How many grafts do I need? (photos)

Dear brown163,Thank you for submitting this question. You’re only 25 years old, and that’s quite young to be having a significant hair restoration procedure. Because you’re so young, and because you have decades of living to live, and decades of hair loss to endure it would be a mistake to have a hair restoration surgery without taking some preventive actions to prevent future hair loss. Otherwise you may end up chasing hair loss with subsequent hair restoration procedures, which is not a great situation to be in as your donor hair is definitely in limited supply. Everyone's donor area is limited in supply, as there is a finite number of follicles on your head. Significant preventive regimens would include Propecia®, platelet-rich plasma with ACell® treatments, or low-level laser therapy (LLLT).Assuming you’re taking steps to prevent future hair loss, the question comes down to your frontal hairline. Many, many patients ask me the same question during consultations: how many grafts do I need? Well, it’s not really possible to count each and every graft once they have been transplanted, and the industry of hair restoration surgery is very aware of this fact, and is the reason most surgeons who offer hair restoration do in fact charge by the graft. Everyone knows that you have zero way of confirming the number of grafts you have received, which is exactly why they charge by the graft. Hair restoration surgery is a highly complex medical procedure. It’s a service, not a product. Using graft numbers and focusing on that is only a way to distract a patient from asking questions some practice would rather you not ask, such as “what are the surgical qualifications of the physician performing my surgery, if any?” and “how experienced is the team of technicians that will assist the surgeon and who are critical to the success of the procedure?” and “how many procedures has the surgeon performed” and “how many procedures will my surgeon be performing on my surgery day?” These are critical questions that very few patients think to ask. That being said, you will likely need roughly 2,000 grafts. The final number depends on several factors: how much hair loss you have behind the hairline, and how low you want your new hairline. This is a question that requires an exam by an experienced physician who is a dedicated hair restoration surgeon, and that requires an in-person physical examination by a hair restoration surgeon, with a dermatoscope. I hope this information is helpful to you.Kind Regards,Ken Anderson, MDAtlanta, Georgia, USA

Thanks for the question. Based on your photos, the 2000-2500 grafts might be good option for you, but it would be wrong to say something for sure. You should see a board certified surgeon. You can then plan the process together and discuss the results. I wish you all the best. 

How many grafts you may need depends on your examination and goals (not necessarily photos).  If your exam shows further hair loss, you must take that into account. If your goals is to have full thick low hair line 1300 grafts may not be enough.