Candidate profile directly shapes how realistic and durable the outcome will be. Evaluation shouldn't focus only on "how many grafts" but also on where those grafts will come from and how long they're likely to last.

Generally Good Candidates

  • Stable androgenetic alopecia that has largely stopped progressing.
  • A dense, healthy donor area.
  • Realistic expectations (accepting that existing loss won't fully revert to "age-17" density).
  • General health sufficient to tolerate a minor outpatient procedure.

Cases Requiring Extra Caution

  • Very young patients (under 20): The loss pattern may not yet be established; transplanted areas can end up looking like "islands" as surrounding hair continues to thin.
  • Diffuse/unstable loss (Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia, DUPA): Even the donor area may be unreliable.
  • Active alopecia areata or scarring alopecia: The underlying disease must be controlled first.
  • Unrealistic expectations: No honest clinic promises "perfect," gap-free density.
Best practice: The decision to operate should involve joint evaluation by a dermatologist treating the hair loss medically and a hair transplant surgeon — not just a sales-driven "free consultation."