How many grafts would I need if I went for a hair transplant?

[londonla]

I am thinking of going for a HT early next year - before the end of March hopefully. I have been suffereing from MPB for around 2 years now and have tried a variety of different therapies - caffeine shampoo, dermarolling, vitamins and fin/min. None have had any success and I had nasty sides on fin/min, insomnia for a long time. 

I have been thinking of a HT for a while now and have consulted with a few different clinics in Turkey and the UK. I have had competing analysis results from the clinics though:

• Vera clinic said I would need around 5k grafts over 2 sessions a year apart. 
• FueCapilar said they would do 3.5/4k grafts over two days. 
• IdeaofMed said similar to Vera but didnt want to give an exact number until they could examine me in detail. 
• Lastly a clinic here in the UK said they would do 4k grafts in one session as my donor area is very strong. 

With all these competing analysis I'm not sure what the correct number is. I have included pictures of my scalp from a birds eye view here. I have also included a picture of my hairline, donor and the scalp area. Let me know what you think or if you would like more pictures. 

[LaserCaps]

Based on the photos you've submitted it seems you are dealing with a strong class 5 which is likely expanding.  There are no photos of your back so it is difficult to tell if you are dipping.  Have you considered Rogaine, PRP and Laser therapy? I would strongly suggest you get on to some kind of regimen to help you with retention.  As you know most of these have a tendency to be most effective towards the back.  

To start you could consider FUT/FUE in front and do a max procedure.  An in person evaluation would help to determine density and your size of head, (more grafts). The pattern is just as big so this is a relative issue.  2500-3000? Perhaps.

Considering FUT is not a bad idea given your current hair style.  You may be able to do it multiple times pending elasticity and other factors.  Eventually when elasticity runs out, you can then consider FUE (and can put some grafts on the scar at that point). This way you are taking advantage of your entire donor.  

Lastly, SMP.  While you do the front you could do SMP in the crown.  This would give you the appearance of a full set of hair while you wait a year to allow things to grow, heal, etc.  

If you do decide to go FUT, avoid weights for 6 mo, particularly exercises that involve the neck.  This could cause the scar to widen.  

[Britanium]

How old are you ? That’s quite extensive loss. Although the pics are not the clearest. In some pics it looks very different. 
You should consider Eugenix, really good at these type of cases. How is your beard ? Your going to have to look for another source for additional grafts at some point. Maybe also think about starting out with FUT if you go maximise your donor area. 
Only Turan/Gur are doing good work from the clinics/Drs you mentioned. The others are very poor choices.

[Britanium]

Say you was to consider starting out with FUT then consider Hattingen, H&W, Bisanga. Or even Medispa who regularly do combo hts FUT/FUE/BHT.

Looking at your current choices I’m guessing your going on the more affordable options. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by JC71

[londonla]

10 minutes ago, LaserCaps said:

Based on the photos you've submitted it seems you are dealing with a strong class 5 which is likely expanding.  There are no photos of your back so it is difficult to tell if you are dipping.  Have you considered Rogaine, PRP and Laser therapy? I would strongly suggest you get on to some kind of regimen to help you with retention.  As you know most of these have a tendency to be most effective towards the back.  

To start you could consider FUT/FUE in front and do a max procedure.  An in person evaluation would help to determine density and your size of head, (more grafts). The pattern is just as big so this is a relative issue.  2500-3000? Perhaps.

Considering FUT is not a bad idea given your current hair style.  You may be able to do it multiple times pending elasticity and other factors.  Eventually when elasticity runs out, you can then consider FUE (and can put some grafts on the scar at that point). This way you are taking advantage of your entire donor.  

Lastly, SMP.  While you do the front you could do SMP in the crown.  This would give you the appearance of a full set of hair while you wait a year to allow things to grow, heal, etc.  

If you do decide to go FUT, avoid weights for 6 mo, particularly exercises that involve the neck.  This could cause the scar to widen.  

I did use Rogaine and Finasteride for a while together but had really bad side effects, couldn't sleep for months after so had to give it up. 

It is dipping towards the back yes but not too bad, maybe a cm or two at the back. I'm not considering a FUT at this moment due to the scarring, only FUE really. I think the max FUE procedure is the best for me at this time. 

SMP is a good idea, had not considered that until now. I guess it could work if I split any HT into two procedures as some clinics have recommended. 

[londonla]

21 minutes ago, JC71 said:

How old are you ? That’s quite extensive loss. Although the pics are not the clearest. In some pics it looks very different. 
You should consider Eugenix, really good at these type of cases. How is your beard ? Your going to have to look for another source for additional grafts at some point. Maybe also think about starting out with FUT if you go maximise your donor area. 
Only Turan/Gur are doing good work from the clinics/Drs you mentioned. The others are very poor choices.

