Over harvested after FUE? (Photo)

Question

I had done fue 3800 graft one month ago, I wonder if i have over harvested or shock after surgery. And i want to know if over harvested is also suppose to resolve or is permenant. Thx in advance

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

FUE leaves little round scars.  Too much FUE harvesting (over 3000) may cause donor area scarring that looks depleted.

David Deutsch, MD · Answer

I don't know what your donor density was prior to the procedure but regardless 3800 grafts is a large amount to harvest in one procedure.At this point it is difficult to say whether or not your donor area will remain thin-this may take another 3-6 months to become apparent.If overharvested this will not resolve-the hairs do not grow back.However,some of the hairs may have been transected and there may still be enough of the follicle left to grow another hair.

Michael Vories, MD · Answer

This looks like donor shock loss, which is temporary. At the six month mark a much better idea of the final result should be apparent.

Kapil Dua, MBBS, MS · Answer

The number of grafts which can be taken out in one sitting depends on the follicular density; the size of the donor area, the total number of grafts available for extraction; and the hair caliber. The number mentioned by you seems to be quite high for one sitting and can lead to a moth eaten appearance. But, the final outcome will depend on the above factors plus how the surgeon has extracted the grafts. If he has removed quite a lot of them together in continuity without any gaps between them, and the skin has a tendency for a bad scar; and if the caliber of the remaining hair decreases ( because of microvascular trauma to the remaining hair) then it may lead to a patchy appearance as well. That is why the author always recommends to do the surgery in sessions as opposed to this large number. But since now this is done, it will be better to wait for 6-8 months before commenting how the donor area appearance will shape up.

Sean Behnam, MD · Answer

You will probably see some regrowth in the area over the next several months. Whether or not that will be enough to cover the area and make it not look thin can't really be determined, you just need to be patient. You can always talk to your doctor about your concerns as well. 3800 is a big amount but an average donor area would be able to look fine after that.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

You really will not know until about 8 months out from the day of surgery. That number of grafts may be too many if the donor density was under average, see below

Amit Gupta, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Thank you for sharing the question.
It is very difficult to answer weather over harvesting has been done because that depends on your on your donor area.  After the transplant in the first 2nd week to the 8th week majority of the hair falls once. So, in either scenario, there is not much to panic because both scenarios in a couple of weeks you will start to see some hair growth gradually over few months that area will get well covered. So, there is no need to worry so if there is any major concern, just have a word with you doctor as well. From experience, this will not be a permanent phenomenon.

Regards, Dr. Amit Gupta

Over harvested after FUE? (Photo)

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