Anyone think 3k grafs will make a difference

[flog01]

 

I am due to have 3,000 graphs and was wondering if people thought that # would make a difference

[Cant decide]

It will make a big difference!!

[RCWest]

Do you plan to spread them out all over the scalp or concentrate on the front?

[Spanker]

Who is your doc? #k grafts placed correctly on your head will make a big difference....good luck

[TC17]

I agree with what has already been said. Although you're a NW 6, you still have some native hair in the recipient area that, assuming your doctor does not transect the hair and cause shock loss, will add additional density to your end result. I'd venture a guess and said you still have the equivalency of about 2,200 grafts on the top of your scalp. So, if you add an additional 3,000, you should have a fairly nice result. Again, this all assumes that you do everything in your power to ensure that hair remains for as long as possible, and that your doctor is skilled enough to work around it.

[Tao]

Hey Flog01,

 

I think you're starting where I started from (take a look at my hairloss website). I had about 2800 grafts placed in the front third of my head and it made a huge huge difference. When you're face is framed, the cosmetic result is quite dramatic. I'd highly recommend you not try to spread the 3000 grafts over your entire head. Leave the crown for down the road. I went back and had about 2300 placed in my crown and a few to shore up some sketchy spots and things are very good. Good luck to you!

[wb280]

3k shld at least make some diff but dun expect miracles! u will probably 2 or 3 sessions to sport a decent head of hair, provided u have enough donor in the first place

[BenUK]

Sorry to hijack but I have a similiar question.

 

I sent some photos to a HT clinic and they wrote back saying they thought that they would be able to harvest between 2000-2400 grafts. It seems that the minimum other people are doing in their HT surgery is 3000/3500 so would there be any point in me going ahead with a procedure if I can only have that ammount of grafts? I only want my frontal area done for now but still,would so few make much difference?

 

Have my dreams been shot down before they have begun?

 

Many thanks in advance for any replies.

[Cant decide]

BUK: It depends on your level of Hairloss. In general, I would say that if your a NW 3, then 2000-2400 will make a nice cosmetic improvment. If you are a NW 4+, I would go to a doc that will give you 3k minimum IMO.

[RCWest]

Ben, you sound like you are new to hair transplantation. If so, I'm sure any good doctor can get way more than 2400 grafts on the first surgery. Even some NW7 can get 2400! If you just want the front 1/3, then 2000-2500 would look great.

[BenUK]

Ben, you sound like you are new to hair transplantation. If so, I'm sure any good doctor can get way more than 2400 grafts on the first surgery. Even some NW7 can get 2400! If you just want the front 1/3, then 2000-2500 would look great.

 

Thanks for the reply RCWest, that gives me a little more hope

Yes I'm completely new to all this ( surgery that is not hair loss unfortunately : ) You know how it is when you want something you can think of negative reasons of why you won't be able to get it, like my head will not be elastic enough,or i'm bound to get shock loss or not have good enough quality donor hair etc. Anyway,I shall contact another clinic for another opinion.

 

Thanks.

[flog01]

Wow! You guys are great. The number of responses and the quality really makes a person feel better about going through this. I think I am where you were Tao and your photos are very encouraging. I too plan on focussing on the frount since I don't remember seeing a lot of pictures that bothered me of my crown, but far too many of the front. The Dr. actually recommended that if I wanted to go this rout, I could use propecia on the crown, but it seems to me that maybe another graph would be needed. Any thoughts on the propecia recommendation?

[Tao]

Flog,

 

I'm in the complete minority here, but to be honest, I've never taken propecia and don't plan to. I can totally see that for most, this seems to be the smartest thing to do (along with Rogaine). For me, I just don't want to take a drug long term. As you can see, my balding has mostly run its course though so I don't have a lot to lose by not taking propecia. I'm 43, my hairline and frontal third have been pretty much restored and now I await as the crown area fills in (and that's happening now, in my third month out from my 2nd transplant). I pretty much lost everything from the front back through the crown. Luckily for me, I have pretty coarse donor hair, which my doc (Konior) told me was essentially almost twice as thick as the average Joe, making my 5200 total grafts go much much further than someone with thin hair. Your situation may be different and propecia may even induce some growth in your crown enough to preclude you from really needing a second pass (by the way, had I not had my second pass, I could easily have happily lived with just the results of my first transplant-it made a huge difference in my appearance and my life - I just got hair greed and was fortunate enough to be able to finance a second pass).

 

 

Ben, the answer to your question is really "it depends." 2000-2400 grafts can definitely make a huge huge cosmetic improvement if you have decent donor hair characteristics, those grafts are placed wisely (not spread too thin over too big an area) and you are in the hands of a good doctor. Fortunately for me, after initially planning to go as cheap as possible, I waited and did research and got in a better financial position and then went with a great coalition doc who was definitely more expensive on the face of things than my earlier considerations but worth every stinkin penny and more. In actuality, I think it was far less expensive in the long run because of the skill of Dr. Konior, the results he produced during each pass and the fact that I paid for far less grafts than I actually ended up getting (not to mention foregoing all the emotional and psychological drama of paying a boatload of money for sub-par results).

 

One definitely has to be realistic when thinking about an HT and what the ultimate outcome will be. You will not restore your hair to what it was like when you were 22 or 18 or 15. But, with proper planning, a good doctor and realistic expectations, you can often get to a place you're thrilled with. I'm living proof of that. Good luck on your journeys and feel free to send me any questions you may have. And keep taking advantage of all the great advice you'll receive on this site.