1st HT: insecure about grafts count and FUT

[onlywantsomenicelonghair]

Hi guys!

First of all I would like to thank you all for creating this place of discussion and help in regards to HTs.

I (30 years old) am having my first HT in a couple of months, a FUT treatment is planned. The doctor wants to transplant about 1.200 grafts. I don’t really experience much hair loss, even tho my hairline has become thinner and wanders backwards. 

He told me, that around 1200 grafts would be enough
a) because I am still „young“ and don’t know, if and how the hairloss will progress,
b) because he doesn’t want to make the donor area too big for the first HT and keep the scar thin and small
c) he told me, that we should aim for a natural hairline, that’s definitely not too low (about one finger below my current hairline)

He has about 20 years of experience and a very good reputation. He also advised me of not doing FUE, because I have blonde looking hair and in general he doesn’t recommend it with my head/hair because of the much higher „survival rate“ of the transplanted FUT hair and the overall quality. 

I am still a little bit unsure, if 1.200 grafts FUT are enough and also if my hairline then has a good density and an overall good look.

I have also consulted other doctors and both other clinics also advised FUT and roughly about 1000 grafts. 

Would you say I am to crazy about it and should just look forward to the HT?
 

Thank you!

[Berba11]

Less is more... 1200 grafts should bringing your hairline forward only very slightly (which is good) and provided your surgeon is a good one, should provide nice density.

Which Dr are you going to?

[jjalay]

For this small amount of grafts its always better to proceed with fue and not fut. Fut is good for cases that reguire a much bigger amount of grafts, it is not a good idea to proceed with fut for small cases because you are loosing a lof of elasticity of the scalp for a small amount of grafts. Judging from the photos you need a bigger number of grafts if you need to make a big improvement with significant cosmedical impact. I would say around 2000-2500 grafts but i dont know what your goals are.

In your case i would recommend to consult with some other doctors too before jumping into surgery. Hasson and Wong and Hattingen hair are my too best choices when it comes to fut. Konior, Bisanga, Cooley, Nussbaum, Arocha, Panine, Pekiner, HDC, Pinto, Couto, Raphael de freitas, Bruno ferreira, are some of the best choises for fue.

[zepruska]

1 hour ago, jjalay said:

For this small amount of grafts its always better to proceed with fue and not fut. Fut is good for cases that reguire a much bigger amount of grafts, it is not a good idea to proceed with fut for small cases because you are loosing a lof of elasticity of the scalp for a small amount of grafts. Judging from the photos you need a bigger number of grafts if you need to make a big improvement with significant cosmedical impact. I would say around 2000-2500 grafts but i dont know what your goals are.

In your case i would recommend to consult with some other doctors too before jumping into surgery. Hasson and Wong and Hattingen hair are my too best choices when it comes to fut. Konior, Bisanga, Cooley, Nussbaum, Arocha, Panine, Pekiner, HDC, Pinto, Couto, Raphael de freitas, Bruno ferreira, are some of the best choises for fue.

I came here to say this. IMO 1200 grafts is not nearly enough to justify a FUT. 

OP, can you elaborate on this part a little bit?

Quote

He also advised me of not doing FUE, because I have blonde looking hair and in general he doesn’t recommend it with my head/hair because of the much higher „survival rate“ of the transplanted FUT hair and the overall quality. 

 

[Amiele]

Are the doctors that you consulted with on the recommended list? 

I agree with others that an FUT for the first procedure doesn’t seem worth it for 1200 grafts. 

Quote

because he doesn’t want to make the donor area too big for the first HT and keep the scar thin and small

Does the doctor anticipate a second procedure to meet your goals? 

[onlywantsomenicelonghair]

Thank you everybody. Does increase my insecurity lol. I am from Germany, so please excuse my English. 

All doctors I went to do offer FUE, but all of them recommended FUT for my needs. They said that because of my lighter and thinner hair, FUE would only be second choice. 
They also said that the rate of healthy hair, that grows in is higher with FUT than when you go with FUE. 

