Fue Donor Area Coverages-Approaching to Non-Safety Zone?

[azazelgs]

Hello all, 

Long time haven't been here, member since 2009. I will write my hairloss story and how to approach from now on soon but I have seen that many things have changed since the last time I was researching this detailed, like 7 years ago. 

As an old timer , I was here when FUT was the golden standard and FUE  was not discussed as much and nearly all ht receivers are going for h&w , rahal fut mega sessions. Now it is obvious that fue got more and more popular worldwide and I see people traveling more places to get their procedure done. My question will be about fue donor area.

I am no doctor or an expert but in nearly every single fue procedures I have seen, the grafts are taken way above the what I call "wide horse-shoe " pattern. I really don't know if doctor's does not accept patients with that pattern but also I seem to understand how can they be %100 that those patients's hair still remain when they become 60 or 70? 

I attach some pictures to get the idea of what I mean, english is not my native language. Also adding to the pictures, I have seen people (and I am sure most of you have seen) a horse shoe pattern that stays strong on sides( not going to nw7) but going deeper to the neck, more like v-shaped. I am really curious about this , any thoughts are well appreciated.

[paddyirishman]

@azazelgs You can discuss your concerns with your doctor. Any doctor that is recommended on this forum will discuss every detail with you. If you still have those concerns you can possibly go back to your original plan of FUT. 

...........................Paddy....................

[azazelgs]

32 minutes ago, paddyirishman said:

@azazelgs You can discuss your concerns with your doctor. Any doctor that is recommended on this forum will discuss every detail with you. If you still have those concerns you can possibly go back to your original plan of FUT. 

...........................Paddy....................

I have never had a original plan of FUT , on the contrary I never think any other option besides fue. 

 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

You make some great points, and this was the fundamental basis on the FUE vs FUT argument. However, this is assuming every person with genetic hair loss will progress to a NW7 level of hair loss, which isn’t true. 

Truthfully, NW7 of hair loss is an extreme level of baldness, and most men will not progress to that level in their lifetime. Some don’t progress past a norwood 5, for example take a look at Jack Nicholson, he had less hair than Danny Devito in ‘One flew over the cuckoos nest’, but over 40 years later Nicholson is Norwood 5 and Devito is Norwood 7. 

 

[azazelgs]

Melvin , that is a great example and this should clarify my point. 

Lets say that Jack and Danny went to a ht clinic at the time of the first picture. What should be the doctors approach on this? It might be said that as you pointed out , Devito seems more eligible for a ht whereas Jack might not be a suitable candidate.  However after 40 years, where does this stand ? How does ht doctors decide on that risk?  
 

Edit: I am really not talking about extreme nw7 cases , I was just mentioning the horse shoe pattern of a regular nw5-6.

Edited December 12, 2019 by azazelgs

[Melvin- Admin]

3 hours ago, azazelgs said:

Melvin , that is a great example and this should clarify my point. 

Lets say that Jack and Danny went to a ht clinic at the time of the first picture. What should be the doctors approach on this? It might be said that as you pointed out , Devito seems more eligible for a ht whereas Jack might not be a suitable candidate.  However after 40 years, where does this stand ? How does ht doctors decide on that risk?  
 

Edit: I am really not talking about extreme nw7 cases , I was just mentioning the horse shoe pattern of a regular nw5-6.

Well, this is why donor microscopic evaluation is important. I can almost guarantee that Danny had some visible miniaturization along his lateral humps under high magnification.

In my opinion, performing a microscopic evaluation is a must. I can almost guarantee, that Devito has a family member with a similar pattern, as does Nicholson. Looking at both, can help estimate the future, but again there no guarantees or absolutes in hair restoration.

Jack Nicholson is safe to extract beyond the so-called universal zone, as you can see he’s maintained his lateral humps well into his 70’s. One thing is certain there is no “universal” when it comes to hair loss.