HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

One of the great benefits of Follicular Isolation Technique is that it gives patients the option of a short and tight hair cut. Often we see patients with extensive scarring from other forms of HT that cannot clip their hair as they would like. This is unfortunate, as often times the hair will look fuller, neater, and frame the face better when hair is buzzed tight. With FIT’s minimally scarring donor harvest, we leave the door open for this type of hair style.

The photos here show the results of 1,400 graft harvest and the “less is more” look. This patient was an unusual less-is-more candidate as he already had strip surgery and larger grafts done with another doctor. Luckily the linear scar is relatively short and limited to the right side of the patient’s head. A greater struggle for the patient was “tufty” grafts in his frontal zone. Whether clipped short or left long, these groups appeared unnatural.

Most patients will require between 2000-3500 grafts in their frontal area for a full appearance. Since this patient wanted a buzzed-down look, fewer grafts were needed. As you can see in the before photos, the patient looks bald even with the sparse grafting from his previous doctor. With only 1400 grafts, Dr. Cole was able to hide the prior work and frame the patients face for a buzz cut. The facial frame and buzz in combination changed this individual appearance from bald to not-bald with fewer grafts. This is the “less is more” phenomenon.

Also note that with the head shaved there is virtually no evidence of any FIT extractions in the donor area.

Thanks for the comments, Voice.

I am particularly enamored with this result as the shaven recipient area truly exposes the quality of the work. When some HT patients grow their hair long the naturalness (or lack thereof) can only be seen in the hairline area. In this case, the authenticity of the hair orientation and all the hair angles is seen clearly with the buzzed scalp.

If we reverse this statement, is "more is less" to be a right statement for all ht cases?

Ha, I chuckled when I saw this one

Great question though.

Here is my answer: More is less AND more is more.

The law of diminishing returns applies to hair transplantation. If you have 2000 grafts and follow the procedure with another 2000 grafts, you will have 100% more hair (roughly). If you do another 2000 grafts, you will have 50% more hair, etc. Typically this plays out visually too. A bald guy can make a big transformation in the first surgery. If he desires more density or coverage, the second pass usually subtly enhance the results. So MORE IS LESS.

On the other hand, a Norwood 6 might be able to build a nice mature hairline with frontal coverage with 2500 grafts, but if his desires are greater more work will be needed. We cannot spread 2500 over a large balding area and get good density nor can we focus it on the front without neglecting the crown. If the goal is a fuller overall look, 7000+ grafts may be needed. In this case MORE IS MORE.