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Enough Grafts?

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Luisgarciaisgod

member
Hey guys, had a FUE hair transplant today and looking for some advice. Don't want to name the place or surgeon yet as I'm still in contact with them.

So a bit of a backstory. I'm 33, started losing my hair in my early twenties and about 5 years ago I started shaving it on a weekly basis. One of my friends got SMP and it looks fantastic on him so I went in to get a consultation. Lady said I had well enough for a transplant and SMP are generally for people who have little hope of getting a transplant. 2 Weeks later Covid hit, my razor broke so I decided to grow my hair and see what it was like. So 2 and a half months later I had actually had a decent amount of the front but the crown looked a little scarce.

So I went in for a consultation and the lady said I was a Norwood 4 and would need 4000 hairs (they charge by the hair but implant by the follicle). Went to another place and they basically said the same. I was reluctant to go outside of Ireland because you can't put a price on going home to your own bed after something like this. So i bit the bullet and was booked in for the end of June but there was an issue on their behalf so it was delayed until today.

So I went in today and asked her again if 4000 hairs were enough and she said if they weren't they would plant the extra hairs for free due to me not kicking up a fuss over the cancellation. So the procedure took 9 hours but when I got home I can't fight off the niggly feeling that they haven't planted enough hairs to cover my crown. Am I right to be worried?

Below are photos of me with my lockdown hair, shaving my head last night before ops and pictures after op.

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
What did you agree with the doctor? Looking at the placement I`d guess between 1700 - 2000 grafts you had. Your crown looks to have roughly 200 grafts that are sparse and won't provide much in the way of coverage on a bald area.
Ask the clinic for your graft breakdown and the number of 1, 2, 3, and 4 hair units.
Did they speak to you about hair loss medications and possible further hair loss?
 
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Luisgarciaisgod

member
I never got a total amount of hairs placed in the end, I shall ask tomorrow but it's really telling they haven't placed enough grafts for my crown, just wanted to get another opinion.

I'm going on Finasteride as soon as I get my PSA levels off my blood test.
 
B

Baldingman23

Valued member
I had 3700 graphs the other week and what you have had done doesn’t look any where near the same amount as me. To be honest if you have paid for a a certain number then I would be expecting that number. You wouldnt pay for 25 gallons of fuel and only put 5 gallons in your car. Me personally I’d be on the phone to the clinic demanding some answers etc

but like Bigmac said get your graph break down from the clinic
 
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Luisgarciaisgod

member
oh I definitely will be onto them tomorrow but the place i did quote by the hair so I think that's between 1500-2000 grafts which doesn't seem that off it just seems they've not placed enough on the crown
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Ask how many they planted in the crown.
Your graft breakdown will tell you how many hairs you got.
Good luck with the Finasteride. Hopefully, it works well for you with no side effects.
 
JoeTillman

JoeTillman

Valued member
I downloaded your crown placement image, enlarged it, and counted each graft. Being generous with my observations, you have 254 incisions with grafts placed with an unknown number of hairs. Going by the only averages we have for caucasian follicles, you have 2.3 hairs in each graft so you have 584 hairs placed, which I believe is on the high side of the truth as some of the dots may have been over native hair that was shaved. There were about ten "grafts" that were difficult to discern whether they were actual grafts or native hairs shaved so keep that in mind. It is my opinion that placing anything in your crown was a waste of time as it is obvious you'll need a second pass, if at least in the crown, so the supposed 254 grafts could have been better utilized in the front leaving the crown to receive the focus of attention in your second pass.

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Luisgarciaisgod

member
Mailed clinic earlier and they responded saying she concentrated on the front for the hairline, she placed where she could on the crown because they didn't want me to suffer Shock loss. Also all hairs on the crown are Multi hairs and the ones on the hairline are a mix of single and multi hairs. Poor excuses and it seems just like a pretty poor job. Waiting to hear back about the breakdown and I'll decide whether I want to try take this further.

Truth be told I probably didn't give much thought about choosing somewhere else and went for a relatively cheap option. (€4k). I'll go on the Fin and see how that works out but probably preparing to go somewhere else to get the crown filled in 12 month time which is frustrating.
 
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B

Baldingman23

Valued member
Mailed clinic earlier and they responded saying she concentrated on the front for the hairline, she placed where she could on the crown because they didn't want me to suffer Shock loss. Also all hairs on the crown are Multi hairs and the ones on the hairline are a mix of single and multi hairs. Poor excuses and it seems just like a pretty poor job. Waiting to hear back about the breakdown and I'll decide whether I want to try take this further.

Truth be told I probably didn't give much thought about choosing somewhere else and went for a relatively cheap option. (€4k). I'll go on the Fin and see how that works out but probably preparing to go somewhere else to get the crown filled in 12 month time which is frustrating.
This is a shame, when you invest your hard earned money and expect the clinic to be professional and give you the results your expecting, or at least discuss your expectations with you
 
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Luisgarciaisgod

member
So 12 days after my transplant, I'm actually really happy with the hairline. The redness has gone down very quickly and the scabs disappeared very quickly. The back of my head just so disappointing. Again relayed my opinions and was told to just be patient and see how it looks further down the line. Also to get on Finesteride and see how that affects my hair.

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
You have healed well, the hairline will hopefully look good once it grows in. It will be disappointing for you when you expected more density for your crown. With some luck, Finasteride works well for you if you try it.
All you can do now is wait, see what it`s like in 12 months and go from them.
Keep regular updates.
 
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Luisgarciaisgod

member
So 26 days after getting my HT done, the shock loss was really buggering me so I took a 0 blade to it. I probably wouldn't have done something so drastic if I hadn't resigned myself to getting another HT next year but I was fed up looking like a gremin everytime I looked in the mirror. The grafts would have set anyway so I can't see it doing too much harm? The donor area is still quite red and spotty and I had to be careful but it's an improvement compared to the shock loss

The plan is to keep it shaved for the next 2/3 months and then let it grow and see the growth. On Finesteride also. 1mg 3 times a week.

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