Patient Selection, Candidacy, and Treatment Plan for Hair Replacement Surgery

The 1994 document discussed the importance of careful patient selection and planning in surgical hair restoration. It emphasized that even a well-executed procedure could lead to unsatisfactory results if the patient was not a suitable candidate. The authors outlined several obligations for the surgeon, including creating only natural hair patterns, assuming the worst-case scenario for the patient's final baldness pattern, and committing to the patient's hair restoration for a lifetime. They also highlighted the challenges of predicting a patient's permanent hair situation, especially in younger patients, and the reciprocal relationship between the bald and donor areas. The document strongly advised against leaving a patient with an unfinished hair restoration and a completely harvested fringe.