THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT READ FOR ANYONE WANTING TO HAVE FUE;  I wrote this article in the past issue of Hair Transplant Forum (Volume #27, #2, May/June 2017) which I believe defines a very important guideline for determining how many FUE grafts are safe. This is illustrated well in the previous post below. We are seeing doctors from around the world performing FUE grafts in the thousands without understanding the limits of this surgery. The goal for many patients, is to get all of your hair back in a single hair transplant FUE session. But that goal is not reasonable for many patients with FUE especially when the donor density is low like most Indians, Asians, South Americans, and people from the Middle East.  Europeans or Russians often have higher donor densities.  The article poses a formula the the doctor can use to actually calculate the safe number of grafts for any particular individual. You have a responsibility to research what your doctors are going to do for you, because if you don’t and if your doctor removes too many FUE grafts from your donor area, you will become bald in the donor area, a bad exchange from balding in the front or the top of your head.  You must realize what the risks are and if the safe limits of FUE are exceeded.  Many patients who end up with a depleted donor area like the previous post, have little choice on how they are to manage their new balding problem as they may become bald in the back of their head.  This article addresses this problem and suggests ways doctors and patients can guarantee that the safe limits for FUE are not exceeded.

full-forum-fue-article   CLICK TO ENLARGE

When your original donor density is lower than average, 3000 grafts can be too many grafts harvested through FUE and this causes donor site depletion such that the donor area has a problem with a see-through look. The doctor should have measured your donor density before pushing large numbers of FUE grafts. For some people with very low donor densities, 2000 grafts could cause donor site depletion. It seems that in this situation, the surgeon could not get the entire 3000 grafts from the permanent zone, so the surgeon moved outside the permanent zone into the neck (which is not permanent hair) and possibly also above the permanent zone into another area that may sooner or later may bald.  The only treatment for this is scalp micropigmentation, something we do all of the time. https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/  This technique can make your donor area LOOK normal but it will not put more hair there

Transplants might work but scalp expansion might be a better solution followed by a hair transplant. This is straight forward for doctors with the proper experience

Dr. Robert Bernstein has put together a terrific group of before and after photos from people who used medications such as finasteride, without surgery.  Look at this link:  https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/patient-photos/

These are great pictures. You have not developed a mature hairline yet, but there is a suggestion in the corners that you may be moving your hairline up. This may not be balding as you may be transitioning into a more mature hairline. A hand microscope will help to see if you have miniaturization in these corner areas but wait this out as time is the best way to know. I rarely see men in this transition zone, so thanks for sharing these photos with me. Contact me in a year and repeat the photos, then we might know the answer to what is happening to you.  The arrows show both the juvenile center of your hairline and the changing corners.

50% of men develop genetic balding at some point in their lives. Based upon age, the older you are without any evidence of balding, the less likely you will be in the 50% group of balding men but the genes for balding can start expressing this trait at any age. Rarely, I have seen men start balding at age 50 or greater.

It looks like the recipient wounds were larger than most surgeons use today and the wounds are further spaced out. There is some pitting reflecting some abnormal healing that may get better over time. These surgical techniques may cause increased healing time and they may not completely heal. When the grafts grow in, take a look at what it looks like. You can do another hair transplant with a doctor who does not use such large instruments in the recipient area and can pack in the grafts enough to hide any abnormality that is present.

I have been itching and trying to avoid scratching my head. I use minoxidil and various lotions but without effect. Suggestions??

Minoxidil is an irritant and it can cause problems, but itching can be a sign of healing. I recommend that you never scratch the graft area as it will cause grafts to come out and introduce the possibility of infection. The medications HPR + HydroGel work well for itching and you can get the reference from your doctor or call 1-844-genRx2u to get the medications.

If your hair is fine, the part looks more see-through than when your hair is coarse. It does not mean that something is wrong unless you believe you are losing hair. I always tell people that when I was young, the grown-ups would rub my short hair for luck when they saw me. They did this because my hair was coarse and there was no see-through to the scalp.  If I asked you, I’l bet nobody ever did that for you and you agreed, that means that your hair is fine and fine hair never looks very full and the scalp is often seen through the hair.