Pat's Surgery

[Guest AP]

Pat:

 

You said you had three procedures I think.

 

1. How many grafts per procedure did you have?

2. What was your donor density?

3. Is your hair texture coarse, average, or fine?

4. How many centimetres was the doctor actually able to cover?

 

So many doctor's site pictures don't answer these important questions. Perhaps it is best to ask a happy patient directly!

 

-AP

[Guest AP]

Pat:

 

You said you had three procedures I think.

 

1. How many grafts per procedure did you have?

2. What was your donor density?

3. Is your hair texture coarse, average, or fine?

4. How many centimetres was the doctor actually able to cover?

 

So many doctor's site pictures don't answer these important questions. Perhaps it is best to ask a happy patient directly!

 

-AP

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Yes, I had three sessions of almost 1500 grafts each session. I never had my donor hair density actually measured (by say a denseometer tool).

 

I was basically a "good candidate". I had a clear bald pattern, medium to above average donor density, with fairly thick coarse wavy hair.

 

The more wave and thickness your your actual hair has, generally the less hair you need to transplant to achieve the appearance of fullness.

 

As for actual centimeters of coverage I really don?‚??t know. But my first two sessions concentrated on the front half of my scalp, while the third one gave me light coverage in the crown area.

 

I hope this helps. Pat

 

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[Guest AP]

Then by your logic, Pat, it seems anyone past NW4 with more average donor density and fine hair will not get too good a result? I wonder honestly how many docs' pics are of patients with these common and unfortunate characteristics. Not many, I guess. Shouldn't they just rule out candidates like us? Why would they still transplant?

[Pat - Community Publisher]

No. By my logic your conclusion does not follow.

 

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[Guest AP]

Pat,

 

I would be interested to know your basis for disagreement rather simply that you disagree. I invite a little friendly dialogue from you and others.

 

You were a 5A and needed three procedures with 4500 grafts with coarse hair and good density. Anyone of comparable hairloss with fine hair and average density might need 50-100% more grafts (given known mathematical variations in hair shaft diametre) for comparable coverage. That would mean from at least 6750 to 9000 grafts for the same coverage. With good laxity (also apparently rare) 5000-6000 grafts is where one maxes out and most doctors don't go that far.

 

Someone with thin hair and average density would, if they went through the rigourous set you went through, would still end up with about half the coverage. That's why I think surgery should not be performed on those with thin hair because cosmetically acceptable results such as yours are not possible.

 

Would you advise them to still be operated upon under such adverse circumstances? If so, why?

 

-AP

[Guest]

AP - There is a "Plus" side to transplanting thin hair. The results look more natiral then tranplanting course, thicker hair. However, as you said, the density won't be as good. By my research, the "Ideal" candidate has the following traits:

 

1. Blond hair

2. wavy

3. medium in texture

[Guest AP]

MD,

 

Thanks for joining the discussion here. I wish Pat might comment in detail as to why he disagrees, but give him a bit of time.

 

I don't know if what you say is a silver lining. The loss of density is what causes people to notice the balding process and upsets them, the inability to restore cosmetically acceptable (40%) density to those with thin hair doesn't seem like a silver lining. A bit more like having only one spare tire for a car with two flats?

 

-AP

[Guest AP]

Would you like to expound upon your post of 11/9 rather than have one take it on faith? That would be most helpful and interesting.

[Guest]

I myself was a less-than-ideal-candidate...my donor density is on the low end. i also have brown, fine, rather thin, straight hair naturally. i am about a 4 on the norwood scale.

last week i got a little over 2,000 grafts by dr. keene. we distrubuted it evenly over the whole front and crown, with a little heavier concentration in the front. some grafts were also placed to reclaim some of my receded temporal areas on both sides. i will end up with a "thinning" coverage on the crown, and if i am lucky and don't lose too much of the original hair from shock loss on top of my head, i should get a significant improvement in front over what i was. this will not result in the same density as Pat's 4500 grafts, of course, but should result in a marked improvement for me. and this is my first HT, so i can later fine-tune or dense it up if i want to. even if i never have another procedure, i am going to have a passable head of hair, even on the crown. you need to understand that Pat "went for it." if you notice the photos after his first hairline establishement had grown it....it was a pretty nice result. the later lowering of his hairline, plus adding density, resulted in the great end result he now has. but thats the point with his....he was willing to keep going (with $ and undergoing procedures) to achieve what was right for himself. my point is....you can choose for yourself, as he did, how far to go. even if your characteristics are not the best like me, you can STILL get a dramatic improvement in your appearance. thats part of the beauty of it....you tailor your own outcome and "go for it" to the degree that meets your own personal wishes, whatever they may be within your own personal limitations. i likely will do a fine tune procedure down the road. with the 2,000 i have now, i can see myself ultimately ending up with another 700-1,000 and be finished. we'll see what this one does first.

you are right that if a guy is significantly bald, AND his donor characteristics are not so good....well, he will have to settle for less of an outcome. but, even a thinning coverage for such a guy would, for him, be a huge benefit.

[Guest]

Yes, like jeff says, even if you're not the ideal candidate, thin coverage is much better than none. Sure, if I had the donor area available I'd get 4000-6000 grafts, but I don't. So, I'll take whatever I can get.

 

In other words, just because you're not an "ideal candidate", that doesn't mean it won't work for you.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

I agree with Jeff and Gary (Congratulations Jeff on getting your work done by one of the best).

 

With all follicular unit work the results of the first procedure, whether it be the first and only or the first of several, will stand on its own.

 

There is no need for a second or third procedure to make the first procedure look natural. It may look thin, but it will look natural. Subsequent procedures are all about adding more coverage and density.

 

Non of us will look like Elvis. But almost any bald person with satisfactory donor can make an improvement in his look no matter what his hair characteristics. He or she just needs to be realistic about what they can achieve.

 

Pat

 

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