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In a consultation, how deep can I expect the analysis of my donor area to be?


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  • Senior Member

I'm planning to consult with 2-4 doctors before deciding and going forward with the surgery, and an important part of what I will base my decision of is the assessment of my donor area. 

Do the doctors actually make an in depth analysis and measure or do they go basically by eye? 

I would love to get a "Dr Zarev presentation-like measurements" of all the variables of my donor area - such as # of FU/cm2 in different areas, average number of hairs per FU, hair thickness, total size of donor area etc - to know precisely what is the max of how much can be extracted before it looks depleted. 

Is this kind of service the standard of HT docs or am I asking too much? Also, do they offer it only if I book a procedure or can I get it done in the consultation phase as well?

EDIT: attached is the kind of donor analysis I'm talking about. 

Screen Shot 2020-11-20 at 18.39.02.png

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Screen Shot 2020-11-20 at 18.38.02.png

Edited by JohnBob
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  • Senior Member

Every surgeon is going to have their own particular method of evaluating the donor. I suppose you could always ask them in advance what their process is, and that way if someone really seems to cut corners based on what you're looking for, you could consider cancelling the consultation. That said, I imagine if you've done a lot of research and you've landed on surgeons that you believe are worthy of a consultation, chances are that whatever method they use is at least moderately effective. 

One of the things Dr. Mohebi does (that I know not every surgeon does) that helps predict a roadmap of future loss is testing the miniaturization levels of your hair on all areas of your scalp. As hairs are in their final stages of life, they get significantly smaller. So he can examine an area and see if it has 20% miniaturization, for example (which is normal and healthy) or even 90% miniaturization (which means that area will be greatly affected by MPB). That's something I'd definitely ask about to see if that's something they offer, as it's particularly useful when determining a game plan for how to treat one's hair loss. 

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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  • Senior Member

Not everyone does this. At my consultation with Dr Feller I asked how my donor was etc. and was just told that it was beautiful, perfect etc. without any specifics. That was perfectly fine for my 23 year old self having a conservative hairline rebuilt, but next time I want to know the details to be able to plan long term. 

You should request beforehand to have your donor analysed for this kind of detail to make sure you get it.

 2,000 grafts FUT Dr. Feller, July 27th 2012. 23 years old at the time. Excellent result. Need crown sorted eventually but concealer works well for now.

Propecia and minoxidil since 2010. Fine for 8 years - bad sides after switching to Aindeem in 2018.

Switched to topical fin/minox combo from Minoxidil Max in October 2020, along with dermarolling 1x a week.

Wrote a book for newbies called Beating Hair Loss, available on Amazon

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