How many grafts cause donor depletion?

Question

My donor area was considered plentiful prior to FUE, and had c.4000 grafts done. I want another 1000 grafts to thicken the front - would this be considered too much to have 5000 grafts in total?

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

The "look" or appearance of donor depletion is related to your normal donor density and how long you keep your hair.  Some people with low donor density who keep their hair very short my see evidence of donor depletion after only 2000 grafts.  Many people may see evidence of donor depletion after 4000 grafts if they keep their hair very short (1 or 2 guard haircut)   This may defeat the purpose of FUE but this is why we try to educate patients that FUE is NOT a scarless surgery.

Baubac Hayatdavoudi, MD · Answer

It is difficult to tell without seeing your photos, but general you can harvest 5,000 grafts without depleting the donor region. But remember, every patient is different and every patient has a different amount of grafts available.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Donor area depletion occurs when more than 50% of the donor area hair is removed, especially if the hair is fine. This is a number calculation that can be made prior to your surgery

How many grafts cause donor depletion?

Answers (3)

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