How many grafts can I harvest without making the donor area look thin or spotty?

[misterv]

I am 42 years old with very slow thinning. Not a whole lot has changed in the past 6-7 years. My hair is naturally thin on top also. I am looking to get a FUE transplant.

After speaking with some specialists, one of them suggested that my donor area would be much thinner when harvested. I currently get a buzz cut with a 1.5 as seen in the photos. 

The hairline drawing is what I ideally want which the specialist suggested 1500 grafts. I am willing to compromise. 

What is the number of graft that I can harvest in my donor area without it looking spotty or thin given my current haircut? With that limitation what can I expect in the transplant area? 

Thank you for your advice!

[Doron Harati]

Looks more around 2500 grafts job which I think you can harvest from your donor, the shaved hair cut makes it look thin, but I believe it's a healthy donor before making a detailed consultation.

A great surgeon will preserve your donor without overharvesting, even in small sessions the donor can be overharveste and scarred if not approach properly.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Doron Harati

[Melvin- Admin]

Are you on medication? 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@misterv,

that he had no curiosity and I have you taken any non-surgical solution to the past question you still have a great deal of natural hair at 42 years age so that’s a good thing. Chances are, if you have never used medication and the hair loss you currently possess is all natural yes you probably won’t really need any medication idea moving forward.  However it will, I should clarify that hair loss can occur at any age but most people lose the majority of their hair in their 20s and 30s.

That said, your donor looks on the average to fuller side so based On Photos alone, I’d say I feel pretty confident that you have enough donor hair to meet your short and long term hair restoration goals.

Now it’s difficult to gauge the amount of sinning you have on the top front half of the scout from the presented photos. As a result, it’s a bit difficult to give you a graft estimate but based on what I’m seeing I was just at 2500 to 3000 graphs would make a substantial difference.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

 

[pkipling]

A couple points in regards to the donor area after FUE: 

A lot of this is going to depend on your personal standards. I feel like I healed pretty well in the donor area, and from what I hear from friends and barbers, even when I get a really short fade, they don't think anything looks different or alarming. However, I can look at the donor area and tell that it's a little more sparse than it was before my procedure - which makes sense considering there are 2,000 less grafts there than there were before. So as long as I'm measuring by normal societal standards and what other people's eyes see, it probably looks great! However, for any of us experienced with HTs, we might notice a little... "something".

I go back and forth with how I prefer to cut my hair on the back and sides. I'll still do a really short/high fade from time to time and be okay with it, but for the most part, I've realized I'm most comfortable/confident when I do a short/lower fade that starts getting a tad longer in the donor region. (Meaning it's still a no guard at the bottom, but the fade starts lower on the scalp.) 

It looks like you get a higher fade - and so with that in mind, there's a chance that you can keep getting this same haircut and nobody will think anything looks off except for maybe you. In which case, you could just put those thoughts aside and proceed as normal... OR you could just tweak your haircut a bit and find something that works for your scalp, depending on how it ultimately ends up looking. 

I think it's unreasonable to think we can remove thousands of grafts in the back and it look exactly the same as an untouched scalp, so I would always go into a procedure being okay with it likely ending up looking a little bit different - which doesn't necessarily mean bad. As long as you're at peace with that, then it's really a non-issue when compared to the joy/satisfaction of having a successful hair transplant - especially in the hairline!

[misterv]

On 12/17/2022 at 3:26 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Are you on medication? 

I was on minoxidil for a bit but it gave me alot of side effects so I stopped

[misterv]

On 12/22/2022 at 1:19 PM, pkipling said:

A couple points in regards to the donor area after FUE: 

A lot of this is going to depend on your personal standards. I feel like I healed pretty well in the donor area, and from what I hear from friends and barbers, even when I get a really short fade, they don't think anything looks different or alarming. However, I can look at the donor area and tell that it's a little more sparse than it was before my procedure - which makes sense considering there are 2,000 less grafts there than there were before. So as long as I'm measuring by normal societal standards and what other people's eyes see, it probably looks great! However, for any of us experienced with HTs, we might notice a little... "something".

I go back and forth with how I prefer to cut my hair on the back and sides. I'll still do a really short/high fade from time to time and be okay with it, but for the most part, I've realized I'm most comfortable/confident when I do a short/lower fade that starts getting a tad longer in the donor region. (Meaning it's still a no guard at the bottom, but the fade starts lower on the scalp.) 

It looks like you get a higher fade - and so with that in mind, there's a chance that you can keep getting this same haircut and nobody will think anything looks off except for maybe you. In which case, you could just put those thoughts aside and proceed as normal... OR you could just tweak your haircut a bit and find something that works for your scalp, depending on how it ultimately ends up looking. 

I think it's unreasonable to think we can remove thousands of grafts in the back and it look exactly the same as an untouched scalp, so I would always go into a procedure being okay with it likely ending up looking a little bit different - which doesn't necessarily mean bad. As long as you're at peace with that, then it's really a non-issue when compared to the joy/satisfaction of having a successful hair transplant - especially in the hairline!

thanks! that makes sense

[misterv]

On 12/20/2022 at 9:02 AM, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@misterv,

that he had no curiosity and I have you taken any non-surgical solution to the past question you still have a great deal of natural hair at 42 years age so that’s a good thing. Chances are, if you have never used medication and the hair loss you currently possess is all natural yes you probably won’t really need any medication idea moving forward.  However it will, I should clarify that hair loss can occur at any age but most people lose the majority of their hair in their 20s and 30s.

That said, your donor looks on the average to fuller side so based On Photos alone, I’d say I feel pretty confident that you have enough donor hair to meet your short and long term hair restoration goals.

Now it’s difficult to gauge the amount of sinning you have on the top front half of the scout from the presented photos. As a result, it’s a bit difficult to give you a graft estimate but based on what I’m seeing I was just at 2500 to 3000 graphs would make a substantial difference.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

 

thanks!