That depends on a large number of factors.

While getting a hair transplant can be the right decision, you normally need to take some steps before going the route of surgery. By all means, see a qualified hair transplant surgeon if you want to keep as much of your natural hair as possible.  A qualified hair transplant surgeon can evaluate your current hair loss and suggest all kinds of treatments to benefit you – not just surgery. For instance, if you are a relatively young patient and have just started to notice hair loss, it’s likely that a hair transplantation specialist will suggest one of a number of medications (including Propecia or Rogaine). These medications will often slow or stop the progression of hair loss, if used as directed.

Also, keep in mind that a receding hairline does not necessarily mean male pattern hair loss! Most men will experience some degree of recession without progressing to that distinctive bald crown of those with androgenic alopecia. While it is a good idea to see a hair loss specialist – even in the early stages of hair loss – to keep your options open, some receding at the temples may happen, without any severe degree of hair loss.

So, while you want to have a consultation with a hair loss surgeon early, you may not actually have a transplant until many years down the line.

If you are an older man who is looking into a hair transplant, the steps to a transplant may be very similar. You may find a surgeon who doesn’t recommend surgery right away, but a prescription first. This approach is taken because the results of a transplant are often better if the hair loss has stabilized to some degree. This may distress a patient who wants their hairline fixed now, but the surgeon is acting in your best interest. If hair loss is stabilized, then the results are likely to be much better.

For all transplant patients, it’s important to realize that your new hairline may be higher than you had when you initially started losing your hair. This is done for cosmetic reasons, as most mature men will have a higher hairline than they did in their late teens or early 20’s. A good surgeon will be planning for the future, both to conserve donor hair follicles and to avoid the need for additional surgeries that could become necessarily, depending on how your hair loss continues.

So, while it may not be possible to know when the right time to get a transplant is, you can always know when the best time to visit the hair transplant surgeon is. If your hair loss is bothering you, that time is now.

Myth 1: Hair loss only affects the intellectual elite.

Sorry, folks – this one is definitely false. The real cause of hair loss in most men is Androgenic Alopecia. This means that the gentleman in question has too much DHT in his system and that DHT is affecting his hair follicles. DHT is a metabolite of testosterone and it’s the most common cause of hair loss in women too.

With this type of hair loss, prescription medications can often slow or stop hair loss. A hair loss surgeon can evaluate your situation and determine what the right treatment plan is for you. Seeing a qualified hair transplantation surgeon, such as the professionals at Sure Hair, doesn’t mean that you are heading straight for surgery though. Taking the step of seeing a hair transplant professional is all about keeping as much of your natural hair as you can, while dealing with a knowledgeable doctor who can answer all your questions and help you determine the right treatment for you.

Myth 2: Stress causes permanent hair loss.

This myth is false. In the vast majority of cases, stress-related hair loss is temporary. In fact, stress is just one of the many causes for temporary hair loss. Dieting can also cause you to lose your hair – probably from lack of nutrients caused by the restriction of calories. In fact, extreme dieting of any sort, whether from severe restriction of calories or severe restriction of certain food groups, can result in hair loss.

Because this hair loss is not permanent, you may not need to consult with a hair transplant surgeon. Your family physician can likely help you with suggestions and support to reduce your stress so that you get your hair growing again.

Myth 3: There is a cure for Androgenic Alopecia.

The answer to whether this myth is really yes and no. You can’t make your genetic predisposition for androgenic alopecia disappear. But you can control the condition in some cases, with medications and natural supplements. Medications that reduce DHT, either taken orally or applied topically, may help you control your condition.

If your hair loss has stabilized and no new loss is occurring, you might want to be evaluated by a qualified hair transplant surgeon. An experienced surgeon will be able to tell you whether you are a good candidate for a hair transplant or not.

The experience of thinning hair is doubly traumatic for women. While both men and women lose hair, it is considered socially acceptable – and even attractive – for men to lose hair. This is not the case for women! There is considerable social pressure for women to look young and have a perfect head of hair, no matter what their age.

The most common forms of hair loss for women are related to hormones. It’s critical to find a knowledgeable and compassionate doctor who will be able to run the right tests to determine what kind of hair loss you have. Your doctor should be testing for your levels of a number of substances, including DHEA, Testosterone, androstenedione, prolactin, FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone), FLH (Follicle Leutinizing Hormone), Serum Iron, Serum Ferritin, TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity), and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), in addition to a complete blood count (CBC).

Once you have determined the cause of your hair loss, you can then decide whether you are a good candidate for hair transplantation. Hair loss should have stabilized in order for you to be a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure. If your hair loss is not stabilized or can be controlled by medications, then a hair restoration procedure may not be for you.

