Can I recover my hair density and have a thick hair again?

By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2020-03-20

If I have lost hair density, can I dream of having a thick hair again? Many people wonder on how to increase hair density when they begin to notice less dense areas in their scalp due to hair loss. We are talking about a problem that may affect both men and women and have an important influence in their self-esteem or their social relations... But don´t worry, because this situation can be reversed with the proper treatment.

The truth is that there are many persons interested in the hair transplant cost in Turkey, and travelling to this country to get a hair transplantation, that do it so because they suffer from low hair density. But, is surgery the only solution for this problem? What treatments can be used? When should I have to worry about my hair density? In the following lines we are going to answer all these queries, and many more.

What is a good hair density?

First of all: What does hair density mean? It´s simply the number of hairs -or to be precise the number of follicles- that can be found for each square centimetre of our skin. A normal hair density ranges from 65 to 120 follicular units per cm2, although this number varies depending on each person. The concept of hair density is very important in hair transplants, because the more hair follicles in the donor area, the best the results will be.

Now that we explained what is hair density, it´s important to note that it varies depending not only on the person's health status or his/her hair problems, but also on hair colour, and even race. A blonde adult person has about 150,000 hairs on the head, but a dark-haired one has about 130,000, and a redheaded just about 90,000. Furthermore, hair density in a person is about 3 times higher during childhood than in adulthood.

Hair density is also influenced by the distribution of hair in the follicles themselves, as each follicular unit can contain from 1 to 5 hairs: this means that the greater the quantity of hairs per follicle, the greater the density. In addition, another important factor is the thickness of hair; in a healthy person hair thickness is 70 microns on average, but this may also vary depending on the colour: dark hair is thicker, while blond hair is thinner.

Is it possible to increase hair density?

We must remember that a good hydration and a balanced diet -with a sufficient supply of proteins, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins such as B5 or E, and minerals such as iron or zinc- are one of the best remedies to keep our hair healthy and strong and avoid  hair fall. Doing exercise, sleeping enough hours, and of course avoiding stress, can be very helpful to strength our hair and increase hair density, too.

In any case, when hair texture and density are compromised, there are many treatments available to reverse the situation, or at least to avoid it getting worse; for example, shampoos, gels and hair conditioners containing proteins, collagen, antioxidants and other nourishing and invigorating elements, can increase your hair volume. Intakes of vitamins, trace elements and amino acids can improve hair health and nutrition, too.

When prevention is no longer possible, using topical treatments such as minoxidil (2% or 5%) help to stimulate scalp irrigation, thus increasing the supply of nutrients that follicles receive through blood. Another solution are infiltrations of trace elements, vitamins, hormonal regulators, amino acids or vasodilators using techniques like hair mesotherapy.

Using Sapphire FUE technique to get a dense hair

In worst cases where resorting to a hair transplant becomes necessary to increase hair density, new and cutting-edge techniques such as hair transplant using Sapphire FUE technique are available and can provide very good results. This technique is more precise than traditional FUE, as it uses V-shapped micro incisions from 0.6 to 0.8 mm in diameter in the scalp to increase the number of grafts per cm2.

In sum, for those worried about how to increase the density of hair there are many solutions available to recover hair density and get a thick hair. The most important thing however is to ask for professional assessment and seek a trustworthy clinic with an experienced and qualified medical team, something that we have at Clinicana: have you read the reviews on hair transplant in Turkey? Have you used our free consultation service? Don´t miss it!!