Estimated number of grafts to fix hairline?

[thirdrock]

I was hoping people could weigh in on how many grafts they think would be good for me. The last 4 pictures I hadn't showered so my hair is more greasy and looks more thin but I figured they might help.

I went to one a year ago and they suggested 3000-3500, but another one recently suggested 1600-2000.  Would 1600-2000 be enough? Is 3000 overkill? Does this number change on how they extract the hair? I was told there can be more than 1 hair extracted/implanted at a time and thus you can still get a lot of hair with not as many grafts.

My donor area is very good and they said I have at least 8000 donor hairs. I'm also only worried about my hairline and nothing else. Also which hairline would look more natural, the straight line or the line that curves up?

Thank you in advance, I can provide more pictures if needed

Edited November 22, 2023 by thirdrock

[WhiteyUK]

IMO 2000 is no where near enough, at least 3500.

your have a larger area to cover than I had a couple of years ago and I had 2800 grafts

[Belve]

Around 3000 grafts to have a good density 

[Melvin- Admin]

Are you on medication? This entire area is thinning. 

[Cooper48]

I had a little more hair than you and ended up with 3600.  I went to several places as I started this journey and the couple that did not have reputations here suggested in the 2k range.  Once I connected in here and got estimates from highly reviewed drs (HW, Gabel and Laorwong), they all wanted to do in the 3500 range.  I think you definitely need >3500 total.  If you only do 2k you should probably only cover the front and get the crown later.  I believe the ones that tell you lower number are just selling and trying to get patients.  Ultimately people are looking at graft number X unit price and while budget should guide this process, it has a large impact.  I think there are a lot of clinics not on this site that know they have a better chance of getting a patient if the prices is almost half (2k grafts vs 3.5k grafts), even if it is not in the best interest of the patient.  Just my 2 cents.  Good luck with the process!

[BackFromTheBrink]

How old are you? 

I think a conservative hairline is probably the best approach (depending on age and medication).

An Melvin said, you're well on the way to Norwood 5 (about 5-6k grafts) but if you have halted your loss and can strengthen your midscalp and crown through medication, the 3-3.5k range is a good ballpark to work with.

As you suggest, the average hair to follicle ratio is 2.2ish, so you'd be looking at 7-8k hairs. 

[thirdrock]

Thanks for the replies

Yea like I said, those last few images I hadn't taken a shower and my hair gets greasy and looks more thin up top.  I'm sure that's still not the best but right now I'm only worried about the very front. I am on finasteride for 2 years and was on minoxidil but stopped for about a year and now I'm back on it so I'm not too worried about the top right now. Especially since I plan to grow my hair out.  I'm 29.

 

Is there a such thing as 'overdoing' it within reason? Like obviously not putting 5k in just the front but lets say in theory I needed 3k and got 3.5, would that look too unnatural? 

[Gatsby]

I would be trying medication before considering surgery. I’m not a doctor but I would be giving Finasteride a good year to stabilize your hair loss so you know what you’re working with surgically. A hair transplant is like trying to hit a moving target. All the best 

[nok]

The second hairline that includes the temple blending work would hypothetically look better if nothing else changes. But it looks like your temples are actively receding, so I would be worried about progressive hairloss behind the implanted hairline starting to look patchy and unnatural. At your age it seems premature to expect that anything has stabilized, so as others have said, you might want to wait. I am far from expert, but in my novice research, it seems like more conservative numbers of grafts have a better chance of surviving, since bloodflow to the are is a limited resource. Too much all at once can cause shock loss to existing hair, especially if they are already suffering from miniaturization. If you are determined on getting a HT sooner rather than later, I would go to a reputable clinic and get a full expert evaluation.

Edited November 23, 2023 by nok

[Sunset Dune]

Judging from the photos you will need more like 4k-4.5k grafts for the front maybe even 5k.