Falc (anyone),

I looked at the old thread documenting you ht journey and wanted to ask a question, as my hairloss is similar to what yours once was....

Your first HT was only about 1600 grafts, which today would seem to be small. It looks like Dr. Katz spread those graphs over your whole head. I'm wondering about the plan for my head in a month.

Of course I will take advice from the Dr., but I'm wondering if you would change the strategy today. If you were going for, say 2500 grafts, would you want to establish the front density first or would you still do some sort of mix to cover the whole head?

I'm thinking of telling the doc I want 1500 in the front 2/3 and 1000 in the crown, even though I know I could probably use the whole 2500 in either the front or the crown.

But, I'm thinking he just might say "we need to build up the front and the hairline, etc...." What do you think?

Dewayne,

If I knew in 2004 what I knew today, I would have started with the largest session possible to dense pack the front half of my balding scalp and go back as far into the crown as possible. I'd then follow up with a second session (as large as possible) to hit the crown and/or any areas that need refinement. I want to add that this approach isn't for everyone, but with my extensive balding pattern, in my opinion, it is the best overall strategy.

The strategy I went for worked however, admittedly, when I saw Dr. Katz, I was a bit of a noob and was unaware of what 1600 grafts would or wouldn't accomplish. I believe Dr. Katz helped me set realistic goals however, clearly, I needed and wanted more. This is why I opted for surgeons who did larger sessions and had a larger staff to accomodate me.

I hope this helps.

Falc

I agree with Falc - start at the front and work back accordingly - A good doc will plan accordingly
A good doc is like a snooker player - always thinking 5 shots ahead

i went with the other approach: i did roughly 2k in the front and 1200 in the crown. but i have a good amount of existing hair with thick caliber. i think your approach depends on your current loss situation, planning for the future, and hair quality... i will say though that the 2-tiered approach that falc describes seems to be the more common plan...

I want to add that another benefit of the 2-tiered approach (hitting the front first than the crown) is that you don't have to worry about the risk of temporary shock loss to the previously transplanted hairs which makes the interum stages easier to live through. Of course, it's only temporary, but in my opinion, it's the ideal approach.

However, I can't knock the alternative having been through it. It did work out for me in the long run, but I feel that I could have covered more ground initially if I went for 2 ultra mega sessions hitting the front and then the crown.

Falc