Photo:  An FUE NeoGraft donor area using a “Stealth-Shave” approach by Dr. Alan J. Bauman.  The donor area photos seen here after 24 hours after NeoGraft FUE harvesting/transplantation of approximately 1000 grafts. [Left Photo: His hair is combed up to reveal the healing donor area. Look closely above the top stealth-shave area. In the unshaven donor zone, you can see a linear scar from a strip-harvest that remains hidden. Right Photo: This photo was taken a moment later, after the hair was combed down to cover the harvested donor area.]  

Many patients incorrectly assume that in order to have a NeoGraft FUE hair transplant procedure, they need to shave their head.  This is NOT the case.  For procedures of less than 1600 follicular unit grafts, it is very common for patients to have what we call a ‘stealth shave’ of the donor area.  A “stealth-shave” for extraction allows the surrounding donor hair to hide the location where the harvesting of hair follicles is performed so that it remains hidden while healing.

Patients who opt for the stealth-shave option typically do so because they do not want to (or cannot) undergo a total shave of the donor area.   If you are a professional with limited downtime, a stealth-shave can keep your FUE hair transplant a secret. 

What is an FUE ‘stealth-shave?’

A stealth-shave is a small horizontal shaved area where FUE NeoGraft harvesting can be performed.  It is usually a long, thin area that is no taller than a fingers-breadth (about ¾” or 1.5cm).   Usually, at least two small shaves are performed in order to allow access to enough harvestable hair follicles for transplantation. 

What NeoGraft FUE patients typically request a ‘stealth-shave?’

• Patients with a previous hair transplant scar – a total shave would visibly reveal that scar for a few weeks. However, that old scar can be kept hidden using a stealth-shave approach.
• Patients who do not typically wear their hair short and do not want to change their hairstyle.
• Female patients [see Anushka's 'stealth-shave' before and after her female FUE hair transplant]

Do I have enough hair length to cover a ‘stealth-shave?’

As long as you have approximately one and a half inches (4cm) of hair length, you should be able to cover a standard stealth-shave.  A good rule is if you can easily hide your finger held horizontally against the back of your scalp and cover your finger with the hair above it, you can hide the stealth-shave.

Do you harvest all of the hair follicles located within the stealth-shaved area?

No.  Only a small percentage of hair follicles are taken from the shaved donor area, so when the area is healed and the surrounding hair grows to a normal length, the area will be completely indistinguishable from other areas.

What are the drawbacks of a stealth-shave approach?

If a stealth-shave is used instead of a ‘total-shave’ of the donor area, the main impact is the total amount of hair follicles that can be harvested.  Typically, less than 1600 grafts can be harvested from an average ‘stealth-shave’ area.  Contrast this with a ‘total-shave’ of the donor area, which can normally yield over 3,000 follicular unit grafts over the course of two days.

Is some sort of donor area shave always required for FUE NeoGraft harvesting?

Yes.  Due to the process of FUE, some area of the donor zone must be shaved in order to harvest hair follicles.

For more information on NeoGraft FUE “no scalpel, no stitch” donor area harvesting, which leaves no linear scar, please visit http://www.baumanmedical.com. Dr. Alan Bauman was the first board-certified Hair Restoration Physician in North America to routinely transplant his patients with the NeoGraft FUE device.

Dr. Bauman and his team have performed over 6,000 hair transplant procedures since 1997, and he has performed FUE procedures for over ten years. Today, over 95% of all hair transplants performed at Bauman Medical Group are done using the FUE NeoGraft method.