You are a better candidate if you have a high hairline. For some reason, when women do have a high hairline, the pattern of hair loss tends to be more localized with a suitable donor supply outside the thinning area. In this case, repositioning a smaller number of follicles from the donor area to the recipient area may be all that is required for an esthetic result.

However, if you have diffuse hair loss over the entire head, you are not a good candidate for hair transplantation. The problems are three-fold: removing hair from one part of the head to another may make thinning more obvious; scarring in the donor area may become more obvious over time; and, the cosmetic result will be less than optimal.

Ideally, a female candidate for hair transplant should have thinning that is limited to the front, mid-scalp or crown. The donor site should show no thinning at all.

As with any cosmetic surgery, it is very important that your surgeon understands the needs of you, the patient. Look for a surgeon who has your best interests at heart, and who is willing to suggest other forms of treatment before you decide on a transplant. After all, all medically treatable causes for hair loss should be eliminated first! Further, women typically have types of hair loss that are more likely to be amenable to medical treatment.

Unfortunately, this kind of hair loss is also permanent.

Scarring can be caused by a number of conditions. Some of the most common include follicle infection (sometimes called folliculitis), boils (a skin infection), and scleroderma (an autoimmune condition).

Folliculitis is the term applied to any condition that includes redness, pimples, pustules or other symptoms of infection on your scalp. It can be caused by a variety of things, including hairstyles that pull the hair too tight, or reactions to ingredients in hair products (including common shampoos and conditioners). A simple allergic reaction to a hair product ingredient could result in an infection, caused by scratching. You can also get an infection from a build up of styling products; this kind of build up can attract bacteria and cause irritation.

Any bacterial infection can cause scarring if not treated quickly enough. Once the scarring has occurred, the hair loss is permanent.

Boils are one of the possible outcomes of bacterial infection of the scalp. Each boil will involve a complete hair follicle and the surrounding skin. If it spreads to include other adjoining hair follicles and tissue, it is then called a carbuncle. Carbuncles will kill hair follicles. As a result, any infection of the scalp should be treated as quickly as possible, to reduce the chances of scarring and hair loss.

Infection is not the only route to scarring. Scleroderma attacks the connective tissue in the body, including skin. The condition is characterized by a build-up of collagen. It commonly occurs in people between the ages of 30 and 50.

Unfortunately, scleroderma can affect large areas of the body, such that the skin thickens, becomes hard and the hair follicles are lost due to the resulting scarring. It is the scarring that causes the permanent hair loss associated with the condition.

A skilled hair restoration surgeon can help with hair loss due to scarring. In fact, up to 3% of hair transplantation patients arrive in a clinic due to scar alopecia. Clinics such as SureHair have surgeons with substantial experience in a variety of hair transplant techniques and can best evaluate your options.

In most cases, the hair transplant can be done once there is no new scar tissue being formed. This may mean waiting until all symptoms of your condition are under effective medical control. At that point, bald patches can be transplanted with healthy hair follicles from other unaffected areas.

Hair transplantation moves follicular units – small groups of one to four hairs – from one location on the scalp to another. That’s the fundamental truth of every hair transplant. However, those follicles may have been obtained in a variety of ways. For instance, they may have been harvested from a donor strip. This means that a strip of the scalp is removed, with follicular units being harvested from the strip. The advantage is that the surgical team can ensure the greatest number of healthy follicles for transplant.

Follicular units may also be taken directly from the scalp. This approach is called Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE. FUE means that follicular units are removed, one at a time, from the donor area of the scalp. There is no “strip” scar. However, not as many of the harvested follicular units will survive with this approach, as they are more likely to be damaged during the delicate extraction process.

Your best protection against scarring (and the need for scar revision) is to use a skilled hair transplantation professional. The more experience a doctor has with hair restoration, the less the likelihood of problem scarring, regardless of the type of procedure. Your best protection against disappointment is an experienced professional who understands the pluses and minuses of the various techniques for hair transplantation.

With donor strip techniques, there is a single linear scar that will be the result of removing the strip and closing the wound. This scar can often be very easily hidden in your hairstyle, as long as the hair is not worn in very short styles. Linear scars can widen with time, and this can be an issue if you prefer to wear your hair short.

Scarring is much more diffuse with FUE. Because individual follicular units are extracted, there is no donor strip – and no linear scar to widen. However, you will have small scars where each follicular unit has been harvested – and that wide-area of small scars may prevent future transplantation procedures, including corrective ones.

If you do need scar revision because of problem scarring, the most likely way to improve your situation is to remove the scar tissue and reclose the scalp. If this still doesn’t result in a satisfactory appearance, it is possible to use a procedure called trichophytic closure. This technique will allow hair follicles to grown hair in the scarred area, thus masking it.

