Went to consultation, now I'm asking for advice

[Aardvark]

Hi all,

 

I recently went to a local clinic for a consultation. I don't think the place is listed here, but it's in Sweden and it's called New Hair Clinic.

 

So anyway, the surgeon suggested I do 800 FUE grafts to fill in the hairline around my temples, at a thickness of around 35-40 grafts per cm2. The hairline would be shaped in a sort of zig zag pattern, to imitate my natural hairline. I attach pictures for clarity.

 

I would just like to have your take on the recommendations. Given the state of my hairline (which I guess is a Norwood 2?), would this be sufficient? I am 31 years old, so I expect I will need to have a few more of these as times passes.

 

Best,

Aardvark

[E39]

No way not enough. Run from this surgeon.

[Aardvark]

No way not enough. Run from this surgeon.

 

Hey, thanks for the reply. Do you mind explaining why the number of grafts is insufficient?

 

My goals are conservative in terms of hairline. I don't need a mane, I am happy with hairline retention. What sort of procedure should I aim for, in your perspective?

 

/Aardvark

[Louisjams]

IHMO, I am not sure you need surgery right now. I think you have a fair bit of hair and may lose a lot of it from surgery i.e. you may get about as much as you lose form shock loss, etc. You might want to consider medical therapy at this stage.

[Spring15]

Atleast 2000 grafts. More like 3000. Check Dr Erdogan of Turkey.

[HairsGone]

I agree 800 grafts is not enough. Your hairline needs work too, not just the temples. 2000 grafts would give you a good result. The only thing is you obviously don't wear your hair propped up with clips so it may look better when you usually style it, perhaps send more pics of how it naturally looks.

 

I would send some photos to several reputable surgeons recommended here for their advice also.

 

See this thread just posted that needed 2300 grafts.

2300 grafts with Dr Diep - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients

[Shera]

Hi Aarvark,

 

I would recommend around 1800-2000 grafts to fill in your temple areas and strengthen your hairline. At 31 you may well need another procedure in the distant future as your native hair continues to recede. It's good that you thinking ahead and not going gung-ho.

 

Feel free to contact me if you wish to consider Dr Bhatti in India, I am UK based.

 

Check out my story in my signature link below.

[aWidowsPeek]

Yep you need 2000+ grafts to achieve a good result man. Keep looking.

[mattj]

I would say you have reached more of a 3 on the Norwood scale than a 2. Your right side appears less recessed than the left, but 800 grafts is a small number and wouldn't be sufficient to make the kind of difference you're probably looking for.

 

It's rare to see a doctor who is among the recommended list perform an FUE hairline restoration of less than around 1200 grafts. There are exceptions, but normally that number of grafts or more are required to make a significant cosmetic difference to a patient with enough frontal recession to be considering surgical options.

 

Just a couple of examples:

 

1. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/187057-dr-rahal-fue-patient-1233-grafts.html

 

This patient received 1233 grafts to close his temples (this is what makes a huge difference in opening up more styling options) and restore his frontal zone. This is a relatively small number of grafts and the patient's hair characteristics were favourable.

 

2. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/186994-dr-rahal-fue-patient-2553-grafts.html

 

This patient received 2553 grafts for a similar amount of recession to both the above patient and yourself. The higher number of grafts were necessary because the patient's hair is quite fine, straight and he had his temple points (those areas at the front/side) restored.

 

I think realistically you'd be looking at between 2000 and 2500 grafts.

[Speegs]

Are you on finasteride? Stabilization of your hair loss is crucial before pursuing surgical restoration.

 

Hair loss is progressive, so without stabilizing it you'll be chasing it surgically, possibly at a rapid rate and beyond your donor capacity.

 

Get on Propecia or finasteride ASAP.