Treatments

Long Hair Transplant

A transplant performed without shaving your hair down first.

Type: Surgical
Anaesthesia: Local
Shaving: Hair kept long
Graft requirement: Assessed at consultation

Overview

What Long Hair Transplant actually involves

In a conventional transplant the donor area, and often the area being treated, is trimmed short before the procedure. In a long hair transplant the follicular units are extracted and implanted with the hair shaft left at length.

That changes two things for the patient. The donor area stays covered by the surrounding hair, so the procedure is far less obvious in the days that follow. And because the grafts go in with their hair attached, you see an early impression of the coverage and the hairline on the day itself.

It is worth being clear about what that early impression is. The transplanted hairs still go through the usual shedding phase before they regrow, exactly as they do after any transplant — the long hair you leave with is a preview, not the final result. Working with long hair is also slower and more demanding, so whether it suits your case, and how many grafts can sensibly be done this way, is decided at consultation.

Candidacy

Who this is — and isn't — the right choice for

We would rather turn down an unsuitable case than sell a procedure that cannot deliver what you want.

A good fit if

Patients who cannot or do not want to shave their head for the procedure
Anyone who needs to return to work or social life without an obvious sign of surgery
Women, and men who wear their hair long
Patients who want to see the planned hairline and coverage on the day

Not the right call if

Anyone expecting the day-one look to stay — the transplanted hairs shed before regrowing
Cases needing more grafts than can sensibly be handled with the hair left long
A donor area that cannot supply the coverage being asked for

Step by step

How the procedure runs

No stage of this is a surprise on the day — here is the full sequence.

01
Assessment and design
Your hair loss pattern and donor area are assessed, and the hairline design is agreed with you, including whether the long hair approach suits your case.
02
Donor preparation
The donor area is prepared with the hair left long and local anaesthesia is administered.
03
Long hair extraction
Follicular units are extracted individually with their hair shaft intact, from between the surrounding hair.
04
Implantation
Grafts are placed following your natural growth direction, with the long hair showing the coverage as it is built.

Afterwards

What the period after treatment looks like

Including the stages most clinics gloss over. Exact timings vary between patients — yours are confirmed by the clinic before you go ahead.

Immediately after
The donor area is covered by your own hair. You are given aftercare instructions covering washing, sleeping position and activity.
Early healing
Small crusts form in the treated area, partly hidden by the long hair. The clinic confirms when and how to wash.
Shedding phase
The transplanted hairs shed, as they do after any transplant. The follicle remains and re-enters a growth phase.
Regrowth
New growth comes in gradually over the following months, on the timeline discussed at consultation.

FAQ

Long Hair Transplant questions patients ask

Do I really not have to shave?

That is the point of the approach — the grafts are taken and placed with the hair left long. Whether it can be used for your whole procedure depends on your case, and the clinic will confirm that with you beforehand.

Will the long transplanted hair stay?

No. The transplanted hairs shed in the weeks after the procedure and then regrow from the same follicles. What you see on the day is a preview of the plan, not the finished result.

Is the final result different from a regular transplant?

The grafts and the way they grow are the same. The difference is in how the procedure looks and feels in the first days, not in the hair you end up with.

Consultation

Find out if Long Hair Transplant is right for your case

Send your details and the doctor will review your case. You get an assessment of your hair loss and a personalised treatment plan — no obligation to book.