Before
After
Before surgery, the patient had recession at the frontal corners together with reduced coverage across the frontal region and into the mid-scalp. Native hair was still present behind the leading edge, so the treatment needed to rebuild the frontal shape while adding coverage further back.
Of the 3,248 transplanted grafts, 1,112 were single-hair follicular units, representing 34.2% of the total.
The patient had not used finasteride or minoxidil before surgery and started both afterward.
Case summary
| Clinical detail | This case |
|---|---|
| Norwood stage before surgery | Norwood III |
| Technique | FUE |
| Total grafts | 3,248 |
| Transplanted hair count | At least 6,065 |
| Single-hair grafts | 1,112 |
| Double-hair grafts | 1,455 |
| Multi-hair grafts | 681 |
| Treatment areas | Frontal region and mid-scalp |
| Crown transplanted | No |
| Follow-up shown | 10 months |
| Previous finasteride/minoxidil use | No |
| Finasteride after surgery | Yes |
| Minoxidil after surgery | Yes |
Across our case library, follicular units containing three or more hairs are described as multi-hair grafts.
Treatment planning
Before surgery, the hair loss was classified as Norwood III.
What does a high single-hair graft ratio mean?
Follicular units naturally vary. Some contain one hair, some two, and others three or more.
This patient’s donor area contained a relatively high proportion of single-hair follicular units.
These units are especially useful along the leading edge of a hairline. Individual hairs allow a softer transition between the forehead and the denser hair behind it, while larger follicular units placed too close to the front can create a heavier appearance.
There is also a practical trade-off. A single-hair graft contributes one hair, so a donor area with a high single-hair proportion provides fewer individual hairs per graft than one containing more double- and multi-hair units.
In this patient, the composition was useful for creating a soft frontal transition, while the double- and multi-hair units contributed more hair mass further behind the hairline.
How did the graft composition affect the plan?
The pre-operative pattern combined frontal recession with thinning extending behind the hairline.
The relatively large pool of single-hair units gave the team flexibility at the frontal edge, where a softer transition was needed. Further behind the hairline, double- and multi-hair grafts contributed more individual hairs per follicular unit and helped build coverage through the broader treatment area.
The follicular-unit mix was one part of the plan alongside donor capacity, hair characteristics and the native hair already present in the recipient area.
Graft composition
The 3,248 transplanted grafts consisted of 1,112 single-hair grafts, 1,455 double-hair grafts and 681 multi-hair grafts.
Based on the recorded composition, the procedure involved at least 6,065 individual hairs:
- 1,112 single-hair grafts contributed 1,112 hairs
- 1,455 double-hair grafts contributed 2,910 hairs
- 681 multi-hair grafts contributed at least 2,043 hairs
That is equivalent to at least 1.87 hairs per graft. The true total may have been higher because our multi-hair category includes follicular units containing three or more hairs.
For broader comparisons of graft totals, transplanted hair counts and follicular-unit composition, see our hair transplant results library.
Across our case library, we do not assign exact retrospective graft counts to the frontal region, mid-scalp or crown when treatment-zone boundaries overlap. Doing so would imply a level of precision that the surgical distribution does not support.
Was the crown transplanted?
No. The crown was not grafted; all 3,248 grafts went to the frontal region and mid-scalp, where the corner recession and the thinning behind it were treated together.
The 10-month result
At 10 months, the follow-up photograph shows substantially greater frontal coverage and a more continuous frontal shape.
The hair is styled up and away from the forehead, leaving the frontal transition visible rather than covering it with forward-combed hair.
The photographs were not taken under identical conditions. The pre-operative image was captured from a somewhat higher angle with the head tilted further forward, while the follow-up image is more frontal. Hair length, styling and lighting also differ.
The frontal change can be assessed reasonably well from these images, but the full mid-scalp cannot be compared under matching conditions. The photographs therefore document the cosmetic change without providing an exact measurement of density gain or graft survival.
The result shown here was photographed at 10 months, with further maturation still possible.
Finasteride and minoxidil after surgery
The patient had not used finasteride or minoxidil before transplantation and began both after surgery.
Native hair remained within the treated areas, so post-operative medical treatment forms part of the clinical context when interpreting the follow-up result.
For a more detailed discussion of how finasteride and minoxidil can affect remaining native hair after transplantation, see our 3,853-graft FUE case with post-operative medical treatment.
What this case shows
A third of this patient’s grafts were single hairs: 1,112 of 3,248 grafts, alongside 1,455 double-hair and 681 multi-hair units, for at least 6,065 hairs in total.
That mix suited the soft frontal edge but lowered the number of hairs available per graft for the density behind it, because a single-hair graft carries one hair and no more. Finasteride and minoxidil were started after surgery, so the native hair behind the hairline had medical support as well.
Dr. Mesut Demir’s note
“This patient had a relatively high number of single-hair follicular units in the donor area. That was useful at the front because single hairs help us create a softer transition, but each of those grafts carries only one hair.
We had to balance the softer frontal edge with the double- and multi-hair grafts available for coverage further behind it.
He also started finasteride and minoxidil after surgery to support the native hair that remained.”
Dr. Mesut Demir · Pure Line, Istanbul
About this result
This page documents an individual patient’s result at 10 months.
Individual results vary with donor capacity, hair characteristics, hair loss progression, healing and treatment.
The photographs document this patient’s outcome and should not be interpreted as a guarantee that another patient will achieve the same result.
The patient gave written consent for these photographs to be published.
Information about medication on this page describes this individual’s treatment history and is not a recommendation or prescription for another patient. Medication decisions should be made individually with an appropriate clinician.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mesut Demir, M.D. ·
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