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I am considering hair transplantation.  How many follicular unit grafts do I need?

The number of follicular unit grafts you will need is dependent upon your goals and your level of hair loss.  Hair loss can either be measured according to the Norwood Scale or the Ludwig Scale. 

A good rule is to take your norwood scale rating and multiply it by 1000 (on the conservative side) to 1500 (on the liberal side).  This will give you a good idea of how many follicular unit grafts you will need to achieve decent coverage and density.  To read more about coverage verses density see the following Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Keep in mind, however that the donor supply (the hair on the sides and back of your head where hair is removed for hair transplantation is finite.  This means that a first-rate hair transplant doctor must make good use of your available donor.  Those who are higher rated on the norwood or ludwig scale may have to sacrifice a bit of density to receive the coverage they want.  On the other hand, a patient may decide they want more density in an area and decide not to transplant hairs in other areas.

Though numbers certainly are important, I have found that hair and skin characteristics make a big difference in order to achieve the illusion of density.  Those with thicker hair, for example may need fewer grafts than those with thinner hair to accomplish their goals. 

I recommend therefore, discussing your hair characteristics as well as the number of grafts with your hair transplant physician and how it will relate to accomplishing your goals.

Bill – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

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