Choosing a good surgeon – regardless of whether it is for an initial hair transplant or corrective action like scar revision – will help to get you the best result possible. This might be the single most important factor in selecting a professional to help you with your hair loss issue.

The answer is that you can encourage hair growth with the right diet and supplements. After all, you are what you eat – and that includes your hair.  In fact, some nutrients have been found to directly improve hair growth or reduce hair loss.

The most basic building block of the human hair is a protein called keratin. This is the same protein that is also found in skin, teeth, and nails. Keratin is what gives hair its structure. As a result, one of the primary nutrients that you need to get in order to grow hair is enough protein! While this does not mean that you must eat meat, it does mean that you have to eat enough protein and sufficient quantity that you have the raw materials to grow hair.

However, protein alone will not ensure good hair growth. A healthful diet is just one aspect. There are a number of nutrients that help to support health hair follicles and healthy hair, and ensure your post-operative recovery.

Perhaps the most important of these is biotin. Now known to be one of the B vitamins, this nutrient (which used to be known as Vitamin H) has been proven by research to help prevent hair loss. Taking biotin after your hair transplantation will nourish the follicles and help them to grow hair.

But don’t stop at biotin. The entire B complex, from B1 to pantothenic acid, is necessary for follicle health. The B vitamins will nourish and strengthen hair follicles, so that the follicles themselves are less prone to damage. This seems particularly important after hair transplantation, as the scalp and follicles have been traumatized. The B vitamins will help your scalp recover from that trauma.

Vitamins alone won’t keep your hair growing. Iron is an essential mineral for health on all levels. In addition, too little iron can result in anemia and anemia causes hair loss. The good news is that anemia-related hair loss can be easily reversed simply by getting your iron levels up. A blood test can help to determine if your iron levels are sufficient.

Zinc is the other mineral that contributes to hair health. Zinc is known to reverse issues with the scalp, as well as maintain beautiful hair. Red meat is a good source of zinc.

While getting your vitamins and minerals, don’t forget antioxidants! Vitamins A, C and E are commonly taken to keep skin healthy, and your follicles are part of your skin. It’s important to not take excessive amounts of vitamin A, as this can actually cause hair loss.

Good nutrition will ensure you get the best possible results from your hair transplant procedure. Eat well, take supplements as necessary, and watch your hair grow.

The American Hair Loss Association confirms that shock loss does occur and it affects a larger percentage of transplant patients than you might expect.

What is shock loss? It is the loss of your hair because of the trauma of the hair transplant itself! Research shows that those with a significant amount of hair before the transplant, as well as women, are most likely to experience shock loss.

Fortunately, it is a temporary side effect of the surgery and normally resolves within a few months. The problem is that – for hair loss patients – having to manage this kind of hair loss for a number of months can be distressing and stressful. After all, you get a hair transplant in order to solve a hair loss problem!

The good news is that shock loss does not mean that your new, transplanted hair follicles are dead. Shock loss appears to be caused by chemicals in the body, released as part of the healing process. The hair follicle responds to the stress of these chemicals by going into its resting phase, which results in the hair falling out. The good news is that the follicle is alive and well and still following its pattern of a 3 month resting phase.  Re-growth should be noticeable between month three and four after the hair is lost.

Shock loss, while unfortunate and distressing, does not stop the hair transplant from being a positive, often life changing experience!

At Sure Hair Transplants, Dr Ferreira has performed many hundreds of surgeries. You are fully informed of all aspects of your procedure, including any questions or concerns, so that you know what to expect at every stage. In fact, your procedure will be uniquely designed for you, your pattern of hair loss and your needs – to obtain the best results, both in the short and the long term, including techniques designed to help avoid shock loss.

It may be appropriate to take additional measures if shock loss does occur. At Sure Hair Transplants, we have all the tools at hand, from prescription drugs and other non- surgical techniques to ensure healthy hair growth. Post operative care is a priority, and our centers will be able to help you every step of the way.

Depending on the type of procedure done, you can expect your transplant to leave evidence initially, including redness around the transplantation site, redness around the donor site and some potential swelling. But a skilled surgeon will be thinking ahead, to minimize the impact on your hairstyle and your healing time.

At Sure Hair Transplants, the most important thing is that you are happy with your new head of hair!  We give you comprehensive instructions on how to manage your transplant after surgery to speed healing and ensure good results.

Count on some swelling around your head and eyes in the first two to three days. This swelling is not an indicator of a problem and should not be painful in any way – but it will be noticeable! Physically, you could go to work the day following the procedure, as long as your job does not involve heaving lifting. However, if you prefer that your transplant not be noticed, you should assume that you need 5-7 working days off, in order to care for the surgery sites.

