Confused about contradicting HT consultations

[Antonius]

Hello, let me tell you about my case and my contradicting consultation experiences.

 

I am a 25 year old with a N3 with diffuse thinning and I am now considering HT for a denser front scalp and fuller hairline.

 

First I went to a Swedish FUE clinic (the Ilter Clinic). They proposed a FUE session of about 2400 transplants. They said that it would achieve my goals as described above.

 

I had also heard good things here on the network about Dr Bisanga, so I decided to go to Brussels to meet him. I got a bit surprised when he recommended me 4000-5000 transplants. He told me that the best way for me was to go for a FUT strip operation, as that would give me hair from a "safer" donor area (hair that I do not risk to loose at a later age). This he would like to do in one single large strip operation (31 cm x 1,8-2 cm strip).

 

That sounded good and I was convinced that Dr Bisanga was the best option.

 

Still I went to another consultation at another clinic in Sweden (New Hair Clinic in Stockholm). First she told me that they recommend a FUE or FUT of about 2000 grafts.

 

I told her about the proposed large strip operation by Dr Bisanga of 4000-5000 grafts and she almost feel about of her chair.:eek: She strongly discourage me to go for a strip operation of this size in one session.

 

Now I do not know what to do!:confused:

 

Is 4000-5000 grafts from a 31 cm x 1,8-2 cm strip a CRAZY big operation?

 

Another hair doctor I emailed, wrote to me and said that such a big single session strip operation was almost impossible.

 

Please share your thoughts!

 

/Anton

[Capelli11]

Hey...you look like you need the frontal third done...which is exactly the area I had. I received 4,616 from Dr. Rahal...check out my website and links in my signature. It is not a "crazy" operation to get that many...pretty standard now a days esp with the right doctor like Dr. Rahal. I highly recommend getting an online consultation from him to see what he says. I can see you getting that many grafts based on your frontal loss...see my pre-op pics. Anyone that says you can't or shouldn't get 4k grafts + in 1 session is not very knowledgeable or more importantly not skilled enough to be a HT surgeon and I would NOT listen to them and run for the hills. Bisanga is good and highly recommended on this site and his 4k+ sounds right. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns and I will gladly help you out!

[Levrais]

There are several clinics doing mega sessions of that size now. You can see many examples of procedures that size on this site.

[blkblk]

keep in mind that the 4K session was FUT whereas the other two smaller sessions were both FUE.

 

There was probably some confusion regarding this.

[Levrais]

keep in mind that the 4K session was FUT whereas the other two smaller sessions were both FUE. There was probably some confusion regarding this.

 

I think that was clear but the confusing part is why 2 docs think that 2,000 to 2,400 grafts would be adequate and why one doc thinks that a 4,000 graft fut procedure is almost impossible. Just click on the link to Capelli's patient website for proof to the contrary.

[blkblk]

I checked his website and agree with you - 4K looks like a great amount to be doing the frontal third.

 

Perhaps the other docs were just quoting for the temples only.

[N-6]

I also agree with bisanga's statement that you will get safer donor hair from a strip operation in your case.

[mattj]

Dr Bisanga's suggesting that you choose FUT must be the result of his personal opinion of how many grafts can be safely harvested via FUE, with the type of session size he thinks to need.

 

The other doctors are simply being more conservative with their graft quotes, and this could be because they would plan to cover less area overall or would choose to plant grafts at a lower density. Or both. It could be that they are not comfortable (or equipped) for larger procedures.

 

It's very common to get graft recommendations that vary by a wide margin. I think that part of the research process any HT patient goes through should be to understand why this is (I explained briefly above) and to view as many results as possible. This helps a patient get a firm grasp of what sort of numbers are realistically required to get the result they are looking for.

[orlhair1]

Theses size surgeries are common now with top clinics. What you need really comes down to how much area you want to cover and how many grafts it takes for you to achieve the look you want. Dr. Bisanga definitely has a great reputation on this forum.

Edited January 28, 2012 by orlhair1

[Antonius]

Thank you for your answers. It seems like this size of procedure is fairly common at some clinics.

 

But would placing 4000-5000 grafts over my existing hair risk damaging it and make it fall out prematurely?

 

/Nils

[orlhair1]

You could have some shock loss, but if the hairs are healthy, they will grow back. Top surgeons are very careful not to damage surrounding hairs and won't transplant into an area where the hair is too dense to do so.