We offer all hair transplant options
At HTM we provide several hair transplant procedures so we can discuss all the options and give you more choice to achieve the best outcome for you.
- Follicular Unit Transplant or Strip (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) both available
- Our hair transplants are performed with sterile specialised equipment by highly-skilled staff
- Bioenhancements (ATP, PRP) enhance hair survival and cause thicker, stronger hair
- 100% guaranteed results
Be aware that there are several types of transplant techniques. We are the ONLY one to offer you all of the options. For this very important life decision be sure to consult a private clinic that does ALL types of transplants. Dr. Spano has owned and operated this prestige Melbourne clinic for 17 years. No other Doctor has that experience in Melbourne.
What is the experience like?
The scalp is numbed with local anaesthetic and medication is given for your relaxation and comfort. Most people fall asleep for a few hours then you can get up for lunch. The room has music and we create a friendly relaxing environment for you.
OUR RESULTS
Our expectations for your hair transplant procedure are very high and our satisfaction rate, since 2006, is almost 100%
What results can I expect?
We will usually double the amount of hair in a thinning area, sometimes more. In a nude area we can get up to 70% density in one procedure and more with a top-up. Getting a natural result is our highest priority and achieved by creative soft hairlines and high density.
How long will it take to see results?
The first crop of hair that grows may be slightly dry, and becomes more normal over time as the moisture from the oil glands matures. It takes 11-14 months for all of the hair to grow. The hair grows about 1 cm per month. As the follicles mostly hibernate for the first 4 months, you will not see much growth during that time.
By 6 months after you will be noticing a lot of hair growth, approximately 60%. It will then continue to thicken from 6 months to 14 months.
The transplanted hair will grow as if it were still at the back of your scalp. The transplanted hair can be cut, coloured, curled, and styled normally.
How many hair transplants will I need?
Most people have two hair transplants in their lifetime. We are confident that over 95% of the transplanted hair will grow and persist for your lifetime. If the transplant is done to the high standards of Hair Transplants Melbourne then everybody gets a great result.
If the original plan was to perform 2 hair transplants, the second one can be done from 10 months after the first for FUT (strip) or sooner for FUE. If FUT was performed first then most people have FUT for the second because we can enter via the same incision line and therefore we don’t add any scarring.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
What is FUE?
FUE means the donor hair is removed one group of follicles at a time with no cutting no stitches and no line of scarring. There is commonly very little if not no pain afterwards. FUE leaves only tiny white dots that are hard to see in the donor area so your hair can be cut short down to No. 1 or 2 with no visible scars.
Who is FUE suitable for?
- FUE is done for people who will never need more than approx. 4000 grafts (8000 hairs) in a lifetime, because if we take out more than that with the FUE technique we will thin out the back and sides too much. We are limited in FUE to a maximum of 2600 grafts (5200 hairs) in one day
- People wanting to wear their hair very short on sides and back
- People wanting a rapid recovery with minimal discomfort
Donor area after FUE
How do we do the FUE procedure?
We do our hair transplants manually, “hand-made” for you.
Whilst there is a transplant robot that does FUE, it leaves larger white scars over the head than the manual technique that we do, and can break down or malfunction during the procedure.
Do I need to shave my head?
No. We never shave the top of the head or recipient area.
The area we take FUE grafts from must be clipped down to zero, only and the back and sides.
For smaller cases a Non-Shaven FUE hair transplant is possible, meaning we don’t even need to clip all of the donor area just small sections that hide under your hair!
Non-shaven FUE is great for those wanting small, cheaper procedures to replace hair gradually with no downtime or just for small transplants eg 400 grafts (800 hairs).
THE ONLY CLINIC USING THIS MANY TYPES OF EXTRACTION AND PLACEMENT INSTRUMENTS
The only clinic in Australia using 5 different extraction and 5 different implant techniques to customize the procedure to your individual needs and wants.
Follicular Unit Transplant or Strip (FUT)
What is FUT?
FUT, the traditional way of harvesting follicles, involves removing a horizontal strip of skin, about 1 cm wide from the back and suturing it closed. This is a very simple skin removal procedure under local anaesthetic.
Does FUT leave a big scar?
No. FUT can leave a horizontal white line or scar that usually varies from 1mm to 3mm in width. Sometimes the line is very hard to find, even by hairdressers. People are usually overly worried about the scar due to incorrect information on the internet, the reality is that the scar is hard to find and does not worry people. If there is some area of the scar that you can see we can repair it for you with a tiny FUE or micro-pigmentation.
Donor area after FUT
Do I need to shave my head?
No, for FUT we do not shave your donor area or the recipient area so it looks normal at the end of the day. Following the procedure, a No. 3 hair length is enough to hide the line scar which is placed high in the hairline so you can still have a number 1 haircut just above the ear, or “short back and sides”
How many grafts can I have with FUT?