26, I noticed balding at 24 so could have started before then but I hadn't noticed. Yh the pictures are a collection of what I've sent to different clinics at different times. Sometimes its when the hair is wet, sometimes when I've gone super low or medium length etc. Just depending on what the clinic recommended really. 

EDIT: I will take a full set of pictures this week as I have a few more clinics to contact. I will upload those pictures later on this week and link that thread here. 

Not really considering India at this moment. I know a few people who've been to Turkey and had really good results so that is the destination for me at the moment. Only problem is I want to do by the end of February next year, but the good clinics are mostly booked out already for that time period. 

Yes FueCapilar are my top choice at this moment, the reviews are top level. I hope to have a full quote from them by the end of this week from them. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by ybism
Updated information

[londonla]

17 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Say you was to consider starting out with FUT then consider Hattingen, H&W, Bisanga. Or even Medispa who regularly do combo hts FUT/FUE/BHT.

Looking at your current choices I’m guessing your going on the more affordable options. 

Havent heard of those clinics, will look into them soon. 

Yes budget options are my only choice right now. 

[Britanium]

Just be very wary, decent clinics are booked up as they are doing good work. Anybody fitting you too soon should be a red flag. 
Turan/Gur are fine. But you could also consider Dr Bicer, HLC, Dr Demirsoy and Dr Yaman.. (All Turkey) 

If you was able to Europe then I could definitely recommend others. Spain/Portugal + Belgium in particular have some really good Drs. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by JC71

[londonla]

1 minute ago, JC71 said:

Just be very wary, decent clinics are booked up as they are doing good work. Anybody fitting you too soon should be a red flag. 
Turan/Gur are fine. But you could also consider Dr Bicer, HLC, Dr Demirsoy and Dr Yaman.. 

Yup I have a friend who had very good results with Vera and another with Smile clinic but both were norwood 3-4 not 5 like myself. I am contacting all clinics you mentioned this week and hope someone has a space somewhere. 

[Britanium]

Just now, ybism said:

Yup I have a friend who had very good results with Vera and another with Smile clinic but both were norwood 3-4 not 5 like myself. I am contacting all clinics you mentioned this week and hope someone has a space somewhere. 

They may have got lucky, however we have seen some absolutely horrible hts by Vera & Smile. Definitely not worth taking any risks when you have better options at your disposal. 

[Britanium]

Again nothing wrong with Turan/Gur and it would be good to see another result posted on the forum if you was to go ahead with them. 

[londonla]

Just now, JC71 said:

They may have got lucky, however we have seen some absolutely horrible hts by Vera & Smile. Definitely not worth taking any risks when you have better options at your disposal. 

Do you have a link to any of those results? Unfortunately when I search for those clinics it finds the individual words (Aloe Vera) and Smile has way too many results to find which one is the one.

[londonla]

Just now, JC71 said:

Again nothing wrong with Turan/Gur and it would be good to see another result posted on the forum if you was to go ahead with them. 

Sure I will definitely post if I do go down that road - unfortunately I only started looking into it quite recently and it seems lots of people have cottoned onto how good FueCapilar are and they are booked up until March I have read. I have my fingers crossed someone cancels or something and I can squeeze in. 

[londonla]

7 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Just be very wary, decent clinics are booked up as they are doing good work. Anybody fitting you too soon should be a red flag. 
Turan/Gur are fine. But you could also consider Dr Bicer, HLC, Dr Demirsoy and Dr Yaman.. (All Turkey) 

If you was able to Europe then I could definitely recommend others. Spain/Portugal + Belgium in particular have some really good Drs. 

Sure if you can recommend the ones in Europe. I have heard of Dr Bruno in Portugal but not many others. 

I am based in UK and I have talked to some clinics here, even with my limited knowledge I could tell they were BS artists, one offered to have my HT done the next week after the consultation. 

[Britanium]

5 minutes ago, ybism said:

Sure if you can recommend the ones in Europe. I have heard of Dr Bruno in Portugal but not many others. 

I am based in UK and I have talked to some clinics here, even with my limited knowledge I could tell they were BS artists, one offered to have my HT done the next week after the consultation. 

I’m also Uk based and think we have much better options by jumping on a plane ! I will be going to Eugenix for my 6th ht.. worth the journey..

The Euro Drs who are considered as some of the best are Dr Bisanga, Dr Mwamba, Dr Lapunzula & Dr Feriduni - Belgium. Dr Freitas, Dr Vila, Dr Lorenzo & Dr Couto - Spain. Dr Pinto & Dr Ferreira - Portugal.

Maybe you could consider HDC (Cyprus) pretty good at approx €2 per graft. @Doron Haratiis the rep. 
 

[londonla]

3 minutes ago, JC71 said:

I’m also Uk based and think we have much better options by jumping on a plane ! I will be going to Eugenix for my 6th ht.. worth the journey..

