Is this outside the "Safe Zone"?

[Gatsu]

Hi!

 

Just looked at my post op pictures and stopped at the pictures of my donor. Im not an expert but i feel that grafts has been taken very high up and outside the safe zone. Would like your opinion on this.

 

Thank you,

[gillenator]

I would have to agree that some of the extractions do look somewhat high and also low.

 

How old are you and did the doctor inform you that the extractions would be made that high and low?

[Gatsu]

I would have to agree that some of the extractions do look somewhat high and also low.

 

How old are you and did the doctor inform you that the extractions would be made that high and low?

 

30 years old.

No, nothing was said about that..

[gillenator]

Then I suggest that you email him this photo and ask him why he went this high and low.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Gatsu,

 

I happen to agree with Gilllenator that some of the extractions look a little high while others look a little low. Now just because they've been harvested from outside the universal donor area doesn't mean inevitable problems and loss of those hairs in the future. It really depends on your genes. However, we really don't know for sure...at least, not until it actually happens, or doesn't. That said, what's done is done and the good news is, the majority of the grafts were harvested inside the universal safe area so you should be fine. But I agree that you should ask your doctor why he went higher and lower than the universal safe zone and see what he says.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Melvin- Admin]

Gatsu,

 

I happen to agree with Gilllenator that some of the extractions look a little high while others look a little low. Now just because they've been harvested from outside the universal donor area doesn't mean inevitable problems and loss of those hairs in the future. It really depends on your genes. However, we really don't know for sure...at least, not until it actually happens, or doesn't. That said, what's done is done and the good news is, the majority of the grafts were harvested inside the universal safe area so you should be fine. But I agree that you should ask your doctor why he went higher and lower than the universal safe zone and see what he says.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

 

This is a great response, the universal zone is a zone that remains intact even in the most extreme balding pattern such as a Norwood 7, my issue with the universal zone is that the majority of men will never progress to Norwood 7 level of baldness, that balding pattern is only seen in a small minority of men and remains unlikely for most. I believe most men who have minor balding in their 30's would likely progress to a Norwood 4 or 5 level of balding. Another thing that Dr. Rassman has explained is that the Norwood scale is not a progression chart, it is chart that shows the different levels of baldness, some men never progress past a Norwood 2, some men Norwood 3 and so on and so forth.

 

There is nothing universal about a donor zone because to be universal we are assuming every man will bald in the same pattern which we all know is not true. This solely depends on your genes as bill has mentioned, look at your family history, there is typically at least one family member that you are probably following in terms of hair loss. I would say your extraction pattern looks fine unless you have advanced Norwood 6 or 7s in your family.

[mattj]

Remember that even the safe zone can thin out in some men. But I would agree that there is no cause to worry. The way I look at it is, if some of the transplanted hairs are destined to be lost, then at least you benefited from them for what might be decades and the worst case scenario is that your recipient area thins out a bit. It will still look natural.

[jimbrann]

I understand if hairs are extracted 'too high' then there's a chance it's outside of the safe zone however some users commented on this extraction possibly being 'too low'.

 

Isn't the safe zone essentially the back of the head starting from the bottom going up (but not too far up where your crown is). Are hairs not supposed to be extracted from the back of your head at the bottom?

[mattj]

If you take a look at men who have reached a 7 on the Norwood scale, you'll see that the hair can sometimes recede upwards from the neck as well as downwards from the crown.

[Swooping]

The "safe zone" term in hair transplant surgery is a fallacy. The term is deceptive.

 

The hair follicles on the scalp decrease in diameter with age. We have raw data on that in non-AGA subjects.

 

Many people furthermore do experience a loss of density in the safe zone.

 

Then again, we are just buying "time", right .

[gillenator]

There are so many variables between individuals and nothing is guaranteed. Hair loss never completely stops and determining the extent of one's hair loss is subjective at best.

 

This is cosmetic surgery knowing and accepting the plus and minus sides before any decisions are made to have the procedure.

 

This is about improving the quality of our lives and if we can achieve that, even if for a season, a lot can be said for that.