Hair Transplantation without shaving head to be fast socially acceptable agaIN!
Many women and men and those interested in hair transplantation find out after a few days of intensive research that some doctors would like to shave existing hair during a hair transplant, in the recipient or donor area. Since crusts and redness develop after surgery, which may no longer be adequately covered, this is suboptimal, especially for people in professions with a lot of customer contact, which actually have the goal to be fast socially acceptable again!
If the areas to be transplanted are still quite small, such as for the transplantation of receding hairline or a high forehead, or if there is just the need to restore areas that have become thinner, then a transplantation without a short cut is also quite possible! Read here how an “Unshaven-Op”, a hair transplantation with renunciation of shaving the hair (hair transplant without shaving head) can help to be fast socially acceptable again! → This is how it works and these are the costs!
Hair transplantation with abandonment of any shaving – neither in the recipient nor in the removal area
To be socially acceptable again in no time after a hair transplant – this probably greatest wish of every patient can only be realised by an “Unshaven operation”, as also reported by Manager Magazine1.
Especially for surgical hair thickening (thickening of existing hair/lighter areas), transplantation of the receding hairline and advancement of the hairline in women and men, the Unshaven variant can be a good option – without ANY short cutting of the hair – neither in the recipient – nor in the removal area (or also the variant → “partial shaving in the donor and no cutting of the hair in the receiving area”, see below).
However, it should also be made clear to interested parties that this method is far removed from any mass processing and that the few excellent hair surgeons who have dedicated themselves to this method really do deserve the title “artist of their guard”. However, the chances that this method reveals, the background – but also explicitly the risks of an Unshaven FUE without shaving (neither in the recipient nor in the removal area) should be examined in more detail here. This is done to arouse interest given the unique opportunities and possibilities, as well as to provide unsparingly open and comprehensive information on the background so that no questions remain unanswered.
In addition to the common methods of FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) and FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation), there is another variant of FUE hair transplant that is very interesting, especially for a certain clientele of patients: The Unshaven-HT, an FUE without any shaving – no shortcutting of the hair – neither in the reception, nor in the removal area.
FUE Hair transplant without shaving head: meaning and facts of the Unshaven technique
With the Unshaven technique, a real FUE hair transplantation without shaving head, women and men do not have to shave their hair, neither in the extraction area nor in the recipient area (in the case of thickening, no shortening of the existing hair or in the case of receding hairline surgery, no trimming of the longer hair in the area).
Two different methods within the Unshaven technique: “Pretrimmed Unshaven FUE” and “Direct Nonshaven FUE”
- The “Pretrimmed Unshaven FUE” method, the extraction of pre-trimmed (pre-cut) follicular units and subsequent harvesting by FUE
- The “Direct Nonshaven FUE” method, the simultaneous shortening and extraction of follicular units
As described by Dr. Jae Hyun Park, Seoul, Korea in the article “Pretrimmed versus Direct Nonshaven Follicular Unit Extraction“2, there are basically two different methods of FUE hair transplantation without shaving.
In the first method, as also described by Dr. John Cole from Atlanta, USA in the article “State of the Art: Non-shaven FUE”3 and as also practiced by Dr. Patrick Mwamba (learned from Dr. John Cole) in Brussels4 , the hair to be extracted (follicular units) are cut short between the long hair with special scissors. Only the units that are to be removed are cut! When these have been cut short, they are then removed with the FUE technique using fine hollow needles of 0.75 – 0.9 mm.
With the second method, the hair to be removed (follicular units) are not cut individually with scissors beforehand, but the hair to be removed/follicular units are cut with the sharp hollow needle and then removed immediately.
Hair restoration surgery without shaving and study by Dr. Jae Hyun from Seoul Korea regarding FUE Unshaven methods
Dr. Jae Hyun conducted a small study2 comparing both Unshaven FUE hair restoration methods without shaving. In 42 patients he harvested 50 follicular units each with the “Pretrimmed Unshaven FUE Method” and with the “Direct Nonshaven FUE”.
His result was that the extraction time for the method with pre-shortening of the follicular units (Pretrimmed Unshaven FUE) was significantly longer than with the Direct Nonshaven method (3.4 minutes compared to 2.6 minutes). The transection rate (when a follicular unit cannot be harvested fully intact, such as only 2 or 3 follicles could be harvested from a 4 unit) was similar (8.8 % vs. 7.5). The hair count per graft was significantly higher with Pretrimmed Unshaven FUE than with Direct Nonshaven FUE (2.23 hair per graft vs. 2.15 hair per graft). The length of the harvested hair was 1-4 mm with the pretrimmed method, compared to significantly shorter hair of 0.4-0.8 mm with the direct method.2
His conclusion: Both techniques are feasible and useful. However, the “Direct Nonshaven FUE” is considerably faster, although the hair removed is also very short. The “Pretrimmed Unshaven FUE” method is slower, but the harvested hair are longer, which he says is better for seeing the angle and bend of the harvested hair2 (which definitely plays a role when implanting into existing hairs, to implant the angle as identically as possible to the existing hair).
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) without shaving: Image directly after the Unshaven method – thickening of the hairline and planting of the receding hairline
Directly after an Unshaven fue hair transplantation without shortening the hair: Neither a short cut of the hair in the recipient area, nor in the donor area
To distinguish! Often it is NOT a “real” Unshaven-FUE” without ANY trimming, but a hair transplant with at least a shave in the donor area!
It is also common practice to speak of Unshaven-OP`s, even if it is purely factually a so-called combination treatment and NOT a treatment with renunciation of any shaving, i.e. neither in the receiving – nor in the donor area!
