The questions Dr. Jones works through in every consultation, plainly. Reading them won't replace a consultation — but it will tell you whether you're roughly in the candidate zone, and what to expect when you book one.
The questions below are the real ones — the same ones Dr. Jones works through with every patient in consultation. There's no quiz score at the end. No green light, no red light. Just the honest framework for thinking about whether you're a candidate, and what to expect if you are.
The fastest way to a definitive answer is photos. Submit five (front, top-down, both profiles, back) and Dr. Jones will tell you, in writing, where you stand. The questions below are the homework before that.
Surgery on someone whose loss is still actively progressing produces a result that recedes around the transplanted hair within a few years. The transplanted follicles stay; the surrounding native hair keeps falling. We want to see at least 12 months of stability — typically through documented finasteride use or pattern observation — before recommending surgery for younger patients.
Younger patients with rapid early loss often have aggressive pattern progression that warrants medical therapy first, surgery later. Patients in their 40s and beyond with late-onset loss tend to be the most reliable surgical candidates because progression is slower and the eventual pattern is more predictable.
Hair restoration moves follicles from the back of your head to the front and crown. The donor area is finite — what's there is what's available, for life. Patients with thick, dense donor hair have more grafts to work with than patients with naturally thinner hair. Donor density is determined by examination, not by self-assessment.
Stages III and IV are the surgical sweet spot — defined recession, intact donor, predictable results. Earlier stages (I–II) are usually better treated medically first. Later stages (V–VII) are still candidates but require realistic expectations and sometimes multiple sessions. See the Norwood Scale page for stage-by-stage detail.
Finasteride blocks the hormone that causes male pattern loss. It's the most studied, most effective medical therapy in the field. Patients who take finasteride preserve their existing hair longer and get better long-term results from surgery. We don't require finasteride to operate — but we do discuss it honestly because it's the difference between maintaining the result for a decade versus a lifetime.
“I want my hair back the way it was at twenty” is rarely achievable. “I want to look like myself, just with more hair on top” usually is. The more honest you are about goals, the better the surgical plan fits. Density, hairline shape, and area covered are all calibrated to what you actually want — but the calibration only works if the goal is realistic.
Bleeding disorders, uncontrolled diabetes, autoimmune conditions like alopecia areata, scarring alopecias (lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia), and active scalp inflammation can all affect surgical outcomes. Some are absolute contraindications; some require treatment first; some just require care during planning. Your photo consultation should include any relevant medical history.
Surgery is one day. Recovery is twelve months. The result you'll see at month four isn't the result — it's the early growth phase. Patients who panic at the shed (week 3–6) and try to undo what's happening get worse outcomes than patients who trust the timeline and follow the post-op care. Photo follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months are part of the package.
Some patients aren't surgical candidates — and that's not a defeat. It usually means one of three things:
1. You're too early. Loss is still actively progressing; surgery now would produce a result that recedes around it. Treat with finasteride and minoxidil, reassess at 12–24 months. Most patients in this category become candidates eventually.
2. Donor supply is insufficient. The donor area can't deliver the density required for the coverage you want. Sometimes body hair transplant bridges the gap. Sometimes scalp micropigmentation (a non-surgical alternative) creates the appearance of density without grafts.
3. The underlying cause isn't androgenetic. Telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, scarring alopecias, and other causes need different treatments. We refer to dermatology or trichology when the diagnosis points elsewhere.
If you're not a candidate, you'll be told why and pointed at the right next step. Either way, the photo consultation is the starting point.
Five photos, eight minutes of form. Dr. Jones reviews personally and sends back a written assessment within 48 hours — candidate or not, what's recommended, what it'd cost, what the timeline is.