How it works
Follicles at the back and sides of the scalp are generally not sensitive to the androgens that drive pattern loss. Moved to a thinning area they keep that resistance, which is why a transplanted hairline persists.
The constraint that governs everything is donor supply. It is finite, it does not regenerate, and spending it early on a hairline that later needs supporting behind it is the most common way a good result becomes a difficult one.
The limits
Transplantation does not stop the underlying process. Untreated pattern loss continues around the transplanted hair, which is why planning usually considers both the procedure and what happens to the hair that was not moved.
Martinick Hair Restoration is the practice historically associated with this work in Western Australia, and the surgical route is a medical decision made with a surgeon rather than something to settle from a web page.
Common questions
Is it permanent?
Transplanted follicles usually persist, because they keep the androgen resistance of the donor area. Surrounding non-transplanted hair can continue to thin.
How long until it looks normal?
Transplanted hairs typically shed in the first weeks before regrowing. Meaningful assessment is a matter of many months, not weeks.
Can everyone have one?
No. It depends on donor density, the pattern and stability of loss, and general health. Insufficient donor supply is the most common reason someone is not a candidate.
Can it be combined with micropigmentation?
Frequently, yes — pigmentation can add apparent density between grafts, and can camouflage a donor scar.
Does it work for female pattern loss?
Sometimes, but diffuse loss often affects the donor area too, which limits it more often than in men.
What about the scar?
Strip harvesting leaves a linear scar; follicular unit extraction leaves small dot scars. Both are usually concealed by surrounding hair at normal lengths.
What an assessment establishes
- 1.Which process is causing the loss
Pattern loss, telogen effluvium, traction and scarring alopecia look similar in a mirror and behave nothing alike. The examination separates them, because the answer decides which routes are worth discussing at all.
- 2.Whether it is stable or still moving
Loss that is still progressing changes what any treatment can hold. It is the difference between planning around a fixed area and planning around one that will keep widening, and it is judged from history and examination rather than a single photograph.
- 3.Which routes are available to you, and which are not
Donor supply, scalp condition, skin type and how the loss is behaving each rule options in or out. You leave knowing what is on the table and what is not, without a price attached to the conversation.