Unshaven hair transplant
An unshaven hair transplant leaves your existing hair uncut and shortens only a narrow window in the donor area that the hair above it covers; the trade-off is a lower ceiling on grafts per session.
- Procedure time
- 6–9 hours
- Anaesthesia
- Local anaesthetic
- Recovery
- 7–10 days of crusting
- Sessions
- One session
- How long it lasts
- Permanent; result completes at 12–18 months
Who it makes sense for
It was developed for patients whose work keeps them visible, or who simply do not want to spend a month with a shaved head.
Because the long hair covers the donor area, the recipient area is partly concealed too, and the time before you look normal again is shorter. The gain is in visibility, not in the result.
How it is done
A narrow window is shortened in the donor area, positioned so that the hair above it falls over it. Grafts are harvested one at a time through that window.
In the recipient area the existing hair is preserved and grafts are placed between the hairs already there. Fine-tipped instruments are used so neighbouring follicles are not damaged; an implanter is often preferred at this stage.
Why the graft ceiling is lower
Extracting grafts one by one from between long hairs, and then placing them between existing hairs, is markedly slower than the shaved equivalent.
Fewer grafts move in the same amount of time. Unshaven planning therefore usually stays in the 1,000–2,500 range per session, and a large bald area cannot be covered in one sitting. Any clinic offering you 4,000 unshaven grafts in a day is describing something other than what will happen.
Recovery and getting back to normal
The first wash is done at the clinic on the day after the operation. Crusts have gone in 7–10 days, and because the existing hair partly hides them, you look normal to other people sooner.
Shock loss and the growth timeline are the same as for the shaved technique: permanent regrowth starts from month four and the result completes at 12–18 months.
Who this is not for, and what not to expect
The unshaven technique solves a visibility problem, not a capacity problem. It is unsuitable for wide areas of loss because not enough grafts can be transferred. That is the real limit of the method and it is stated plainly at examination rather than after the deposit.
A truly no-cut procedure is not technically possible. There is always a shortened area in the donor region; what differs is that it can be hidden by the hair above it.
- Norwood 4 and above — a single session cannot transfer enough grafts for the area
- Hair too short to cover the donor window — the concealment does not work
- Uncontrolled bleeding disorder or anticoagulant use — not performed without a haematology assessment
- Active scalp infection or inflammatory scalp disease — no operation is planned until it is treated
- Autoimmune shedding such as widespread alopecia areata — not performed without dermatology sign-off
This page is general information and does not replace a clinical examination. The method, dose and timescale that apply to you are decided by a doctor after examining you.
Frequently asked questions
Is nothing really cut at all?
How many grafts can be transplanted?
When can I go back to work?
Pre-assessment
Describe your situation and we will answer with a measurement
Send a photograph or an X-ray. A doctor in the relevant speciality will reply with a graft range, a number of teeth or a dose range in units. If you are not suitable, we say so plainly.