When it comes to hair transplantation, there are limitations on what is a safe number of grafts to transplant per surgery. A typical hair transplant transplants anywhere from 500-3500 grafts on average. Some individuals seeking hair transplantation need many more grafts than the prior mentioned 3500. Many of these individuals go forward with a higher number graft transplant, not fully aware of the risks associated.
So, what are these individuals to do – if an individual needs a high number of grafts should they go for it in one sitting or accept their fate of not being able to get the coverage they desire and go with a smaller number? We recommend splitting the hair transplant into multiple procedures rather than transplant over 4000 grafts in one sitting. Below, we explain the reasoning behind this, by going deeper into the why behind the numbers. And no, it has nothing to do with money. In fact, the reason may surprise you.
Individuals needing more than 3500 grafts are typically those who have rather severe hair loss spanning across the top of the scalp, crown, and hairline. If you are one of these individuals who requires over 3500 grafts to achieve your hair goals, there are benefits to considering breaking the hair transplant into multiple procedures. The reason has to do with safety and healing. Transplanting more than 3500 grafts in one procedure can have extremely damaging effects that may be counter-productive to your goals.
Hair transplants exceeding 4000 grafts are categorized as ‘mega-sessions.’ Mega-sessions have many unfortunate side effects such as trauma-induced hair loss, increased risk of visibly unappealing scarring, graft failure, and the list goes on. The research has shown that if a patient is in need of a high number of grafts, the best practice is to break the hair transplant into two or more procedures in order to allow the scalp to conduct its normal healing processes and to not overload or ‘shock’ the scalp. To read more about mega-sessions and their damaging effects, click here.
If you’d like to find out more about hair transplantation and get a quote for a graft count as well as a price estimate, give us a call today.