FUT hair transplants are very well tolerated and we can do many more grafts in one day, up to 4000 (8000 hairs).
FUT is still a quite popular hair transplant technique with Australians because there is no shaving, no number restriction, high graft survival rate and a better quality of graft generally speaking with more triple hair grafts.
Follicular Unit Transplantation
Follicular Unit Extraction
Is FUE or FUT right for me?
Deciding between FUE and FUT is quite easy at the consultation.
Sadly there are clinics in Australia that can only do FUE so that is all they offer you. In reality, FUE is not the right procedure for about 50% of people so they end up getting the wrong procedure done at these clinics.
Extensive damage can be done at the back and sides of the head by the removal of too much FUE. The quality of the grafts from FUE is always less compared to FUT. We can still do a good transplant with FUE, but because the graft quality is lower, often a greater total number is needed for the same density. If you are going to need more that about 4000 grafts (8000 hairs) in your lifetime, then FUE is not for you. Taking too much FUE out of the back and sides will thin out that area so much you can’t wear your hair short anyway, which is the main reason for having FUE in the first place.
With FUE, the grafts are taken out from a wide area of the scalp. So if 4000 or more grafts (6000+ hairs) are taken from various areas of the head, nobody can be certain they will survive forever.
With FUT, the skin is taken from right in the middle of the safe zone only and permanent survival is assured.
It sounds complex, but to experienced doctors who perform both FUT and FUE like we do, it is easy for us to give you the procedure that best suits you.
Consult with the actual doctor doing your transplant and explore all of the methods and options before going down one road.
Frequently asked questions
At Hair Transplants Melbourne we move your hair follicles from one area of the scalp (the safe zone) to another area. The safe zone contains hair roots (follicles) that are not part of hair loss patterns and will regrow permanently when placed in another area. It is not the skin of the hair loss area that is the problem in balding, it is the follicles or roots that are weakened in that area. Follicles from the safe zone will grow in any skin, even scars. Another person cannot donate hair for transplants, not even a family member because they would be rejected by the body’s immune system. As soon as the new follicles grow in their new location, they are healthy, normal and active and will continue to grow for the rest of your life. The re-located hair is your hair and grows totally as normal.
FUE stands for Follicular Unit Extraction. This is where the follicle removal is performed one unit at a time with no cutting, no stitches, no line scar and minimal or no pain afterwards. It allows you to cut your hair down to a No. 1 or 2 in the donor area higher up the scalp due to no line scar. Non-shaven FUE is where we clip only small areas of the back so the hair covers it, meaning we hide the donor area. Great for small hair transplants of 200-300 per session.
FUT stands for Follicular Unit Transplant and is the traditional type of hair transplant where a strip of skin containing the hair is removed and stitched closed. The follicle groups are then removed from this strip under a microscope. Hair cuts after this type usually need to be a No. 3 or more in that area which is about 3 cm above the tip of your ear, due to a line scar being left behind. Sometimes this scar is very hard to find. Most people grow their hair this length in that area anyway so it’s a popular method. The grafts are more custom-made and planted in the usual manner with fine forceps into the recipient sites.
Most of the time the donor area is at the sides or back of the head where the hair follicles are resistant to thinning. Even when these follicles are transplanted into a bald area, they preserve their hair growing qualities and do not suffer from the effects of DHT. This area is called the safe zone and is the basis of all permanent hair transplants.
Before 2004, hair transplants were often unnatural looking. This was because hairs were planted in plugs with about 15-20 hairs per plug. This created a doll’s-head appearance when the surrounding hair was lost subsequently. Today, thanks to state-of-the-art technology with finer instruments and microscopes, grafts are much smaller, between one to 3 hairs and look natural. Hairline design is also better now, we make them with natural little ups and downs and not too even. Its is almost impossible to detect a modern transplant and this is the artistry of the industry that Hair Transplants Melbourne is famous for thanks to Dr. Paul Spano.
Hair transplantation is a precise meticulous procedure and a team of very highly trained technicians and the surgeon is required. Most transplants take all or most of the day so we only book one person in at a time, allowing us the flexibility to make your day flow easily with lunch breaks and comfort breaks for you as required. We keep you entertained, comfortable and well fed and often laughing a little. We are all in it together, there is music in the room and you can chat with the staff if you like in between naps.
With FUT (strip), we can do up to 4000 grafts (8000 hairs) in one day, that’s enough to cover a totally bald scalp. Common sizes are 1600-2400 grafts (3200-4800 hairs). With FUE, we are limited to 2400 grafts approx. per day.
We limit it to 2400 grafts (4800 hairs) for a lot of reasons but we find if we rush and try and take more, the results are not as good. We would suggest caution for any clinics offering more that than in one day, the quality may not be there. One graft contains 2 hairs on average, so 2000 grafts is 4000 hairs and so on.