To be fair: my doctor told me that the hairline and everything specific will be discussed on the day of the HT and that I should not worry, that he will use more if he thinks, that it’s not enough („100 or 200 more is nothing“). I told him I would also pay more to have more grafts and an overall lower hairline. He told me again that I should not worry. I had the feeling that he especially wants to go for a natural look and number of grafts comes second.

I am thinking about seeing another doctor, to have one more opinion. 

[jjalay]

10 minutes ago, onlywantsomenicelonghair said:

Thank you everybody. Does increase my insecurity lol. I am from Germany, so please excuse my English. 

All doctors I went to do offer FUE, but all of them recommended FUT for my needs. They said that because of my lighter and thinner hair, FUE would only be second choice. 
They also said that the rate of healthy hair, that grows in is higher with FUT than when you go with FUE. 

To be fair: my doctor told me that the hairline and everything specific will be discussed on the day of the HT and that I should not worry, that he will use more if he thinks, that it’s not enough („100 or 200 more is nothing“). I told him I would also pay more to have more grafts and an overall lower hairline. He told me again that I should not worry. I had the feeling that he especially wants to go for a natural look and number of grafts comes second.

I am thinking about seeing another doctor, to have one more opinion. 

Who is the doctor if you dont mind me asking. This is important too... If you are from Germany i would strongly advice to have a consultation with hattingen hair. They offer both fut and fue and they can explain to you better the advandages and disadvantages of both technigues. I think dr. muresanu does consultations in germany too.

Edited October 2, 2023 by jjalay

[onlywantsomenicelonghair]

HT is being planned with medaesthetic (Dr. Hoffmann).

 

 

[mr_peanutbutter]

dont go to any surgeon in germany

 

if you want avoid long traveling you have excellent choices in belgium (ferudini, bisanga, mwamba), netherlands (fuegenix) or switzerland (hattingen, heitmann)

[onlywantsomenicelonghair]

1 hour ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

dont go to any surgeon in germany

 

if you want avoid long traveling you have excellent choices in belgium (ferudini, bisanga, mwamba), netherlands (fuegenix) or switzerland (hattingen, heitmann)

 

Thanks for your reply. 

why is that? 

[hongkongfue]

I have blonde and light colored hair and it was no issue for FUE. They just colored my hair dark the day before. No way would I have FUT for 1200 graphs, like others have said save that for bigger surgeries. 

[Gatsby]

On 10/2/2023 at 11:52 PM, onlywantsomenicelonghair said:

Thank you everybody. Does increase my insecurity lol. I am from Germany, so please excuse my English. 

All doctors I went to do offer FUE, but all of them recommended FUT for my needs. They said that because of my lighter and thinner hair, FUE would only be second choice. 
They also said that the rate of healthy hair, that grows in is higher with FUT than when you go with FUE. 

To be fair: my doctor told me that the hairline and everything specific will be discussed on the day of the HT and that I should not worry, that he will use more if he thinks, that it’s not enough („100 or 200 more is nothing“). I told him I would also pay more to have more grafts and an overall lower hairline. He told me again that I should not worry. I had the feeling that he especially wants to go for a natural look and number of grafts comes second.

I am thinking about seeing another doctor, to have one more opinion. 

In all honestly it sounds like the surgeon may not have the skill set to perform FUE as good as his FUT perhaps. As has been said FUT is good to harvest a large number of grafts in the sweet spot but to be left with a linear scar. Lighter and thinner hair in the hands of an elite surgeon makes no difference. All the best.

[A Fue Good Men]

If you ever plan on wearing your hair short in the donor, I wouldn’t go down the fut path. If you go to a good surgeon, you can still have an fut after having a well performed fue.

[jjalay]

15 hours ago, onlywantsomenicelonghair said:

HT is being planned with medaesthetic (Dr. Hoffmann).

 

 

My opinion and from my experience the choice of the doctor you have made is wrong. If you want to get this done right i would suggest to get a consultation with Hattingen hair in Switzerland for fut. In Belgium you have many great options too. There is dr. Feriduni who is german too, dr. Bisanga, dr. Devroye and dr. Lupanzula. If you are looking for a budget clinic dr. Maras at HDC clinic in Cyprus is a great option for fue too. Theis rep. doron harati is active in this forum, you can get in contact with him too. Have a consultation with all these doctors to see what they have to say and the suggestions they will make.

