I recently had 500 FUE grafts extracted. How does the donor area improve over time?

Question

I see gaps in my donor area right now where grafts were extracted, and quick frankly, I'm freaking out. My doctor is reassuring me that over time (I'm only two months out), the hair in the donor will fill in and no one can be able to tell even if I razor shave it down (I wear a high fade and shave to the skin on back and sides). He guarantees it because how small the procedure was. I thought hair doesn't regrow in the donor. Hows this possible? Hoping so

Chet Mays, MD · Answer

Your experience isn’t uncommon, and it may take time for your donor area to get back to normal. Of course, these “gaps” are less noticeable if you have longer hair, but over the next few months they should decrease as your hair grows in.

Yes, it is true.  Where we take the grafts from there will a small scar that does not grow new hair.  It is the hair around the region that grows and covers your donor site.  The scars will fade with time and you should be able to wear your hair short and have the scars go undetected.

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

FUE is not a scarless surgery.  There will be some gaps from where the grafts were taken.  This would not be noticeable if you have longer hair.  If you haver a very tight, short hair cut you may notice the scars.

Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD, FACS · Answer

It can take several months for the donor sites to completely heal in after an FUE procedure.  However, after 2 weeks I typically see good hair growth and well healed scars.

Karl Hekimian, MD · Answer

So long as one area isn't overharvested, there should be no obvious visible thinning when the surrounding hair grows back after an FUE procedure.  As Dr. Rassman suggests, you need an in-person evaluation to identify what your issue is.

Neil Verma, HBSc, MD, FCFP - Account Suspended · Answer

5000 grafts is a very large session and amount of hair to extract in a single session. There will be a significant difference in donor hair thickness and high chance of shock loss.

Cory Torgerson, MD, PhD, FRCSC - Account Suspended · Answer

It can take up to 9+ months to fully heal in areas of scar tissue. It is way too soon to be concerned about this. As long as this small procedure was done properly, I would agree that the noticeable scarring will be barely visible.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

It is very difficult to tell what is bothering you without examining you. You should go see a doctor for a one-on-one examination so that your problem can be addressed

I recently had 500 FUE grafts extracted. How does the donor area improve over time?

Answers (7)

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