Donor supply

[Balding]

Anyone have any rough estimates as to how much donor supply the average person has ? I know it will vary but I keep hearing different numbers.

 

On the balding blog I read the following :

 

How Many Donor Grafts Does an Average Person Have?

April 6 2006, 1:33 pm PT | Posted in: Hair Transplantation

 

Dear Dr. Rassman,

 

I have been researching Male Pattern Baldness and Hairloss for about 7 years.I am 28 and a Norwood 4. My question concerns how much donor supply the average person has over their lifetime to transplant to balding areas.

 

I know that currently some clinics have performed, 6,000 and 7,000 strip/graft procedures in a session and that even more has been transplanted over several sessions. How much donor hair does the average person have ? It would seem that the average would have to be well over 10,000 and close to 12,000.

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

 

The answer to this question relates to a few things:

 

Your donor density (average is 2 hairs/mm2)

The laxity of your scalp (looser scalps should supply more donor hair)

The balding pattern (Class 7 patients lose up to 70% of all of their hair so if this is a possible balding pattern then 1/3rd of the remaining hair number may be the maximum donor supply available to you over your lifetime)

The degree of scarring and how your body handles the movement of large amounts of donor hair may be the determining factor on your overall supply. Generally, a person may easily get 5-7,000 grafts (10,000-14,000 hairs) and that number can be pushed upward with good healing, minimal scarring, return of scalp laxity and good donor densities. On the high end, I have transplanted up to 25,000 hairs in some people (10,000+ grafts) with unusually good healing and a good scalp laxity.

 

http://www.baldingblog.com/2006/04/06/how-many-donor-gr...average-person-have/

 

Is this accurate ?

[Balding]

Anyone have any rough estimates as to how much donor supply the average person has ? I know it will vary but I keep hearing different numbers.

 

On the balding blog I read the following :

 

How Many Donor Grafts Does an Average Person Have?

April 6 2006, 1:33 pm PT | Posted in: Hair Transplantation

 

Dear Dr. Rassman,

 

I have been researching Male Pattern Baldness and Hairloss for about 7 years.I am 28 and a Norwood 4. My question concerns how much donor supply the average person has over their lifetime to transplant to balding areas.

 

I know that currently some clinics have performed, 6,000 and 7,000 strip/graft procedures in a session and that even more has been transplanted over several sessions. How much donor hair does the average person have ? It would seem that the average would have to be well over 10,000 and close to 12,000.

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

 

The answer to this question relates to a few things:

 

Your donor density (average is 2 hairs/mm2)

The laxity of your scalp (looser scalps should supply more donor hair)

The balding pattern (Class 7 patients lose up to 70% of all of their hair so if this is a possible balding pattern then 1/3rd of the remaining hair number may be the maximum donor supply available to you over your lifetime)

The degree of scarring and how your body handles the movement of large amounts of donor hair may be the determining factor on your overall supply. Generally, a person may easily get 5-7,000 grafts (10,000-14,000 hairs) and that number can be pushed upward with good healing, minimal scarring, return of scalp laxity and good donor densities. On the high end, I have transplanted up to 25,000 hairs in some people (10,000+ grafts) with unusually good healing and a good scalp laxity.

 

http://www.baldingblog.com/2006/04/06/how-many-donor-gr...average-person-have/

 

Is this accurate ?

[hairbank]

This is kind of a shot in the dark as everyone varies. If I were to guess..........I would say the "average" person has a donor supply of 8,000 grafts. Just my best guess!

[GuitarPlayer]

I would have to agree with Hairbank in that the average person has approximately 8,000 grafts at their disposal. Some may only have 6,000 grafts and some may have 10,000 grafts, but 8,000 seems to be the average. I have also read statements from doctors stating that 8,000 is about average.

[the B spot]

Good observation Guys. Most numeric figures place average donor supply between 6000 to 8000 fu's. What we need to keep in mind is that at 25 to 35 a person may seem to possess much more, say 10,000+, but as they age, that number has the potential to decrease. This is one of the main reasons that rapid donor depletion for persons in their early to mid 20's is somewhat of a chance. (NW 6 and 7's at 25-30 this is moot) Taking that into consideration first and foremost, then the physiological factors such as healing, scalp laxity, scalp vascularity, etc... come into play. Given the FACT that a nw 6+ can not totally replace what has been lost it is essential that the donor supply is regarded as an extremely finite source and any HT's judged accordingly. Each person is different and treatment should be individualized in order to maximize what they know they will have now and in the future. Great Thead Guys!!!!!!!