For a light-skinned man with light-colored hair, or a dark-skinned man with dark colored hair, it takes a certain amount of hair to cover the baldness. However, a light-skinned man with very dark hair will need much more hair to provide the same amount of coverage. You should figure that the average number of hair transplant grafts needed to cover a balding area is 25% of the original hair that was there. Then, you will be given instructions to make your hair transplant surgery go better. Some of the items on the list might seem like the doctor is interfering with your life, but they are truly necessary if you are to get the best outcome. You will be told to quit smoking, at least until after you have healed from the surgery, if you are a smoker before the hair transplant procedure. The hair has to come from somewhere on your body. Wherever you take the hair from is called the donor site. There can be different donor sites for different people. The most common donor site for hair transplant surgery is on the head. If the sides and back of your head have full lustrous hair, you are in luck. Surgeons usually do give some sort of estimate of the cost of the entire procedure of a hair transplant. A reputable surgeon will emphasize that it is only an estimate and that things may change once the procedures are started. Also, she will give an honest accounting of what she expects the procedure to cost. Men with this pattern of balding will have donor hair that survives the hair transplant process and flourishes long afterward. That is because a naturally-occurring enzyme in the body combines with testosterone to create a chemical called DHT. This chemical is responsible for the hair loss on the tops of men's heads when they have male pattern baldness. It may seem odd, but once the grafted hairs are set, they are just as strong as the rest of your hair. You can cut them, comb and brush them, and even dye them in time. New hairs start to grow within three months. You will find you need haircuts more often, as your hair will grow about one or two centimeters per month.