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Hidden Donor Technique

Hidden Donor Technique

Do you want to keep your FUE a secret? Traditionally, FUE has required shaving the entire head, a telltale sign of a hair transplant. This prerequisite has caused many men and women to avoid seeking hair restoration. 

If you want to restore your hairline and keep your hair length, options are available. With the hidden donor technique, it is no longer necessary to shave your head before FUE. If you choose to keep your procedure discreet, no one needs to know you’ve had a hair transplant. 

Learn more about the hidden donor technique for FUE hair transplantation by contacting Balance Hair Restoration in Ann Arbor. Call us at (734) 913-5100 or fill out our online form.

What Is the Hidden Donor Technique?

Hidden FUE is a specialized technique to minimize the visibility of hair restoration. Traditional FUE hair restoration has necessitated shaving your entire head. The hidden donor technique reduces the visibility of hair restoration and is more discreet than other methods like traditional FUE or the linear strip method. 

In FUE, Dr. Malhotra gently removes hair follicles from donor areas using a specialized punch, then prepares the harvested follicles and transplants them into areas of the scalp that need more fullness. Proper extraction requires a short haircut, so typically, preparing for FUE requires shaving your hair. 

With the hidden donor technique, Dr. Malhotra can transfer up to 1400 units in one sitting. This requires some patients to grow their hair out in back for a few months to hide the donor area during the healing process.. After harvesting, the remaining hair will cover the donor sites, camouflaging their appearance. 

Before and after FUE Hair Transplant top view
before and after FUE Hair Transplant top view
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Balance Hair Restoration is the leading hair restoration center in Michigan. With advanced hair restoration techniques and a double board-certified plastic surgeon, Balance Hair Restoration has a reputation for creating some of the most natural-looking results in the state. Discover why men and women from across Michigan choose us for hair transplantation by scheduling a consultation.

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What Are the Benefits of Hidden FUE?

Hidden FUE isn’t always the best technique. Patients who require an extensive number of grafts may be better candidates for traditional FUE or other hair restoration approaches like the strip method. The hidden donor technique concentrates hair grafts into a few small patches. If you need lots of grafts, it can be difficult to find sufficient healthy hair follicles in these isolated areas. Extracting too many hairs from the donor sites can create patchiness and balding.  It is important to spread the harvest area over a sufficient area to avoid a patchy donor appearance. 

At Balance Hair Restoration, many of our patients who want a discreet hair transplantation procedure request the hidden donor technique. Its benefits include:

  • No need to shave your full head
  • Subtle hair restoration
  • Patients with longer hair can maintain their style
before and after hair loss restoration male patient top view

The Hidden Donor Technique Improves FUE for Women

The hidden donor technique allows women to enjoy the benefits of FUE hair restoration while maintaining their hair length and style.

Since it doesn’t require a pre-surgical haircut, FUT has often been the most popular hair restoration option for women. However, because it requires removing a long strip of hair-bearing skin from the back of the scalp, this approach is more invasive and leaves a significant scar. 

The hidden donor technique allows women with longer hairstyles to keep them. Finally, women can experience excellent hair transplantation results without having to shave their heads. 

Schedule Your Consultation for Hair Restoration in Ann Arbor

You can enjoy the benefits of FUE without shaving your head. If you’re interested in the hidden donor technique for FUE hair restoration, contact Balance Hair Restoration in Ann Arbor, MI. Call (734) 913-5100 or reach out online to get started.

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FAQ: Hidden Donor Technique in Michigan

While the hidden donor technique involves shaving small, carefully selected patches of hair along the lower back of the scalp, it is no longer necessary to shave your full head. Dr. Malhotra and his team at Balance Hair Restoration can achieve stunning FUE results using the hidden donor technique.

The process for hidden FUE is like that of a traditional FUE procedure. We prepare for surgery by cleansing the scalp and making surgical markings. Then, we extract donor hair from the back of the head shaving small strips of donor area. We then place grafts into areas of the scalp that are experiencing hair thinning and loss. 

If you’re receiving the hidden donor technique, we’ll only shave patches of hair that we plan to use for obtaining grafts. Our team has performed this advanced hair restoration technique many times and will guide you through the process, explaining each step as it occurs. 

Because we use a topical anesthetic to ensure a comfortable procedure, patients can enjoy a restful experience during FUE. After the harvesting portion, patients can relax and read, catch up on emails, or watch Netflix while we place grafts. 

FUE hair restoration is a time-consuming process. Plan on spending the full day with us, typically starting around 7:30 a.m. and ending between 3 and 5 p.m. You can return home the same day, but you will need someone to drive you home from surgery.

If you’re considering FUE hair restoration with the hidden donor technique, we encourage you to reach out and schedule a consultation at Balance Hair Restoration. We are one of the top hair restoration providers and one of the only hair transplantation practices to offer the hidden donor technique in Michigan. 

Dr. Malhotra performs all our consultations with assistance from our hair restoration team. While many hair restoration providers rely on surgical technicians for their consultations, we believe that patients should have access to their doctor from the earliest stages of the hair restoration process. By working with Dr. Malhotra from the beginning, patients enjoy a more comprehensive lifetime master plan for their hair restoration, custom-designed to ensure natural-looking results now and into the future. 

To book a consultation, contact our office, and our team will help you get started. Consultations typically last about an hour.

To hide the donor area after a hair transplant, patients can consider wearing loose-fitting hats or caps that do not touch the scalp directly. Some patients opt for changing hairstyles prior to their hair transplant that cover the donor area like growing their hair slightly longer. Your surgeon can provide specific advice minimizing visibility during the healing process.

Yes, the Hidden Donor Hair Transplant technique often results in a faster healing process compared to traditional hair transplant methods. The minimally invasive nature of the FUE hair transplant procedure reduces trauma to the scalp and promotes quicker recovery.

The hair follicles extracted for hair transplants will not grow back in the donor area. However, the careful FUE extraction technique ensures that the remaining hair in the donor area can cover the extraction sites, making them less noticeable.

The best donor areas for a hair transplant are typically the back and sides of the scalp as these areas are resistant to balding. These areas provide the most reliable and robust hair follicles for transplantation.

Yes, it is possible to run out of donor hair if multiple hair transplant procedures are performed or if the donor area is insufficient to meet the needs of the transplant. Proper assessment and planning by an experienced surgeon can help maximize the available donor hair and achieve the desired results.

If you don’t have enough donor hair for a transplant, your surgeon might recommend alternative solutions. These could include smaller, strategically placed transplants, combining a hair transplant with other treatments like medications or PRP therapy, or considering hair systems and wigs as non-surgical options.

Ann Arbor, MI

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