Q: In which procedure do you generally see more of a change, the first or the second? — N.N., Flatiron, N.Y.

A: The answer depends upon the patient’s baldness. If they are very bald, the first session will be the most noticeable, since going from no hair to hair is much more dramatic than going from some hair to more hair. In addition, if someone is very bald, the first session is generally the largest, with less hair being transplanted in the second.

The situation is different if someone has had a hair transplant with only a limited amount of hair loss. In this case, the first session may be small (since that is all they need at the time) and the second session, performed after the person has lost additional hair, may be significantly larger.

In addition, while the impact of the first session was lessened by the progression of the person’s hair loss, the second session was superimposed on existing, permanently transplanted hair and may be more dramatic.