Hair Loss Articles

Donor Area Limits: How Many Grafts in Safe Zone?
by Joe Tillman

Date Added: April 27, 2007

15,000 Graft Average Yield: Really?

Clinics make many claims on the forums, persuading that their techniques are best, their results are best, trying as businesses do to win the confidence of a would-be consumer. Nothing wrong with that...it is expected. However, claims need to be supported by evidence, consistent evidence, not one-off evidence. In the end, anyone can claim anything... and a claim is nothing more than that without the proof. One such claim that getting a lot of attention on the hair transplant forums, is that the average donor zone can yield up to 15 000 grafts. The claim has sparked debate and heated posts. Belief and disbelief.

In my opinion, a yield of up to 15 000 grafts via FUE is not possible, much less is it an average and seems likely an attempt to justify the loading up of low, juvenile hairlines and the frontal 1/4 to 1/3 of the recipient scalp providing the patient with unnecessarily higher numbers and unnaturally dense results.

Okay, this is great in the short-term, the patient is happy, but what about future loss? You see, the safe donor zone is limited in size and in my opinion, from my own experience as a patient and a consultant, the maximum number of available grafts for FUE is roughly 3000 grafts without risking the known issues of having a thin, moth-eaten appearance in the donor area. Again, we are speaking about averages so of course there are some patients that can have more than this and conversely those that can have less. I've seen it and prominent FUE practitioners have confirmed this in my converstations with them. In case you are thinking that extraction tool size has a bearing on this issue, it doesn't. In my view, the only way to obtain higher numbers would be to harvest beyond what is referred to as the safe donor zone.

I know of several patients that are lucky enough to have crossed the 10,000 graft threshold via strip. It is my opinion that they could possibly have up to 2000 grafts removed via FUE propelling them into the 12,000 graft realm however the number of patients that can reach that level overall has to be less than .0001% of all patients. This is FAR from being the "average".

"But Joe", you think, "Isn't that just another claim?" Yes...it is, but with one difference. The results and experiences of Hasson & Wong, and that of other respected hair transplant clinics with a proven track record, supports a more conservative harvest. Actually, it is not conservative to remove only what is safe, it is responsible.

In the end, the consumer is left having to make choices based upon their own research. Let the practices of the better clinics guide you. Ignore the superlative laced sales pitches made by some clinics. These claims are alluring to be sure, and you may be tempted to believe them, but you may want to consider listening to the nagging doubt you are hearing from that voice in your head. It is right. Remember, claims are nothing more than words without consistently presented evidence to back them up.