The Euro Drs who are considered as some of the best are Dr Bisanga, Dr Mwamba, Dr Lapunzula & Dr Feriduni - Belgium. Dr Freitas, Dr Vila, Dr Lorenzo & Dr Couto - Spain. Dr Pinto & Dr Ferreira - Portugal.

Maybe you could consider HDC (Cyprus) pretty good at approx €2 per graft. @Doron Haratiis the rep. 
 

Wow 6th HT? How bad was your hair before the transplant? I'm guessing this is over a long time period though? 

Do you know what the prices for those doctors are like? I know the ones in Turkey I have spoken to and are also highly thought of here (FueCapilar and Demirsoy) have quoted me around 3-4k euros, I guess mainland Europe will be much more?

[digi23]

1 hour ago, ybism said:

I am thinking of going for a HT early next year - before the end of March hopefully. I have been suffereing from MPB for around 2 years now and have tried a variety of different therapies - caffeine shampoo, dermarolling, vitamins and fin/min. None have had any success and I had nasty sides on fin/min, insomnia for a long time. 

I have been thinking of a HT for a while now and have consulted with a few different clinics in Turkey and the UK. I have had competing analysis results from the clinics though:

• Vera clinic said I would need around 5k grafts over 2 sessions a year apart. 
• FueCapilar said they would do 3.5/4k grafts over two days. 
• IdeaofMed said similar to Vera but didnt want to give an exact number until they could examine me in detail. 
• Lastly a clinic here in the UK said they would do 4k grafts in one session as my donor area is very strong. 

With all these competing analysis I'm not sure what the correct number is. I have included pictures of my scalp from a birds eye view here. I have also included a picture of my hairline, donor and the scalp area. Let me know what you think or if you would like more pictures. 

What can be a problem at the moment is that if you are not stabilised on Finasteride and go through with a GREAT clinic, not Smile or Vera the clowns. Is that you can basically lose all your existing hair you have now for transplanted hair due to shock loss. 

If you were to transplant all this, it would need 6000-8000 grafts approx to get decent density, if you have it in your donor, I dont know, its difficult to tell.

[Britanium]

Yes without hts (x2 FUT/x3 FUE) I would be flat out Norwood 6. See attached so you can have a much better idea of the Drs/Clinics i have mentioned. 

[Britanium]

Be aware that Demirsoy is increasing from 2022 to €1.5 per graft which will be the same as Dr Bicer (Automated FUE)

[londonla]

6 minutes ago, digi23 said:

What can be a problem at the moment is that if you are not stabilised on Finasteride and go through with a GREAT clinic, not Smile or Vera the clowns. Is that you can basically lose all your existing hair you have now for transplanted hair due to shock loss. 

If you were to transplant all this, it would need 6000-8000 grafts approx to get decent density, if you have it in your donor, I dont know, its difficult to tell.

Yes I was told this by another doctor that I would need to go on the medication or the non-transplanted hair would fall out and then I'm back in the same boat. Problem is with the side effects I had I couldn't carry on with the medication. One doctor did say I could possibly do 2 procedures, one now and then one in the future if the hair still there now falls out. 

[digi23]

Also you are talking about having MBP for the past 2 years, then you are losing your hair pretty aggressively, soon you will be full NW5-6, then it will be pretty difficult to get full coverage without overharvesting your donor, depending on how thick your donor is ofcourse.

You look to have a pretty good donor. I think I am seeing some pretty thick beard aswell, which is good if you go full FUE.

[londonla]

5 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Be aware that Demirsoy is increasing from 2022 to €1.5 per graft which will be the same as Dr Bicer (Automated FUE)

Ah dammit. Do you know if the price increase will apply if you book it from now for next year? So if I pay before the end of the year would it still be at the 1.25 price?

[Britanium]

Just now, ybism said:

Ah dammit. Do you know if the price increase will apply if you book it from now for next year? So if I pay before the end of the year would it still be at the 1.25 price?

One way to find out 🤩 ask, maybe if you booked before then it would be locked in. Contact the clinic 👍🏽

[londonla]

Just now, digi23 said:

Also you are talking about having MBP for the past 2 years, then you are losing your hair pretty aggressively, soon you will be full NW5-6, then it will be pretty difficult to get full coverage without overharvesting your donor, depending on how thick your donor is ofcourse.

You look to have a pretty good donor. I think I am seeing some pretty thick beard aswell, which is good if you go full FUE.

No I think it's been a lot longer than that I've just never realised. I used to have long curly hair so would never have realised until I went hajj (Islamic pilgrimage) and I went totally bald; noticed it when it started growing back and there was a big hole in the middle. 

Yup my donor area all clinics have said is quite strong and my beard is very very fast growing. 

[londonla]

9 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Yes without hts (x2 FUT/x3 FUE) I would be flat out Norwood 6. See attached so you can have a much better idea of the Drs/Clinics i have mentioned. 

What clinic do you go to? What Norwood scale are you at now?