Density

[Guest]

I had surgery 4 weeks ago with Dr.Hasson in B.C. Canada. Everthing went great. I had 2500 FU's done on the front third of my scalp...2100 2's and 400 1's. I was disapointed there were no 3's. What kind of density should I expect? Will I need another surgery for the front?

[Guest]

I had surgery 4 weeks ago with Dr.Hasson in B.C. Canada. Everthing went great. I had 2500 FU's done on the front third of my scalp...2100 2's and 400 1's. I was disapointed there were no 3's. What kind of density should I expect? Will I need another surgery for the front?

[Guest]

In my opinion, your type transplan doesn't produce very good density. The doctors seem to do a lot of graphs but the combo graphs produce much better density. 100% follicular grafting, yes, is a step away from plugs but I think the cosemetic result is thin coverage. Too much work for so little density. The multi graft technique done by a competent doctor produces much better results and much better density. I know this is against the grain on the web site but a lot of doctors will tell you this, if you want density.

[arfy]

They just result in much greater risk of pitting and cobblestoning. Read the article "The Logic of Follicular Units" in the Reasearch Library section of this website. It proves mathematically that "Combo grafts" (Minigrafts) do not result in more density, just in less-efficient use of precious donor hair.

 

You can't get any more dense than the natural pattern of FU grafts you have in your donor area (instead of saying "you can't" I should say "there is no need to"). Using that logic there is no need to use anything BUT follicular unit grafts.

 

"Combo grafts" transplant too much excess scalp tissue along with the hair follicles. That is an outdated approach, with inferior results for the majority of patients. The best-looking results come when the scalp surface is disrupted as little as possible. When excess tissue is included along with the hair follicles ("combo grafts") the scalp surface tends to look bumpy and pluggy. By using ONLY microscopically-dissected follicular unit grafts, your grafts will appear to emerge from virgin scalp, and not a tiny "plug".

 

Combo grafts look pluggy, and even if they did provide "more density" (which they do NOT) all the density in the world isn't worth a damn if your hair transplant looks pluggy!

 

Density in your final result is NOT a function of graft size! It's a result of how closely you pack the grafts together. Also, FU grafts are able to be "dense-packed" so theoretically you could get MORE density from dense-packed FU grafts. The excess tissue included in non-FU grafts prevents them from being packed as tightly.

[mel]

hi arfy,

you are so knowledgeable on all these subjects..can you please tell me what is your hair transplant results are like and how did your achieve these results? can you post your pictures? any suggestions for new potential ht candidates?

thanks very much

[arfy]

I had a hair transplant at Cleveland Hair Clinic with Dr. Carlos Puig (now with MHR in Houston). He did an unbelievably crappy job, that you can spot from a block away. I am now spending money getting it repaired, which is expensive, time consuming, and not nearly as good as "doing it right the first time".

 

One thing I have come to learn, is that density is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT when your transplant looks pluggy. If you look pluggy, you will constantly be worried about the wind, the rain, someone mussing your hair, etc. Only the microscopically-dissected Follicular Unit grafts don't look pluggy..."combo" grafts DO.

 

If you want to learn about why these grafts are considered cosmetically superior, read the articles in the "Research Library" section.

 

Go to the "Find a Great Surgeon" section and look up the website for Dr. Shapiro, and read it.

 

The "combo-graft density issue" is a MYTH> Combo grafts are not denser than FUs, they just have more excess SKIN. But doctors love them, because they are fast and easy to perform, which means they make the most money using "combo grafts". Even though "combo grafts" (also called Minigrafts, Varigrafts, etc) don't look as good as FU grafts, most doctors think they look "good enough", because they are trying to maximize profits, not results.