More grafts in second HT than first??

[ash809]

Hello folks,

 

I have a male baldness pattern VI and I got my first HT done on January 6th in India,when i visited back home, with 2800 grafts transplanted through FUT procedure. So far its looking OK with little progress but my donor area is having shock loss which am hoping is temporary. I am following all the prescribed medication ( fenpecia, minix 5).

 

My question was, could it be possible that i can get my second HT done around September/October with more grafts than first? I believe i was a little skeptical initially when my surgeon wanted to transplant more hair by making using of beard/chest hair. So i told him i will wait to see how this procedure goes?

 

Do you think it would have been better if i had got more grafts transplanted in first and lesser in second? or it really doesn't matter?

 

And also, if i had to go for second hair transplant which would be advisable FUT or FUE?

 

I will try to get some pics from my surgeon and post em here soon regarding my surgery. For now, i posted few pics post-op which i had taken couple of days back.

 

Any and every suggestion is very much welcomed!

[Paulygon]

when I had my first HT (FUT) done my doc and I planned to wait about a year to see results from the first, so we know where to fill-in and fine-tune. He gave me the option of FUT or FUE for the second. I am still deliberating which. Each has pros vs. cons.

 

What are you leaning towards? What about your doc's advice?

If you were to get FUE, how many grafts would you get in? More than 2800?

 

Anyhow, I'd def. wait, if possible, to see results from HT#1 so you know what you're working with and where to fill in gaps.

[ash809]

Thanks paul for your reply.

 

My doc had suggested to go for a combination for FUT and FUE. That ways it would fetch me better results as per him. And plus, we was ready to do body hair transplant as well. So am expecting it to be something around 3500-4000.

 

Yes i am going to wait for the 1st HT to show results. I am planning to go for my 2nd HT after 8months or so.

 

But my question was, i haven't seen people posting HT surgery where they had more grafts transplanted in second session than first. I know my first session could have had more grafts transplanted but i was skeptical for some reason. Now i feel, i should have gone for more grafts in the first place.

 

Guys please help me with my query.

[rev333]

it doesn't matter which session has more grafts

 

that said

there is a higher graft survival rate per session at lower levels

 

that is, it is more likely to have more grafts surviving %-wise during a 2800 graft session than a 3800 graft session.

 

So even though you might need more grafts in the future to satisfy your cosmetic needs,

don't fret about not having more grafts transplanted in the first session

 

in the long run, better to do in multiple sessions

[ash809]

Thanks rev. Ya i understand what you saying. I am sure these 2800 grafts wont go for waste. I am already seeing some new hair come up. Will post my pics very soon.

 

Regarding second HT, I guess i will have to see how this goes and decide on where and how many grafts do i need.

 

But any other experts suggestions are always appreciated...Thanks!!!

[Patriot34]

Before undergoing a 2nd HT, based on the many cases I have seen on here I think it is a must to wait more than one year and probably recommended to wait 2 years. I suppose this will be a case by case though based on all the many factors that play into HTs.

 

And I agree with the comment that it is better to go for multiple smaller sessions as well. But I don't know if there is research that proves survivability rate of follicles is better with smaller sessions. I just feel like it is better to get hair in the spots you want and then fine tune it based on how the growth.

[ash809]

Thanks patriot for your reply.

 

Ya i completely agree with you and rest of the folks on this. But am glad my first HT is going pretty good so far. Even though there's no significant hair growth yet which i can put up, but i can see from sides that hair's starting to come out slowly and its only 2 months old. So am pretty happy with the progress and i will post my pics once i feel there's a considerable visual hair growth.

 

Also i had a small concern for you all experts,

 

New hair which is growing is not really that strong, in the sense that when u shave your head and hair starts to grow back, if you put your hands on it u can feel the sharpness of it, but in my case of new hair transplanted i don't feel it.

 

Is that something a concern or an alarm for anything? Should i consult my doc regarding this?

 

Thanks all for your patience and replies!!!

[Garageland]

Ash,

 

You have a large area of coverage required and it sounds like you asked your Doctor to go easy on the number of grafts that you needed so as for how many grafts you will get this time round is unknown. Normally with FUT you will get around 1/2 to 2/3 of the number of grafts you get second time round that you do the first, very rarely more.

 

In your case after getting 2800 first time around I see no reason that you wouldn't get close to that second time, providing your laxity is good. I wouldn't recommend doing another surgery as early as September/October as A: You won't have had time to fully assess the results of the first surgery and B: Your laxity won't be as good as it might be in order to get as many grafts as possible.

 

As you already have a scar and need as many grafts as possible a second strip should be the way to go if you Doctor can do a combo of FUE at the same time then that might be an idea. Or you have FUE in your locker for a third surgery.

 

My advice wait for 8 months start scalp exercises and schedule your surgery after the year mark once you know the full outcome of the first one.

[ash809]

Hi Garageland,

 

Thanks for your opinion.

 

Yes i am going to wait. I am not sure if i can wait till October but am surely going to wait till September to see how these results go. I can already see 50% of the hair come up and am hoping that in a month or so other hair which was transplanted would also come up.

 

Regarding my second surgery, the surgeon had already said that a combination of FUE and FUT would work and plus he would also take out beard/body hair if needed. So am looking at something around 3500 grafts if i needed that many after my first HT.

 

I know my realistic expectations would be just to cover the area and not to look bald rather than going for full hair(which i know is not possible in my case).

[Since21]

You have shock loss in almost the exact same area on your donor scar as I did. I fixated on it for a couple of weeks then chose to ignore it. That was 2 months ago. I ran my comb upward over the area last night and couldn't detect shock loss or the scar. So I wouldn't worry about for now.

[ash809]

Thank you so much Since21. That really is very encouraging and relieving at the same time.

[Paulygon]

there is a higher graft survival rate per session at lower levels

that is, it is more likely to have more grafts surviving %-wise during a 2800 graft session than a 3800 graft session.

 

 

Rev, this is interesting.. is there research to back this up? what is the reasoning behind this?

[hsrp10]

I also believe multiple smaller sessions spaced out are better than one mega-session for better final results