Patients, especially younger ones, frequently request low, flat hairlines. It is quite understandable for the patients who decide to have hair transplantation surgery to want the front hairline design to be similar to the hairline types seen in the lowest possible age group. However, this request is not suitable for all age groups. Therefore, creating an age-appropriate hairline will provide a more natural look.
The first thing to remember is that low flat hairlines can be successfully recreated with modern hair transplantation techniques. Particularly with proper use of 1-haired “single” follicular units in a natural manner in the frontal hairline. However, just because something can be done doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be done.
Front hairline design should not be too low
There are a few problems in creating very low, flat hairlines:
All patients have a limited number of donor follicles and hair loss is a progressive condition. If a patient wants to have a hairline that is too low and flat, and hair thinning continues in other areas of the scalp, there is a possibility that the patient may run out of grafts and may not have the capability to treat additional parts of the scalp. The use of too many grafts on a low, flat hairline and running out of follicles for newly receded areas is referred to as “frontal loading” and it is a real problem.
Front hairline design should be appropriate to age
Hair transplantation is permanent. And a low flat hairline that looks good in a young patient may not appear natural or look good as the patient ages. When creating a hairline, the aim is to design something that will look good and appropriate at age 25 as it will at 65. The transplanted front hairline will not change, so it must be designed with this in mind.
Front hairline should have natural recesses
Hairlines are naturally imperfect. Even individuals with very little hair loss have irregularities, areas with slight recession, and differences in heights. If a transplanted hairline is perfectly formed in a low, flat way, it may not look natural.
Improper hairline design is difficult to reverse
Most importantly, you can lower a higher hairline in hair transplantation, but it is very difficult to raise a lower hairline. If the patient receives a higher hairline now and their hair loss permanently stabilizes, the hairline can be easily lowered with additional transplants. However, if the hairline is set too low to begin with and the patient wants to reverse it, the process is difficult and does not always result in success.
Front hairline should be personally customized
However, generally the best way is to create an “age-appropriate” hairline from the beginning. This describes a natural approach that reshapes a patient’s face and creates appropriate proportions. The hairline created with this in mind will continue to “age well” and look good even at the age of 65. It is very important for the front hairline design to be personally planned and customized. Because in the hair transplantation world, there is no “design that fits all”.