14 weeks post hair transplant and the donor area has depletion. Will it improve? (photo)

Question

This is my donor area exactly 14 weeks after my hair transplant. It's looking a bit thin and patchy. Generally after how many month's should I wait to see if there's going to be more improvement? Or is 14 weeks a good indication to how my donor is going to look in the future? Thank you.

Jon E. Mendelsohn, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question.
The first thing I would do is go back to your physician and let them know what is happening.
I would want to do a pull test and get an idea what kind of shape the follicle is in. 
There is a strong possibility that you are experiencing Telogen Effluvium. If this turns out to be true, I would introduce laser treatments immediately to get the effected hair turned back to the growth phase.

Konstantinos Anastassakis, MD, PhD · Answer

It depends on how many grafts were harvested.
You donor area seems to have been originally thick, so even if a lot of grafts (hopefully less than 4000) were extracted, it will still look ok! 
I would advice to be patient and wait at least 6 months, probably 1 year before you get disappointed. If it was a bit earlier, Minoxidil would help, at 14 weeks it might not be much help.

Michael Orseck, MD · Answer

It is best to determine density of the pre and post op area.  It is difficult to tell, since I dont have a photo of or measurements prior to the harvest.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

What you need to find out is what was your original donor density and how many grafts did you get. From the attachment below, you will see if you were over-harvested by looking at the chart

14 weeks post hair transplant and the donor area has depletion. Will it improve? (photo)

Answers (4)