Large numbers are quoted on many overseas transplant sites and posts and sometimes this is done with large FUE punches to make things quicker but they never show you the extensive scarring and hair loss they cause at the back and sides by doing this rough work.
It really depends on the area that needs to be covered. Some approximates:
- Crown 800 grafts (1600 hairs)
- Front corners 1400 grafts (2800 hairs)
- Front to crown thinning 2000 grafts (4000 hairs)
- Front third 2400 grafts (4800 hairs)
- Top of head with little hair or patchy baldness 3000+ grafts (6000+ hairs)
- Totally bald 3400-4000 grafts (6800-8000 hairs)
- Remember one graft has an average 2 hairs in it.
In short, it’s about 70% and that would take 2 procedures about 11 months apart. There are clinics that state that they can recover up to 98% and promise a full head of thick hair but this isn’t true. The good news is that 70% is more than enough to compensate for hair loss because people need to lose more than 25% anyway before they really notice it, so if we give them back 70% they are very happy, that’s why it’s so popular. Hair loss patients who visit Hair Transplants Melbourne for FUE or FUT are among the happiest patients in the field of cosmetic surgery.
The hairs begin to grow at 4 months after being relocated by us. Between 4-6 months there is a large growth spurt so by 6 months about 60% is growing. It takes 12-14 months depending on your hair length for full growth. While it’s growing, it looks totally natural, the hairs grow randomly and are all at different lengths so it’s like hair loss but in reverse. Some of the hairs grow straight away but this varies.
A lot of our patients go back to work the next day. If you have lost most of your hair then you may need a few days off unless you can wear a cap to work. The skin is pink for a week or so but can be covered by surrounding hair, scarfs for women or caps.
The new grafts need to be protected for approximately 7 days after the transplant. The scalp can be washed gently the day after the procedure. Hair Transplants Melbourne will give you a full list of do’s and don’ts. Basically, the grafts look after themselves, just no sport so you don’t knock them for a few weeks. Showering daily is advised, without rubbing the scalp , air-travel is ok the next day, other hair can be combed the next day. It’s a lot simpler than people think.
Yes. The average male with a balding pattern will have two lifetime transplants. It may be one but people like the results and want it thicker, that’s human nature. Minimum time between strip methods is 10 months and FUE is much sooner. Eyebrow transplants often take two sessions to complete, about 4 months apart.
Stinging occurs during the local anaesthetic injections, lasting several seconds each time. You may experience a mild headache in the afternoon of the procedure. We can give you analgesia for this. If you suffer from low back pain, lying still on the bed sometimes aggravates it. We can assist in posture change and give you analgesia for this.
Bruising can occur on the forehead from the local anaesthetic injections and last for a week.
Pain at the donor area occurs for FUT (strip) surgery. You will require over the counter pain medication and perhaps prescription pain medication for a week or two. Pain is very variable amongst individuals , some can tolerate more than others. Our aim is to keep you as comfortable as possible during the initial healing phase. FUE procedures are far less painful afterwards with many people describing no pain at all. This is one of the advantages of FUE.
Bleeding or spotting can occur from the donor site or recipient site for the first few days or so. This can occur after a shower if the scalp is rubbed or if the scalp is picked or knocked. Mild pressure resolves this.
Infections in the donor area are rare, approximately 1 in every 100 cases. When this occurs, pain and tenderness is increased and a week of antibiotics are prescribed. The occasional pimple can occur in the recipient area usually 4-6 weeks after the procedure, and these are either popped by you or left alone, or popped by the surgeon during a review appointment.
Swelling of the forehead is common and can occur 3 days after the procedure and last for 3 days if there has been a large transplant done at the frontal hairline and front half of scalp. It especially occurs in people who usually swell up after injury. The swelling subsides by itself and there is no treatment for it e.g. ice does not work. The fluid gradually descends down the forehead and in rare severe cases, into the eyelids.
Crusting and shedding of the exposed piece of the graft occurs over the first few weeks. Tiny dry pieces of skin, some containing a tiny hair fragment will shed from the recipient area like dandruff. The hair roots are buried under the skin where they remain. Most grafts will reject the tiny hair that is in place. Crusting of the stitched area occurs and resolves by itself over 4 weeks.
Numbness of parts of the scalp are common after FUT for a few months and this resolves by itself. Very rarely does permanent numbness occur. In FUE any numbness is extremely rare. A strip scar can have permanently altered sensation within its borders.
Permanent loss of fine hair in the recipient area. During hair loss, the hairs become finer and finer until they don’t regrow at all. The very fine hairs remaining in the area can be killed by the transplant of surrounding thicker hairs. This does not cause a problem because they were going to fall out anyway and were not providing any real cosmetic coverage in the first place.
Loss of whole grafts can occur over the first day or so if for some reason they have popped out of their hole. They cannot be replaced and this is one reason why 100% of grafts don’t survive. Avoiding rubbing or bumping the scalp to reduce this.