Right now there in not a single doctor in germany that can match the standards of the doctors i have mentioned before. Most of the clinics in germany are offering hairtransplants as an add-on to breast surgery, nose jobs and liposuction to add more revenue. They are not specialised in this and unfortnately they dont have much clue of what they are doing.

If you are new to hairtransplant i would also suggest to do a little bit more research and learn more about hairtransplants in this forum too. Be really careful because you might end up with a wide scar on the back of your head for nothing. Feel free to ask any questions.

Edited October 4, 2023 by jjalay

[Doron Harati]

There're many aspects to consider in your case.

We don't have measurement of your current, so we need to know if you're aiming for youthful low hairline (yet natural) or more conservative round shape hairline which will save more hundreds of grafts.

You'll need high density of 45-50 grafts per sq cm for your hairline and behind to create a result that will be homogenous with your native hair.

I assume after doing a detailed review You'll need around 2000-2500 grafts with FUE.

Our clinic in Cyprus (Greek side) with price range of 2.4-2.2€ per graft, you're welcome to contact my WhatsApp for consultation.

 

[GoliGoliGoli]

In my opinion, this sounds like a mistake. 1200 won't really give you a big aesthetic improvement. and you're going to be left with a scar in the back of your head. This is the first I've heard of people with your hair type being better off with FUT. FUT is almost never the best option these days unless you are NW6 or NW7 which you are not. 

I don't mean to be harsh, but it sounds like you don't fully understand HT's as much as you should. I would cancel the appointment and do much more research. You're very lucky to have found this forum before going through with the surgery.

Edited October 4, 2023 by GoliGoliGoli

[LaserCaps]

Lots of great information has been given to you so far.  I'd like to add my $0.05 cents.

The procedure is done exactly the same way - regardless of the harvesting method.  

FUT, a segment of about 9mm, (size of your pinky), will be removed.  Typically a segment ear to ear will yield about 2400-2500 grafts.  That is, a segment starting behind one ear to about 1/2 way it's what would be required for 1200 grafts. The area is then sutured close hair to hair - leaving a linear scar which will not be visible provided you keep the hair in the donor long enough.  It's typically recommended you avoid weightlifting that affects the neck for 6 months to avoid widening of the scar.  The segment is then divided and separated into individual grafts.  The follicular unit will have lots of substance.  Consider a unit can have from 1-5 hairs.  You typically get better yield with this type procedure.  Why?

The whole purpose of FUE is to avoid the linear scar.  This is meant for guys that keep their hair shaven.  And, to allow for micro-scars which are not detectable by the eye, the instrumentation needs to be smaller than .9mm.  The issue is the fact that the instrument is very small, so will the graft.  Not a lot of substance nor hair.  

Thus, if you keep a high and tight haircut, FUE is for you.  Similarly, if you are a weightlifter, choose FUE.  Otherwise you can do whatever you prefer.  FUE will typically be more expensive than FUT.  But you can return to normal a lot quicker.  With FUT you'll have sutures that will be self absorbable or can be removed in 10-14 days.  

If you have an advanced pattern, it would be worthwhile considering both procedures. Exhaust all FUT first.  You can then move to FUE - and can actually put FUE grafts on to the scar.

With regards to numbers, a lot will depend on hairline design.  There are engineering principles that apply to all of us universally.  Research the Rule of Thirds. This will give a decent idea where your hairline ought to be.  The lower you go, the more grafts will be needed.  And, just for reference, an eyebrow takes about 500 grafts.  Do you think two eyebrows worth of hair is going to address the area you want to fill?  

Lastly, if you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing. What are you doing to mitigate the progressive nature of this condition?  

 

[onlywantsomenicelonghair]

Thank you so much for your replies, read them all and will answer shortly 

[onlywantsomenicelonghair]

Update:

all of the said doctors have made the same recommendation: roughly 2k-2.5k grafts FUE.

Have now switched plans, will do FUE instead and keep you guys updated with the process. 

THANK you very much!