Hair transplant: How many grafts do I need?

August 30, 2017 | By Dr. Sangay Bhutia (Hair Transplant Specialist in Delhi)

Hair transplant has gained popularity in recent years and now more and more peoples are opting for this modality of treatment which gives natural look and permanent results provided it is done by an experienced surgeon and done on a good candidate.

When a patient comes for a consultation than one of the common question comes in the mind is how many grafts I need for my treatment?

Hair transplant is not a taboo anymore, and the procedure has a high success rate. All you need to do is find a good, experienced surgeon.

First let us see, what does a graft means?
Graft is basically a follicular unit or in simple language it is a root of the hairs. A root can give rise to 1, 2, 3 or 4 hairs, if we calculate then average number of hairs per follicular unit or graft is approximately 2.25

While determining the number of grafts required the first thing to consider the stage of hair loss or the extent of the baldness. The staging of baldness can be done using the Norwood Classification. One should also consider the number of follicle per square centimeters. This defines the density of follicles which are required to have a good result.

Other factors which also play a role in calculating the number of grafts required for the treatments are thickness/ diameter of the hair. The numbers of grafts required vary and are generally more in thin caliber hair shaft.

Hair color and texture also play a role in the number of grafts?
Color of the hair and scalp should be taken into account because if there is more contrast between the color of hair and scalp, then, to achieve the desired results greater number of grafts will be required.

Whether the hairs are straight or curly also should be taken into consideration while counseling the patient about the coverage of the area. Patient with curly hair generally requires fewer numbers of grafts than the fine straight hair.

Availability of the body hair as a donor should be considered when the patient requires more grafts and the donor available on the head is not adequate.

During the consultation one should give due respect to the point that what does the patient wants?
The doctor should give the realistic expectation to the patient, the patient may say that they wants low lying hair line but it is up to the surgeon to counsel regarding the aesthetically appropriate hair line and other areas to be implanted. Some patient may want fuller density while other may just say that they want little increase in the density. This also helps in estimating the number of grafts.