Hair transplant without shaving: No real “unshaving” if the hair is shaved in the Extraction area
For example, in the case of an FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), some hair surgeons for women and men often offer the option of leaving the hair in the recipient area untrimmed, as shown here:
However, with this type of surgery, extensive shaving is ALWAYS carried out in the extraction area. This is done either by so-called “strip shaving” (the hair is shaved in strips, the strips are optically concealed by the covering longer hair after the treatment) or by complete shaving of the extraction area/donor area:
- FUE strip shave
- Example of a partial shave for women
- FUE GJ Cut
If you are interested in an “Unshaven treatment”, it is, therefore, essential to inquire about the exact details of the procedure to be sure that it is, in fact, a surgery that avoids shaving in all respects, or, as described above, it is only a hair restoration without shaving of the recipient area, but with either a shaved-out donor area such as an FUE GJ Cut, or an FUE strip shave.
Abandonment of ANY shaving of the existing hair, the “Unshaven Option” neither in the recipient area nor in the donor
This paragraph is primarily concerned with realistically illuminating patient expectations and explaining the reasons why many of the renowned, successful hair surgeons do NOT offer Unshaven procedures with no shaving.
About the goal of having hair transplanted, the idea circulates that a hair surgeon who offers the FUE method (Follicular Unit Extraction) can surely also offer and also perform the Unshaven variant without any problems upon request. However, many patients are not yet aware that doctors/clinics with the necessary know-how and experience are rare.
The differences are hardly clear to the layman, which is why they should be explicitly mentioned here. Unfortunately, the FUE method is not only offered professionally and seriously by renowned hair surgeons, there are also many “cheap providers” who advertise this procedure. It seems to be well known that especially inexperienced hair surgeons and those who delegate important details of the treatment to non-medical staff should not be given the benefit of the doubt for any of the common methods of hair transplantation. Concerning the Unshaven variant, however, there are additional criteria that can have a serious influence on the success of the treatment.
Hair transplantation without a shave and the requirements
In the following, the above-mentioned circumstances should provide an overview of a completely unshaven variant of Unshaven FUE. Well-known, successful Unshaven hair surgeons, such as the renowned expert Dr. Patrick Mwamba, MD/Belgium and the world-renowned hair surgeon Dr. John Peter Cole/Atlanta/USA, speak out in favor of observing these extremely important criteria. But also other leading FUE specialists, who do not perform such procedures, but rather refrain from trimming the hair in the recipient area upon request and after assessing the individual case (Dr. Lars Heitmann/Zurich/CH) agree and advocate the special consideration of very important factors.
First and foremost, the skills of the performing hair surgeon determine the success of the operation! It takes an extraordinary amount of experience with Follicular Unit Extraction to fulfil the basic requirements that are indispensable for successful results. In particular, this is essential to keep the transection rate (number of severed follicular units/FU’s/grafts) as low as possible.
Furthermore, special caution and an exorbitant amount of care are required for patients who tend to bleed more, whose hair texture proves to be “bristly” and unruly, and/or whose scalp texture proves to be comparatively too soft or too hard. In the worst case, this can lead to the fact that some follicular units may not be completely removed (3 of a 4-hair unit/2 of a 3-hair unit) and in total a smaller number of grafts can be transplanted than intended.
While Dr. Mwamba, for example, says that it is almost always possible to transplant into existing hair without shaving, like for many areas that have become thinner to increase the density and for the transplantation of receding hairlines, but that this is often not offered because of the enormously increased time required, Dr. Cole emphasizes the extraordinary importance of existing experience and knowledge acquired specifically in the area of “Unshaven”, in the absence of which the decision not to shorten the hair is out of the question for many hair surgeons. Dr. Heitmann, on the other hand, is known to attach particular importance to pointing out to patients in the course of the consultation that a result can theoretically develop worse than hoped for depending on the amount of existing downy hair and existing residual density, so that it cannot be completely ruled out that gaps may be overlooked.
Hair restoration without shaving: Significantly higher time expenditure and consequently significantly higher costs
Many clinics often do not offer Unshaven treatments, as this procedure requires an enormous amount of time, which 1) must be taken into account in the overall costs, which cannot be advertised as a financially lucrative offer, and 2) could hinder the clinic’s workflow so that only a smaller number of patients can be scheduled.
However, the success of this particular operation basically depends on the same important parameters for the patient in the course of the search for a suitable provider as in the search for a hair surgeon for an FUE or FUT treatment – in summary:
In any case, it is advisable to explicitly turn to experienced, renowned hair surgeons in order to be able to keep the risks as low as possible and to take advantage of the best conditions for a successful treatment! The search for an excellent provider for a hair transplant without shaving is no exception in this respect!
However, if all the important factors are sufficiently taken into account, then an Unshaven transplant can be an excellent option and opportunity for a certain patient clientele – especially if it is essential professionally or even privately to be able to be socially fit again quickly following the treatment.
“Are you interested in hair transplantation without shaving (with abstinence of shaving) and would like a free online consultation including case assessment? I will be happy to advise you!
Andreas Krämer
Hairforlife will be happy to advise you in detail on all questions and important parameters concerning Unshaven hair surgery. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sources/References/Author
1 https://www.manager-magazin.de/lifestyle/artikel/schoenheitschirurgie-einige-der-besten-aerzte-sind-im-ausland-a-1057046-3.html
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5404446/
3 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269393250_State_of_the_Art_Non-shaven_FUE
4 https://www.ufue-hairtransplant.com/infos/my-u-fue-classic/
Author