jfables

Thanks. I just would like to know if 4,000 grafts would make a difference. I'm used to getting 2,000 FUE surgeries and watching a couple of hairs on my head grow so I have no idea what to think anymore when it comes to amount of grafts equating to a cosmetic improvement.

I'm well aware of that. The poor yield, and hence the wasted donor hair, has much to do with the FUE method however. What would you suggest I do? A bunch of 500 FUE ops over several years so I can continue to waste donor hair and also thin the donor excessively? Once you get over 4,000 FUE your donor hair will look thin if it's not grown long. Should I shave my head and show off my FUE scars? Keep it buzzed at a 3, 4 guard and display the sickly thinness in my donor not to mention the unavoidable unnaturalness of follicular units when cut short (Nobody ever talks about that. They're fooled by the photos). Scar5, I know your pain. You made bad decisions years ago just like I did now in the modern HT era. I don't think this is as black & white as you make it. Your FUE doctor has worked on me. I'm not impressed, but I am out a lot of hard earned money from my FUE adventures and don't have much to show for it.

I'm probably going to get a surgery with Dr. Hasson. I've had FUE work done resulting in poor yield, funny angles especially in my temple points, somewhat pluggy hairline. Do you think 4,000 grafts would help? I want my crown thickened up a bit but I obviously need work in the front too. photos uploaded to album*

You're hair is not very thin. It can and probably will get much worse over the years. A little Toppik will easily cover that up. Getting on finasteride and minoxidil together immediately may help keep what you have and maybe even thicken it up.

Good luck.

The thinness will not go away because the hairs have been removed, but it does not look bad. No one will really notice it. I've had 7,900 FUE done and have that same kind of thinness particularly in small patches where the techs over harvested. When my hair is grown out you can't see any thinness but that sort of defeats one of the advantages of FUE. I'm fortunate to have high donor density, but for the average guy 5000 FUE is probably the limit.

So do you think it's safe to say that they are able to excise the biggest strips? Are any of the other top docs using the techniques that Dr. Hasson describes in the video posted in this thread?

Thanks. That was very informative. I've had four FUE surgeries with disappointing results and looking to get a strip done, but I want to get as much grafts as possible and be done with it. Luckily my donor is still pretty thick after all the work I've had.

Can too much heat from a hat if worn post-op, have an effect on yield?

Scar5, Your situation is a lot like mine except I've had all FUE and can do a strip although I'm hesitant because no doc can give me a clear possible graft count and it's more on the low side. I'm with you on the deception, the over-reacting and the F it-buzz off. I've done it 4 or 5 times already.

I've had almost 8,000 FUE. While I'm lucky to have high donor density when shaved down it looks very thin, especially in certain areas in the donor. There are also the white dots that are visible, some more than others. Frankly my donor doesn't look normal at anything shorter than a 3 guard. I agree with Scar5's above post. Transplanted hairs do not look great when short or buzzed. They are so thick and not close enough to each other (the best dense packing can't match nature) that it does not look right at close inspection. HT's look best when grown out.

He told me he thought it was a better procedure for the patient, but I'm sure making perhaps 3 times the amount than strip was a factor. There were probably a lot of patients that got good FUE results from him, and it's likely he really thought he was getting the same results as with strip. The more megasessions that were done, the more cases of poor yield, like mine, arose.

So if someone with great laxity and density goes to H&W are they more likely to get a bigger graft count than if they went to another top doc like Rahal or Feller?

I had 2 FUE sessions with Armani 5 years ago. Poor yield and he jacked up the hairline even the second time when I told him I wanted more in the crown and mid area. He only made the holes for the grafts. The techs did the rest. They used a drill from Home Depot to yank out/extract the grafts.

Now I know all about donor density but how do Hasson & Wong get some of these sessions of 7 or 8K grafts? Aside from the patient having high donor density are they able to cut bigger strips than other doctors? Is there some trick they have?

I think 1500 spread throughout would be good enough. Do you have pics before any surgeries? I'm curious to see what was accomplished. Thanks.

This:

btw jimwpg, If you want to just close the recession I think you need about 1,500 grafts: 750 on each side. If you want to lower your hairline, which I don't recommend for you, you will need at least 2,000. For 1500 grafts it's not worthwhile to go through a strip surgery and get a scar. At the same time your hairloss is minor and I don't see you losing much hair in the coming years, especially since you're on the meds, so you likely will not be dealt with the fate of shaving your head because your hairloss will be so bad. Hence you very well may not care about the scar because you're donor hair will cover it. FUE is also more expensive.

Damn, I took painkillers for all my FUE and I needed them. It wasn't so bad but it's like a having a massive headache for a couple of days. 275 grafts is really nothing, of course, but when you get 3,000 FUE in one day you've had your head poked 6000 times (extractions & recipient holes). This is just another reason why I'm reluctant to do strip. I'm not into all this pain that strip patients are always describing.

Get on fin. The sides are blown out of proportion. Most men don't have any sides effects. Wait it out a year on fin before you decide on a HT. Since you're head is shaved though it's a good opportunity to go for a consultation so the doc can get a clear idea of how much hair you have in the donor.

Thanks for the info, Dr.Lindsey. It would be interesting to look at the cancer patient's case.

Dr. Lindsey, Thanks for contributing. Do you find that there is a physiological variable with FUE in that some patients will not get good yield no matter how carefully the extractions are performed because their grafts are I suppose to sensitive to handle the extractions? Have you had patients like this who then went on to strip, and did you notice that the yield was significantly better? Thank you.

I've had both types done. Not so great yield with either. I would go with a FUE doc who does the extractions himself and not more than a 1000 a day.

I agree. Considering that you shave your head to minimize the look of your hair thinning, I don't think you will be happy with what you can get with a HT. I would only consider it if you have dense donor hair.

...and as everyone is saying just have some patience. Six months is way too early. It isn't until months 9-10 that you really see results. Even after a year it will thicken slightly.