How many grafts do I need?

[tommygun]

I have been reading this forum for a few weeks now and have come across some great information. Thanks to everyone. My question. How many grafts do you think I need? Also, what is my Norwood number? Thank you.

 

Few facts:

36 years old

Losing hair for 15 years

Just started taking finasteride for 2 weeks

Edited March 16, 2015 by tommygun

[tommygun]

Not sure how to add more than 1 pic at a time.

[tommygun]

One more picture. Sorry for multiple posts.

[BMW1990]

Tommygun,

 

In order to give you a guess, everyone is going to need to see more photos from multiple angles.

[Garageland]

Tommygun,

 

You look like a 5A from the view in your mirror of the top and back of your scalp. Glad to see you are have started meds, if they work for you then it should hopefully prevent you moving into 6 territory. 4500 grafts would give you a new hairline coverage through the frontal area to mid scalp and a lighter density on the crown. 5000 would be even better.

[tommygun]

Thank you very much for your reply.

[Janna]

I'd say you're a NW 5 too.

As for how many grafts are needed?.......You'd need an in-depth consultation to determine this specific to your case. In general terms, however, much will depend on scalp laxity and density. I think that on the low end of 3500 gr session, the area to address is the frontal half. If you're able to get 4-4500 gr range then you should be able to address the frontal 1/2 plus the anterior portion of your crown. The bottom part of the crown should be left alone or for another procedure once you're happy with the front and top.

[Mask]

I agree with the two comments above. You are a NW 5, so you are going to need approximately 5000 grafts to achieve a full head hair. You should do an in-depth consultation with multiple recommended doctors in this form that will be the start. That been said this is my two cents; you need 2 hair transplant a year apart from each other…1st HT 3-3500 grafts to address the hairline and the front part then on your second HT 1500-2000 grafts mid and the crow area. All the best.

[Baldietwo]

I think you need much more than 5k. Closer to 7 or 8k.

5k will cover hairline through to midscalp as others have said. A further 2 or 3k will give light coverage in crown.

 

If you use 5k for the entire scalp it will be very thin.

 

I was myself a Nw5 heading to 6. I have had two HT so far. 1st was 4700 which focused on hairline and midacalp. Second was 2100 to cover crown and rest of midscalp.

 

My first HT is now 18 months old. I'm very happy with it, but it is still see through in certain light conditions. 5k all over would make your see through all the time.

 

Just my two pennies.

[tommygun]

Thank you for all the input everyone. I should note that my goal would be a modest hairline and to fill everything else in. Based on what I have read here, that seems to be the opposite of what many people choose to do. Why is that? Thank you again.

Edited March 18, 2015 by tommygun

[Mask]

Tommy, one very important point in hair transplant is you only have one head and your DONOR area is LIMIT. Any clinic that offers you 5000 grafts+ in a day I would avoid them, as it will have negative influence on the result and quality. Among other reasons such extreme extraction speed the transection rate will be high and grafts will be damaged and will not grow as expected. If you do a small portion HT this will be avoided as healthy grafts will be extracted, placed in the right area and grafts spend less time without access to blood circulation. This goes for anyone who is NW5-6 considering HT.

[Chadley]

I think a lot depends on the density you need too. I would talk with at least 2 maybe 3 surgeons to get a few opinions. You should choose a physician who can best figure out the "art" of your hair. When I went in for consultations, I had one tell me I needed 1500, another tell me I needed 2000, and the last tell me 2500. I ultimately chose the last (Dr. Diep) because he seemed more like an artist - understanding the importance of aesthetics, rather than just plug and play. In the end, he ended up doing more like 3800 grafts because of the density. I'm only 3 months in, but am really happy with how things are shaping up.

[fortune11]

The point Chadley makes about importance of aesthetics cannot be overstated . It is not just about raw number of grafts , but how they are placed . This is one less talked about aspect of hair surgery that can make or break the outcome. Experienced and talented surgeons are able to provide more "bang for your hair follicles" using their artistic hair placement skills , they are also able to plan longer term for further surgeries that you may need down the road.