How many years after the first surgery do patients need, on average, a second one?

[Hegemon]

I'm going to get my first transplant in a month or so.

I've been thinking about when will I need a new one because of the continuation of the hair fall.

I'm 37 now, so I have years ahead of hair loss, basically I'm worried I might not have enough in the future.

Is this a problem?

Thanks.

[Dazed]

7 hours ago, Hegemon said:

I'm going to get my first transplant in a month or so.

I've been thinking about when will I need a new one because of the continuation of the hair fall.

I'm 37 now, so I have years ahead of hair loss, basically I'm worried I might not have enough in the future.

Is this a problem?

Thanks.

There are way too many variables for anyone to give you a very concrete answer, especially since you are very far away from knowing the results of your first transplant.   There are many here who can give you good advice, but much more data will be needed.  You may want to have your first transplant, wait a year, and come back with your questions including pictures.  Be sure to express your concerns with your surgeon.

[gillenator]

It also depends on one's rate of hair loss progression and ultimately what it will take to achieving one's overall goal.

[LaserCap]

Great question, and one that's on everyone's mind when dealing with this debilitating issue.  You are about to spend thousands and realize you may have to dish out thousands more down the road. Yes, like others have indicated, there are many factors involved.  But, there is something you can do about it to, perhaps, avoid having to worry about multiple interventions.  The answer?

Medical therapy.  Why should you consider it?  

No one with an advanced pattern has enough donor hair available to allow for a full-looking set of hair. The donor area, additionally, is finite.  There is only so much before it is depleted.  This can be either because of tension or because an inexperienced doctor got greedy.

Now, if a patient is completely empty, class six with no native hair left other than what's on the sides and back, OK.  He may need multiple procedures depending on his goals of density.  But it sounds as if you have a good amount of native hair left.  If so, get on meds and move forward with transplants.  If Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP do what they're supposed to do, you may be able to delay that second visit for a long time.

 

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

Unfortunately no doctor has a crystal ball and can predict how much hair loss a patient will have in the future. But the general rule is that it will continue with time especially and those experiencing hair loss at a young age. We do try to look at family history of MPB but it is a combination of both parents genetics so accurately predicting future hair loss is difficult if not impossible. So I think it is wise to create a game plan the has worst case scenario in the equation even though we would all be hoping that doesn't happen. I do agree that you should consider preventative measures that your body can tolerate which may slow down or stop the progression of your hair loss. . But if you proceed with HT you should know there is a good chance you will want additional procedures in the future. 

[gillenator]

This is why taking a more conservative approach is wise...the individual will be able to monitor the progression of loss while maintaining as much of his native hair as possible through preventative hair loss medications.

And managing one's donor reserves is critical for future loss and having the donor hair to address it.

[pkipling]

When getting consultations, the surgeons can take into account several different factors to get a pretty good idea of where you may be heading in terms of hair loss, but as Dr. Charles pointed out, there is no crystal ball to know for sure. Genetics, family history, hair type/quality, age, current state of hair loss, and the miniaturization levels of your hair can all be used to get a tentative roadmap of where your hair loss may end up. This is one of the reasons it's recommended to get 2-3 different opinions, so that then you can compare them and see if there are common threads. 

It's been 5 years since my hair transplant, and fortunately, the thinning in my crown hasn't progressed at all and I'm still in the clear. Thanking my lucky stars every day.

[Al - Moderator]

Some men go from full head of hair to complete NW 7 bald in less than 10 years. Other men take 20 years just to go from NW 3 to NW 4. There's also the fact that people get hair transplants at different points in their hair loss journey. Some will get it done when they are NW 3 and others will get it done when they reach NW 6 and many are somewhere in between those, so there's just no way to give an average of how long before needing another one.

 

[Clark.Ethan]

1 year 

[Spanker]

It's been almost 8 years for me.  I don't need another at this point. Also, there is a wide gap between wanting grafts and needing grafts. 

[gillenator]

Wow, how the time flies by...glad to hear you are in good shape with your results Spanker...