I had a hair transplant of 6000 grafts and the transplant failed, can I have another transplant or it's over for me? (Photos)

Question

They destroyed my donor area I transplanted 6,000 grafts a year ago in Istanbul and I knew after that the staff were not professional and they are scammers. I would like to know if I can still have a another transplant or it's a lost cause?

Serkan Aygin, MD · Answer

Doctors who try to increase the number of grafts that can be extracted in a single session with the effort to reach high numbers such as 5000-6000 grafts, unfortunately end up performing hair transplant procedures that leave the patient with a scarred and depleted donor area.
The correct way that graft harvesting should take place, is to extract 3500-4000 grafts, according to the patients donor density. The extraction process should be performed in such a pattern that will not make apparent that these grafts have been removed.
If the patient requires a higher number of grafts to cover the balding areas, then a close amount can be extracted at a second session which will bring the total to what is required for the desired coverage. If for example the patient needs 5500 grafts, this should be performed over two sessions with at least 6 months interval. Methodical extracting will minimize the transection rate and at the same time will not deplete the donor area safeguarding it for possible future use. Any number well exceeding 3500 grafts should be done in two sessions.

Sanusi Umar, MD · Answer

Your story is actually more common than it might seem. Hair transplant grafts can produce non-growth if they were not selected or handled properly during the time of surgery. Here is an example of a real-life patient from the Dr. U Hair Clinic in Los Angeles where this was also the case. If you have ample supplies of body hair, it is possible to rely on these grafts to expand your donor count and repair the areas affected by errors and non-growth. Specialized punches (such as Dr.UGraft technology) are needed to safely remove large quantities of body hair follicles and leave no visible signs of scarring on these donor areas.

Mark Anton, MD, FACS · Answer

I suggest  that you first see a surgeon that can adequately measure whether you have any additional donor hair that can be transplanted. Without closeup examination this is hard to determine on the photos that you have submitted.You may want to consult with a surgeon who performs FUT and Scalp  Micro-pigmentation in order to see if you can achieve better results.

Rohit Seth, MD, MRCS(Ed), PhD · Answer

Thanks for the question.Sorry about the post operative outcome you have had. I think 6000 grafts in one go is quite a lot and it does not seem that you have the density for all of these. Placing 6000 grafts is quite difficult as this is a very large surface area that needs to take up a blood supply and the hairs to survive so I am not so sure how many of them would be viable. Also, if the harvesting technique was not adequate then again, you r number of viable grafts would be far less.It would be far better to do less grafts and have two staged procedures to ensure optimum viablility. It also looks like your donor site is pretty damaged following but it would really depend on examining the area as to whether anything could be done.You might want to try PRP on the existing hair to improve their quality. There are also a number of non-surgical options that may be of help to youI would see a hair transplant surgeon to assess your optionsBW

Michael Vories, MD · Answer

6000 grafts will certainly deplete your donor area, and the photos show this. Any future procedures should be done with caution, since once the donor area is over-harvested, there is no going back. My recommendation in cases like these is to attempt to accomplish goals in small steps of 1000 grafts or less, to help preserve the donor, but at the same time adding density (especially in the frontal forelock and hairline area). After each one of these sessions, the donor area can re-evaluated to see how much more can be harvested.

Prima Tossaborvon, MD, MSc · Answer

It's quite clear that the donor area is very thin. However, good evaluations from certified surgeons might help you find out if you're still a candidate for hair transplant. This might be your last chance as you almost use up your donor hair now. Find right surgeons and talk to them.

Ilhan Serdaroglu, MD · Answer

yes, I think that  you  may  have a second chance to  get a hair transplant .   The donor area has a little density loss but I do not think  that you  have a over harvested donor area .  An experienced surgeon can harvest  2500  or a bit more grafts from there that would be enough to  change everything. Final result and canopy effect of hair transplant related with caliber of your native hair in donor area; characteristic of hair (waviness or straight hair) ; surface and density of donor area that directly affects the number of harvested grafts; color difference between hair and skin and finally hair style.  So If you  are not satisfy with  result of your first operation, would better to check those parameters and think about to plan a second HT to increase the density ..

Arslan Musbeh, MD · Answer

First we need to clarify that more than 4000 grafts in one session is not possible.
The donor area is damaged. You should know that the second session can not cover whole the baldness.

Karl Hekimian, MD · Answer

6000 grafts is a lot for FUE, and photos suggest that your donor is now on the thin side.  Hard to comment on results without preop photos though growth seems sparse for 6000 grafts.  I'd suggest finding a surgeon who does both FUT (strip) and FUE procedures and is also able to do scalp micropigmentation, and discuss options and ways to best use any remaining donor hair you have.

John Peter Cole, MD · Answer

It is not totally over. There are some options such as topical finasteride and body hair.  It is definitely a poor yield.  Perhaps you have an underlying skin condition such as lichen planopilaris.  You should have your situation evaluated by a good physician in your area.  Many choose cost over quality today.  You are not alone.  Have someone qualified evaluate your situation.  SMP can help your donor area appearance.  Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more people with depleted donor areas and poor results from low cost clinics.  There is a movement to improve consumer awareness of this problem.  One should not start a hairline this low with your degree of hair loss, but you are not cosmetically disfigured.  Disfigurement and donor depletion are problems we are seeing globally.  Have a qualified physician evaluate you.

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