Is it usual to feel that density is too low immediately/soon after HT?

[blkblk]

I had my HT on the 12th Dec (3 weeks ago now) and received ~3300 grafts, some to my temples (my main priority) and the rest through the midsection and part of my crown.

 

I had this done by Dr Feller, and from what I can tell, everything was done to a very high standard. I have healed quickly and the scar is minimal.

 

One thing which has been on my mind however is that the hair in the temples (which had previously been completely bald) just doesn't seem very dense at all. I haven't been taking periodical pictures as I want to just 'get on with life' and now regret that a bit.

 

At about 1 week post HT, when the scabbing had started, I had been massaging the temples with the tips of my fingers more than the rest of my scalp and I did notice the occasional hair coming out then (but not graft), however I am not sure if this was enough to account for how thin it feels now at 3 weeks. I don't think I have had much shedding yet.

 

I've been through each of the other post HT steps, pretty much exactly on schedule with what others here have described. My question here is whether it is expected/normal to feel that things are not dense enough at 3 weeks?

[iwokeuptoabaldpatch]

yeah i feel exactly the same. Im supposed to have had 2450 grafts done and i know from my pictures compared to others on here of the same amount of grafts and recipient areas that i have definetly had the same amount done.

It just feels weird th 2450 grafts should be around 3500-4900 hairs yet to me that would seem a collosal amount of hair and i just dont see even probably 500 hairs!

 

It was the same with my two earlier small HTs....the one at rogers of 250 grafts i was told i got around 575 hairs out of it yet when all was said and done after a year i could probably hand count around 100 hairs in the area....is this to say only less than 1 in 5 hairs survived?

 

With the nobel clinic one of 750 grafts at 6 months a real cosmentic difference on the right temple but again i dont think was around 1500 new hairs maybe 500 which made all the difference.

 

It does make me question the statements that even if the hair falls out after one week or 14 days after that point the grafts cant be lost etc etc. Because in my first two HT it did seem the hairs that survived the scabbing/2 week dont touch phase, were the ones that grew from teh get go and i didnt see much else growing.

 

Anyway just my two pennys worth

[blkblk]

thanks for the response, it's good that others have also wondered about this.

 

For me, I do not doubt the number of hairs/grafts which were put in at all. I did a lot of research prior, and the amount of area we covered was very big, and the density on top was much higher than I thought we would get (considering I have native hair still). I am just a bit worried that the density on the temples may not look very natural when compared to my strong forelock.

 

I'm really hoping that after the shedding and regrowth, things will appear thicker and more dense on my temples than I can imagine them based on their appearance at 3 weeks.

[orlhair1]

I don't think at this stage you can really get an idea of how your density will look when your HT matures. I think it is common to think about this, but it is really amazing how density improves over time. I am at about 6.5 months and density just keeps getting better.

[RCWest]

3300 is a good number for doing the front 1/3-1/2 of the scalp, but spread from front to back you will need another pass for real good coverage. Did Dr. Feller give you an idea as to how many grafts you have in the bank?

[hairthere]

At 3 weeks post op you have more than likely started shedding grafts (it happens slow and gradually so I doubt you are even aware of it). My best advice to you is to stop worrying and give your HT a year to grow in. You chose one of the best HT docs in the world and he believes in dense packing.

[blkblk]

Thanks all, it looks like I'm just being anxious - which isn't suprising I guess! We'll see how things are looking later in the year!

 

3300 is a good number for doing the front 1/3-1/2 of the scalp, but spread from front to back you will need another pass for real good coverage. Did Dr. Feller give you an idea as to how many grafts you have in the bank?

 

I asked him this before the HT and (going by memory) he thought that I might be able to achieve the following:

 

HT1: ~3000

HT2: ~2400

HT3: ~1000

HT4: (I completely forget)

 

After the HT, he mentioned that my donor was better than he had thought, hence we got an extra 300 - I guess this would mean that the future numbers would be slightly higher also.

 

As I already had hair covering all but my temples (albeit, getting thin on top), he thought the 3300 should last me quite a while.

 

I expect that HT2 will take place once this hair has disappeared, hopefully at least 5-10 years down the track.