Hair Follicle Donors

[Videolife]

Hello all,

 

I've been hesitant to follow through with a FUE transplant because I didn't want the scars (regardless of how small) on the back of my head. A thought (which I'd assumed was silly at the time) popped in my head about possible donors. After having read online about how it is possible (though much pricier than regular FUE), I'm ecstatic. So I have a few questions for anyone willing to help:

 

1) What is the general success rate with donor FUE's. Do I have the same success rate per-follicle as I would with regular FUE?

 

2) If the success rate is not the same, and if the follicles fail, is that on my dime?

 

3) What is it called exactly? I'd like to do more research online but I'm not sure what keywords would best yield the results I'm after.

 

4) Lastly, is there anything extremely important I should know before considering this?

 

Any and all help/comments/opinions/questions are welcome.

 

Thanks.

 

p.s. I think I read online that all I'd need is about 500 grafts - maybe less.

[TakingThePlunge]

Videolife,

 

I'm not following you. Are you talking about receiving your donor hair from another individual? While this is possible in theory, receiving donor grafts from another person, like any rogan transplant, would require potent and dangerous anti-rejections drugs.

 

As far as I know, the only exception to this are transplants between identical twins.

[Videolife]

Shoot...well there goes that.

 

And sorry for not being more clear, but yea', that is exactly what I was talking about. Below you'll find the link to the website where I read that it was possible. I guess considering what you said, they're promoting some kind of "magic" fix that's too good to be true, huh?

 

(promotional link removed)

 

"FUE Hair Transplant Cost

 

FUE stands for Follicular Unit Extraction, a fancy way to say “we’re taking someone else’s hair and giving it to you.” Yes, there are hair donors out there, people who are paid to let their follicles be “harvested” and implanted into your scalp. Because the hair is not chemically enhanced nor part of an artificial hair “crop,” it has a much more natural look and feel, depending of course on the suitability of the donor. These individuals are scrupulously “matched” with your own hair color, curl and texture; transplantation begins when you and your follicular surgeon are satisfied with the match. FUE hair transplant cost will average about $3500 to $6000, a bit more expensive; $3500 will buy 500 grafts, but FUE hairs will stay in longer and give a fuller look."

[mahhong]

Yep, definitely don't do that! Unfortunately, there are no magic cures yet; there are some very good options, but using somebody else's follicles isn't one of them!

 

As TakingThePlunge says, in theory it's possible but it'd be like any other organ donation (it would literally just be organ donation). You'd have to take anti-rejection drugs and there is always a chance you could have major, life threatening problems if these didn't work. People who have life saving operations such as liver transplants or heart transplants use anti-rejection drugs because the risk of doing so outweighs the guarantee of serious health problems or death otherwise. Hair is a cosmetic and non-health related thing though, meaning that it would be both reckless and unjustifiable to take the risk.

 

I can't believe people can post such nonsense and sell it as a real procedure. That's actually a death warrant if it goes wrong enough! Even if it was possible the price they're quoting is crazy. If you wanted 15,000 grafts (which would be a very good head of hair and more than you could hope to achieve via genuine methods) it'd cost $105,000! And you'd still probably be about 10,000 grafts away from absolute normal density!

 

Anyway, in short, stay away! And from anybody else claiming miraculous, full restoration cures. We've all been tempted, but absolutely nothing like this exists. If it did, it wouldn't be a secret!

[Blake Bloxham]

 

"FUE Hair Transplant Cost

 

FUE stands for Follicular Unit Extraction, a fancy way to say “we’re taking someone else’s hair and giving it to you.” Yes, there are hair donors out there, people who are paid to let their follicles be “harvested” and implanted into your scalp. Because the hair is not chemically enhanced nor part of an artificial hair “crop,” it has a much more natural look and feel, depending of course on the suitability of the donor. These individuals are scrupulously “matched” with your own hair color, curl and texture; transplantation begins when you and your follicular surgeon are satisfied with the match. FUE hair transplant cost will average about $3500 to $6000, a bit more expensive; $3500 will buy 500 grafts, but FUE hairs will stay in longer and give a fuller look."

 

Hmm, this seems odd. Unless I'm reading the statement incorrectly, this organization is claiming that they can take donor follicles from another individual and implant them in your scalp. Like David said, your body would recognize the tissue as a foreign agent and attack it; this means you'd need to stay on immuno-suppressing drugs for the rest of your life. Altogether, I personally wouldn't recommend considering a procedure of this nature.

 

Having said that, I do recommend researching our recommended hair restoration physicians and determining whether or not you are a good candidate for follicular unit extraction (FUE).

 

Good luck!

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

If all you really need is 500 FU's then you would be better off using your own donor supply. That is a very small procedure and the tiny scars would be very difficult to find.

[Videolife]

Sorry for the late reply, guys. Meant to reply earlier, but it completely slipped my mind.

 

As TakingThePlunge says, in theory it's possible but it'd be like any other organ donation (it would literally just be organ donation). You'd have to take anti-rejection drugs and there is always a chance you could have major, life threatening problems if these didn't work. People who have life saving operations such as liver transplants or heart transplants use anti-rejection drugs because the risk of doing so outweighs the guarantee of serious health problems or death otherwise. Hair is a cosmetic and non-health related thing though, meaning that it would be both reckless and unjustifiable to take the risk.

 

Thanks for the explanation mahhong. Now that you've explained it in detail, I now understand what TTP meant by "anti-rejection drugs" - didn't quite register at first that regardless of whether it's a hair follicle or a kidney, it's still not mine and thus the need for such drugs.

 

Hmm, this seems odd. Unless I'm reading the statement incorrectly, this organization is claiming that they can take donor follicles from another individual and implant them in your scalp.

 

Yep, that seems to be exactly what they're claiming. I mean they made it sound as if it had been happening for years now, and that's why I didn't really give it a second thought at first. I know better now, thanks to you guys.

 

If all you really need is 500 FU's then you would be better off using your own donor supply. That is a very small procedure and the tiny scars would be very difficult to find.

 

How about with a shaved head? They would surely be noticeable then, wouldn't they?

 

I wonder: Can you guys tell me if there is a library on here with pictures of shaved donor areas? Preferably a month or even a year + post-op?

[Blake Bloxham]

I wonder: Can you guys tell me if there is a library on here with pictures of shaved donor areas? Preferably a month or even a year + post-op?

 

While I don't believe we have an area dedicated solely to shaved donor areas, you could always browse the photo album section, use the forum search function, or try the "results" sub-forum for both cases presented by patients and recommended clinics.

 

I hope this helps!

[Videolife]

Thanks again. I'll check it out right now.