hair can be held backwards out of the way and give the surgeon clear access then we will not need to shave it.

Second scenario: we are going into an area like the crown that has some thinning and some hair already there, usually when we are working around existing hair we have the area completely shaved as this allows the surgeon a clear view and is able to put the new hair grafts in closely around the existing follicles to get a nice dense result.

The final scenario is sometimes used for people with longer hair where they don't what the hair shaved, and can be common in women's transplants. We can put hair into an area that has only lightly thinned by putting a parting into the hair and putting a line of new follicles in where the parting is, then moving across, putting another parting in, and putting another line of follicles. This can add density to an area that has only partially thinned, but it is important to note that this method will never get the same level of new hair density compared to if we can shave the area, and we are more concerned about our patients long term results, so in most cases we recommend shaving the area.

Hair regrows at a rate of 1 inch per 6 weeks to 2 months depending on hair type, so it isn't a long wait, and unless you have very long hair then shaving is the way to go if we are going into areas that are thinning like the crown, as in a few months you won't care if it was shaved, you'll only care about what it looks like then.

for more information on the transplant procedure see How does a hair transplant work?

If you are considering a hair transplant in Manchester, or a hair transplant in London at our Harrow clinic, then start by arranging a free consultation with us at My Hair UK by clicking the button below for a confidential chat with an expert.

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