Is there donor supply left for FUE after exhausting FUT?

Question

I'm in my mid-30s and I have had two FUT transplants, of 1900 grafts and 4500 grafts to my hair and partial mid-scalp and 2000 in the crown. I still have hair, as I would be a vertex 3 if I had no surgeries. The doctor told me I have great donor density with good laxity that could probably yield another 4000+ plus grafts via FUT. My question is would it be realistic to expect any available donor hair to be left via FUE after 10500 FUT grafts?

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

Everybody is different.  Some people can probably harvest 10,000 grafts and others only 5,000.  Your doctor can give you the best estimate since your doctor is the one that examined you (and knows you best).

Ali Emre Karadeniz, MD · Answer

Although it is not possible and maybe even pointless to try and answer this type of question without doing a live examination, we can make some rough calculations for the donor capacity of above the average patients.

10.000-12.000 life time grafts - assuming the hair per graft average is 2-2,2 - is a good number.

Sometimes, patients have 10.000 and more grafts transplanted via FUSS 8strip surgery) and they still have usable grafts. When this is the case, we usually talk about 1000-2000 or a bit more FUE grafts.

Robert M. Bernstein, MD · Answer

It would be best to answer this question after examining your scalp.  While 10,500 is a significant number of grafts, it all depends on the remaining donor density of your scalp, the quality and width of your FUT scar, your scalp laxity and how well your existing hair actually conceals the donor scar. Following three FUT procedures, if you have sufficient density you may be a candidate for an FUE procedure.  If you have a widened FUT scar, these harvested grafts can also be placed into the scar.

William Yates, MD · Answer

Hello, Here are some other options for when you run out of donor area grafts. Sometimes it is a good option to get hair from other areas. I personally like recurring to body or facial hair as a filler. Here is an example video of one of the cases I worked with facial hair.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

There is no magic to calculating the donor supply of FUE grafts. First the original density is measured. Assuming that an average Caucasian has 100,000 hairs, that means that the total number of Folliclar Units in the donor area is 12,500 and assuming that a doctor can remove 60% of those follicular unit, that means that the total FUE supply is 7500 grafts.  Anything more than that will make you look donor depleted.  If you are Asian, middle eastern or African, your donor FUE supply will be significantly less than this number. I think that few doctors really understand this math.

Is there donor supply left for FUE after exhausting FUT?

Answers (5)