hairlossYour hair. Your questions. A clearer way forward.
Ask anything about hair loss, see where you are on the Norwood scale, learn what a transplant really involves, and walk into a surgeon consultation prepared.
Research you can inspect. Commercial relationships you can see.
Ask me about causes of hair loss, treatment evidence, side effects, or anything about hair transplants: candidacy, FUE vs FUT, grafts, recovery, cost, and how to choose a surgeon.
I give education, not a diagnosis. For anything sudden, patchy, painful or inflamed, see a dermatologist.
Where are you in your hair journey?
I'm noticing hair loss
Map your pattern on the Norwood scale, learn possible causes, and prepare for a dermatologist visit.
Find my stage → ComparingI'm comparing treatments
See how strong the evidence is for each option, separate from marketing claims.
Compare the evidence → ConsideringI'm considering a transplant
Learn the procedure, vet a clinic, find a surgeon in your region, and build a consultation brief.
Explore hair restoration →Where you are, and what restoring it usually takes.
Pick the Norwood stage closest to your pattern, viewed from above. The planner shows the range surgeons commonly quote. It is a planning range, not a quote or a photo-based estimate.
A better consultation starts before the clinic.
Understand the terminology, weigh the tradeoffs, and know what to ask. Plan for where your hair loss is going, not just today's hairline.
Education and consultation preparation. Candidacy requires a qualified clinician's assessment.
- 01Understand the procedureFUE vs FUT, donor supply, hairline design, recovery, and ongoing hair loss.
- 02Look beyond before-and-after photosCredentials, who performs each step, comparable cases, and how outcomes are documented.
- 03Arrive preparedBring your goals, history, treatment experience, and a tailored question checklist.
- 04Document the journeyKeep consistent photos and follow your clinic's recovery instructions.
| Factor | FUE | FUT (strip) | DHI / implanter |
|---|---|---|---|
| How grafts are taken | Individual follicular units punched from the donor area | A thin strip of scalp removed, then dissected under microscopes | FUE extraction; grafts placed with a pen-style implanter |
| Donor scar | Scattered dot scars; supports shorter haircuts | One linear scar, hidden by hair of moderate length | Same as FUE |
| Best suited to | Short hairstyles, smaller sessions, scar-repair cases | Large sessions in one sitting, maximizing lifetime yield | Dense packing in the hairline, unshaven cases |
| Recovery | Donor heals in 7–10 days | Stitches out at 10–14 days; tighter feeling for weeks | Similar to FUE |
| Ask the surgeon | Who performs extraction, and how is overharvesting avoided? | How is scar width minimized? Trichophytic closure? | What does the implanter change for my case specifically? |
What the first year actually looks like.
Forehead swelling peaks around day 3. Sleep elevated.
Gentle washing removes crusts. Donor area heals.
Transplanted hairs shed. This is expected; roots stay.
Fine, wispy hairs appear. Some pimples are normal.
Roughly half the result. Texture still maturing.
Hairs gain caliber. Styling becomes easier.
Hairline and frontal work largely mature.
Crown work can take this long to finish.
Find a hair restoration surgeon in your region.
Every surgeon listed is a current member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons (IAHRS), the selective alliance whose members are recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Listings show public information only, and none are paid placements.
Are you a listed surgeon? Contact hairloss.org to correct your listing or add techniques, case photos and consultation details.
Ask a transplant question.
Get an instant educational answer now. Questions are reviewed by participating hair restoration surgeons, and the best answers join the public library with the surgeon's name.
Build your consultation brief.
Four short steps. You get a one-page brief with your history, goals and a tailored question list, and you choose whether to send it to a surgeon.
Check a clinic in two minutes.
Tick what you've confirmed about a clinic you're considering. Gaps turn into questions for your consultation.
Explore before you decide.
No product rankings. Each topic shows how strong the evidence is, what it is good for, and what to ask your clinician.
Same angles. Same light. Every four weeks.
Your progress deserves more than a camera roll.
The journal brings photos, routine changes and consultation notes together. You decide what to save and what to share with a clinician.
- Overhead light in the same room, hair dry and unstyled
- Phone at arm's length, same height every time
- Front, top, crown, and each temple
- Hair wet or pulled back for hairline shots
Before social media, there was Regrowth.com.
hairloss.org was founded by Scott Blaine Hoffman, who created Regrowth.com, the first hair-loss network on the web, years before social media existed. Its moderators reviewed what was posted and called out product shills, so people could find answers they could trust.
Scott has spent more than 30 years in the hair-loss field. hairloss.org carries that standard forward: evidence you can inspect, commercial relationships you can see, and straight answers before you decide.
— Scott Blaine Hoffman, founder
Help informed patients find your expertise.
A professional network built around useful education and detailed practice profiles. Patients arrive understanding your approach, with a brief already in hand.
Founding practice program · No lead-volume guarantees
Trust should be visible.
Show the source
Link evidence, date reviews, explain uncertainty, and identify who reviewed medical content.
Disclose the relationship
Disclose sponsorship and affiliate relationships. Apply consistent comparison criteria.
Know the limits
No AI diagnosis, guaranteed results, or photo-based graft estimates. Medical questions go to qualified clinicians.
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Consultation briefs and surgeon questions submitted on this page.