How long can donor hair be and still be implanted?

greeneclipse

I have a bald spot to fill (alopecia) and Dr. Cole has suggested anywhere between 200-400g.

Can the donor hairs be left unshaven and long (maybe 1inch or so) and still be implanted into the recipient area?

Michelle

Trying to have the hair as long as possible won't make a difference since it falls out after transplanting so that the new hair can grow in...

CITness

Hi greeneclipse,

I suppose that there are two reasons why you would think that not shaving would be better than shaving the donor hairs. Well, there is no scientific reason that I am aware of to prove that there is an advantage to have these hairs unshaved other than to disguise the donor extraction sites. Also, these hairs should fall out after a couple weeks.

drcole

you can perform a strip procedure with long hair. you need to recognize that one day you will have no hair. the next day you will have all kinds of hair. then 2 to 3 weeks later, you are going to have no hair again because the hair falls out of the grafts soon after you move them to the top. It would give you a good idea of what you are going to look like down the road, however.