Donor Hair Density Check

[slickster]

Hi, i was wondering i am going to have my donor hair checked in a few weeks for donor density for possible HT and see what i have availble, now i keep my hair in the donor area at a guard 1 (3mm) can the doc get a good donor density and evaluation of my donor if its that short?

BTW im looking for FUE no strip!

OR is it better to have it longer? dO THEY PREFER THE HAIR BEING LONGER? And if so WHY?

Anyone can help or give there imput would be appreciated

[Still-Researching]

As long as you do not shave it with a razor you should be fine. The Doc can count the density at any length as long as they can see the hair grafts.

Remember to do loads of research on FUE HT and the Doc before going ahead.
Good luck.

[Folly]

It will be much easier for the doc to check your density with short hair, so don't worry about that.

I would actually advise you to get a little USB microscope yourself. They are pretty cheap. I am from the UK and picked one up for £35 from maplins (which is about $55). Some benefits of having your own USB hair density scope include:

1) You can check your own donor density (before and after surgery)
2) You can monitor the minituarization process on the top of your head
3) You can accurately determine if topical/oral treatments are working for you, by looking at hair thickness/density in specific balding areas.
4) You can see your grafts come through from months 3-18 post-op.
5) You can get a good estimate of how much growth you have had post-op. You can take a few areas of 1cm^2 and get an average growth count (grafts/cm^2). I would imagine in the majority of FUE cases, the growth will be less than what was paid for. With the scope, it's easy to differentiate between transplanted hairs and native hair. You can see the inflammation at the root of a transplanted hair and they are obviously significantly thicker than native hair.
6) If you have FUE, then you can see all the scarring post-op (including white dots)

I'm sure there are lots of other benefits that i can't think of right now .

Good luck !!

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I would be a bit concerned that if certain patients had their own microscope they might drive themsevles a little crazy. Athough I must say I use mine on my patients all the time. There are really cool.

[Folly]

Good point Dr. Charles. I did drive myself crazy with my USB scope after my op and i still do !!

[gillenator]

Yes indeed Folly, you're sounding more like me every day!

The USB scope is used in one's computer while the former videoscope can be used on a larger monitor or screen like your TV. Either way, I agree with each of your points to the nth degree and why I have been an advocate of using this tool for all of the reasons that you stated.

slickster, your current hair length is fine for analysis. IMHO, shorter hair length is easier to view through a scope than longer hair length. Still, it's the empowerment that allows the doctor and the patient to see the FUs in great detail.

Best wishes to you!