Transition from a Non-Surgical Hairpiece to a head of transplanted hair

Many of our patients over the years have been men (and women) who at the time of their visit are presently wearing a non-surgical hairpiece of one sort or another. This is a transition that can be handled quite easily and usually with no detect ability or inconvenience to the patient’s day-to-day routine.

48 year old male with hairpiece on, before transplants

Most patients who have a hairpiece continue to wear the prosthesis until the transplanted hair has grown out sufficiently enough in density and length that they feel comfortable in making the switch. It is necessary that the patient’s method of attaching the hairpiece be converted over to clips, which is very easy to accomplish. We usually have them start wearing their hairpiece three or four days after the procedure, and most of them take it off at night and reattach it in the morning.

same patient, with hairpiece off, before transplants Note presence of old large plug grafts placed 17 years earlier

How many hair transplant sessions before the patient says "goodbye" to the hairpiece? This is a very personal decision. For some of our patients, who were very accustomed to the hair density of the hairpiece, it wasn’t until after their fourth session had grown out that they were comfortable in making the switch. We’ve had several remove it after only one session grew out. Wearing the hairpiece over the transplanted hair does not appear to have any affect on the success of the transplanted hairs growing.

We have well-written articles by various people who have written of their experiences in making this transition. Reading these often helps our patients feel more comfortable in doing it themselves.

after five sessions of FU's and mini-grafts

Before leaving this topic, it should be pointed out that, for many men and women, the combination of hair transplants and a non-surgical hairpiece is the "perfect solution." This is particularly so for those who want full coverage but don’t have enough donor hair to cover the entire crown area (in addition to the frontal and top areas, which transplanting can generally fill in).