Implications of Limited Donor Supply

There are many factors that influence our ability to create density. The most important is the relationship between the finite donor supply and the extent of current hair loss. It can be looked at as a matter of supply and demand (donor supply vs. recipient demand). If the donor supply was unlimited, creating density in hair transplantation would be simple. Unfortunately, the donor supply varies significantly from patient to patient and is usually less than the amount needed to restore a bald area to the density that originally existed before hair loss began, especially in patients with extensive hair loss.

• Average total donor supply hair can range from 4,000-8,000+ grafts
• The total recipient area in full male-pattern balding (front and crown) may have had as much as 20,000-25,000 FUs before hair loss started
• Comparing 8,000 to 20,000 shows that there is simply not enough donor hair to restore a full male-pattern balding area hair-for-hair to its original pre-hair loss level

Fortunately, a good appearance of fullness can be created within the constraints of this limited donor supply. Most patients have enough donor hair to restore the appearance of fullness to the front two-thirds (excluding the crown) of a totally bald scalp. Many patients can also obtain some coverage of their crown to varying degrees. There are patients who simply do not have enough donor hair to address their crown. In extreme cases, a patient may not be a candidate for hair restoration surgery at all. A similar situation exists with respect to hairline placement. Some patients need to keep a higher mature hairline while others have enough donor hair to be more aggressive and create a lower hairline. In general, if the donor supply is high and the severity of hair loss low, good coverage in all areas is possible. However, if the donor supply is low and balding area large, the achievable coverage will be much more limited.