Will 2000 grafts be enough? (photo)

Question

I recently went to a bosley clinic and the doctor told me I would need 2000 grafts in order to get the coverage I desire. However I went to another doctor and was told I would need only 1200 with fue. I not only want to fix my hairline and bald areas but I would like thickness as well. Will 2000 be enough? Or should I talk to the doctor about possibly getting more?

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

2000 grafts may never be enough unless your goals and expectation are in line with what a hair transplant may achieve.  This is why seeing a doctor for a consultation is very important.

Ozge Ergun, MD · Answer

Thanks for submitting your photo. Based on it 1200 grafts will not be enough for covering your balding area. Also it can not be covered in one session. First you should have a transplantation of around 3000+ grafts and after a year a second surgery can be performed. Please consult with a surgeon who has extensive experience .

Parsa Mohebi, MD, FISHRS · Answer

Based on the one photo you
submitted, to restore the hairline, corners and a small region behind it you
would need at least 1500 to give the appearance of reasonable density.  The crown on the other hand, is a very large
area and you likely have additional miniaturization going on there in terms of
your native hair.  In order to give you
an accurate account of how much more the crown would need you should seek
another in office opinion which includes a microscopic evaluation.

Jesse E. Smith, MD, FACS · Answer

Given your current thinning hair, I agree that you will likely need more than 2000 grafts to fill the area.  This can be done in one session, or can be divided into 2 to 3 sessions.  Laser (red light LED) therapy can assist with further hair recovery as well.  You should also speak with your consultant about medical therapy to slow loss and regrow follicles that may be dormant.

Christopher S. Zarella, MD · Answer

I would agree with your prior consultation in that you will require a high number of grafts.  I would say, however, that 2,000 grafts is rather conservative of an estimate.  Then number of grafts will depend on your goals.  If you find restoration of the frontal hairline only as an acceptable outcome, 2,000 grafts would be acceptable.  To fill in the entire thinning area, you will need at least 3,000 grafts, and likely a secondary procedure down the road.

Justin Misko, MD · Answer

If you want to cover all thinning areas it will require more than 2000 grafts.  To achieve your desired outcome, it will be recommended to begin a medical therapy and more than one transplant session will be required.  I recommend patients are as aggressive in restoration goals as the budget will allow as most patients desire more hair.

Sean Behnam, MD · Answer

The number of grafts you need is a hard questions to answer without knowing the extent to which you'd like your hairline fixed, how dense you want your hair to be, and the thickness of your existing hair, so really without an in person consultation any numbers on here are very rough estimates. That being said, 2000 grafts seems possible given the information but it's hard to say for sure. I think it's better to be conservative with the number of grafts at first, as you can always go back and have another procedure if you want more density. Definitely consider getting another opinion in-person.

Baubac Hayatdavoudi, MD · Answer

From the photo that you posted you would certainly need more then 2,000 grafts. A great first step would be an online consultation. Often you can submit photos to top hair restoration surgeons for a complimentary evaluation. This should help lead you in the right direction. Having multiple consultations with different doctors cannot hurt.

Ilhan Serdaroglu, MD · Answer

2000 grfats is absolutelly not enough for you ! I advise you to have a FUE operation of 3500 grafts to cover all bald spot in one session of operation. you would have a good, succesfull result with that much grafts with FUE.Operation takes abour 6-7 hours and finished in one session .

Jonathan Ballon, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Without seeing you in person, or at least seeing better photos, it is very difficult to answer your question. But that said, I would make the following points:
> 1200 grafts is not enough to cover a large area with adequate density (thickness).
> Even if the quality of the grafts you get with FUE is equal to that of microscopically dissected grafts, you will still need just as many to achieve the same result as you would from a strip; that is, you can't expect 1200 FUE grafts to give you the same result as 2000 FUT grafts. (If anything, because FUE grafts tend to be more fragile, you might even need *more* grafts than you would with an FUT procedure.) 
> There is a limit to the density that can be achieved with a single procedure. Most people are very pleased with the their results after one surgery, at least within the area covered, but if you want more thickness it is likely that you will require at least two sessions.
Thanks for your question — I hope this has been helpful. 
Dr. Ballon

Will 2000 grafts be enough? (photo)

Answers (11)