The first day post surgery, you will be taking pain medication as needed, in addition to icing your forehead to help decrease swelling. You will need to protect your pillow at night, in case there is any leakage from the donor site.

On day two, you can take your first shower or bath. This should be approximately 36 hours after your surgery.  However, no water pressure should be exerted on your new hair grafts! You need to give the newly transplanted follicles the best chance to heal and recover. However, as of day two, you can definitely get your head wet and wash your hair! Just do this following the instructions provided in your postoperative package.

As the post-operative period continues, you will slowly return to your normal routine. However, it is quite possible that the top of your head may have some numbness for a few days or even up to a few weeks. While this may be disconcerting, it is important to remember it is completely normal.

By the time a full week has passed, you can stand under your regular shower and allow water pressure on your head! Your next milestone is the removal of any sutures or staples at 10 to 14 days after your surgery. At this point, you are simply waiting for the hair to grow!

Note that it is possible that you will have “shock loss” of hair at either the donor or transplant location. Don’t worry! If this does happen, the hair will grow back. It happens as a result of the trauma of the surgery, and is not an indicator that those hair follicles are dead.

The good news is that those types of procedures are rarely used today. The best hair surgeons now employ techniques that will leave you with a natural hairline that is so real looking that your hair graft will be undetectable. The Uni-Strand ® hair transplant method is a key tool in hair transplantation, which involves moving hair one follicle at a time while leaving minimal scarring. The proper use of Uni-Strand, in combination with a skillful surgeon, allows today’s hair transplants to be virtually undetectable!

Surgeons have steadily increased their knowledge of how hair grows, leading to studies of the scalp and hair with more powerful microscopes. This knowledge led directly to the Uni-Strand hair transplantation method. The Uni-Strand approach is nothing short of revolutionary, because it combines a technology that allows for the maximum number of hair follicles to be successfully harvested, while leaving minimal scarring. It also means that hair can be moved and placed in a much more natural way. As a result, when the Uni-Strand technique is done correctly, even your barber won’t know that your head of hair hasn’t always been this full!

Although hair plug surgeries sometimes looked good initially, patients have found that they could become problematic over time. Unfortunately, the donor hairs often grew well while hair loss continued around them! This tended to make plugs more obvious over time. The results could start to take on a distinctive appearance, such that you could clearly see the transplanted plugs (much like what you see on the head of a child’s doll, where obvious round holes are filled with a large amount of hair, while the surrounding scalp is bald).

Poor placement of plugs could make this problem even more severe. If the plugs were placed too low on the forehead and without natural recession at the temples, new hair loss could expose the plugs, making them more visible and limiting the options for hair restoration. In this case, the only option may be to surgically reposition the hairline before any other technique can be done to repair the area.

No matter how your original hair transplant was done, today’s Uni-Strand method can often repair an unsatisfactory transplantand provide you with a much better cosmetic result! The use of very small transplant units of one, two or three hairs at a time can blend in hairlines and transplanted areas, leaving you with the natural result that you should have had in the first place. 

If you are living in Ottawa, Ontario and you’re considering hair transplant surgery, you’re fortunate to have one of the best hair transplant doctors just down the road from you! The SureHair Transplant Surgical Center operated by Dr. Nelson Ferreira, in Toronto Ontario.provides state-of-the-art hair transplant techniques. Although you are lucky enough to live close by in Ottawa, Ontario, would-be hair transplant patients from around the globe travel to visit with Dr. Ferreira based upon his reputation and focus on detail.

The SureHair Transplant Center

Further, for those who reside in Ottawa Ontario, Dr. Ferreira offers a travel incentive program for those individuals that are travelling from Ottawa to Toronto. Although Ottawa is a fairly reasonable distance from Toronto, The Sure Hair Transplant Center provides a one evening’s stay at a hotel close to the clinic.Before traveling anywhere though, we would like to recommend that you give us the opportunity to, evaluate your hair loss condition as best as is possible over the phone and through our free Online Consultation system.To start with your free consultation from the privacy of your residence in Ottawa, Ontario, simply proceed to our online Consultation form, or contact Dr. Ferreira directly by calling 1-877-444-7873.We realize that other hair transplant doctors can be found in the Toronto area, that are also located a reasonable distance from Ottawa. With that being said though, we are exceptionally confident that during and after your consultation with Dr. Nelson Ferreira, you’ll quickly discover why The Sure Hair Transplant Center has become the chosen hair transplant clinic for thousands of satisfied hair transplant patients from all over the world.We genuinely appreciate your consideration and we look forward to assisting you with your hair transplant questions and comments.