Can you advise on low density & kinky texture 1 year post-op? (Photo)

Question

It's been a year since my transplant and I have far less density than I should. The transplanted hairs are growing in length, but they're very dry and have a wiry/kinky texture. Is this the result of a botched procedure? I did have a short phase where I smoked a couple cigarettes per day that started about five months after the transplant. I stopped smoking again about a month ago. Is it possible that smoking delayed my growth/healing, and can I expect the texture to change from here?

Audrey G. Bauer, MD · Answer

With regard to the density "mismatch", it's hard to address the expected density without knowing how many grafts were used. Assuming that the "corners" were the only area addressed, the left side that you show could easily absorb between 500-700 grafts, so if both sides were similar and your procedure used a lower graft count, then it stands to reason that the final appearance would be somewhat sparse. Having said that, I'd be interested to know if both sides were done and what the right side looks like. If you only did 800 grafts and did both sides, then I would say this is the result of a lower graft count than was needed (and I understand that patients sometimes are forced to go lower than recommended due to budget).
As for the texture, it's not unusual for the grafted hair to be coarser and in general this gets better over time but may take even another year to be similar to the surrounding hair. In addition, the grafted hairs tend to be thicker than nearby hair, especially if you are not using something for maintenance like minoxidil or finasteride, both which have the effect of making your native hair more robust terminal hairs. I hope this answers your questions.

Can you advise on low density & kinky texture 1 year post-op? (Photo)

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Can you advise on low density & kinky texture 1 year post-op? (Photo)

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Everything you need to know about Hair Transplant

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.