Before
After
The grafts were concentrated in the frontal region and mid-scalp. The crown still contained many miniaturized native hairs, so those follicles were supported with finasteride and minoxidil rather than transplanted.
The patient’s donor area naturally contained a high proportion of follicular units with multiple hairs. Based on the recorded graft composition, the 3,802 transplanted grafts contained a calculated minimum of 8,672 individual hairs.
The line visible in the pre-operative photograph is the hairline design drawn before surgery, not a scar or skin change.
Case summary
| Clinical detail | This case |
|---|---|
| Norwood stage before surgery | Norwood IV |
| Technique | FUE |
| Total grafts | 3,802 |
| Transplanted hair count | At least 8,672 |
| Single-hair grafts | 689 |
| Double-hair grafts | 1,356 |
| Multi-hair grafts | 1,757 |
| Treatment areas | Frontal region and mid-scalp |
| Crown transplanted | No |
| Follow-up shown | 11 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 IV.
The frontal region and mid-scalp required surgical restoration, while many native follicles were still present in the crown despite significant miniaturization.
The available grafts were concentrated further forward. Finasteride and minoxidil were started after surgery to support the existing crown hair instead of adding grafts to that area at the same stage.
Graft composition: why hair count matters
The 3,802 transplanted grafts consisted of 689 single-hair grafts, 1,356 double-hair grafts and 1,757 multi-hair grafts.
Multi-hair units accounted for approximately 46% of the transplanted grafts. This reflects the natural follicular-unit composition of the patient’s donor area.
From the recorded composition:
- 689 single-hair grafts contributed 689 hairs
- 1,356 double-hair grafts contributed 2,712 hairs
- 1,757 multi-hair grafts contributed at least 5,271 hairs
That gives a calculated minimum of 8,672 transplanted hairs.
The true number may have been higher because our multi-hair category includes follicular units containing three or more hairs.
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 suggest a level of precision that the surgical distribution does not support.
A real comparison from our case library
Our 4,610-graft FUE case without finasteride or minoxidil contained 8,509 hairs based on its recorded graft composition.
This patient received 3,802 grafts, and those grafts contained a calculated minimum of 8,672 hairs.
The 3,802-graft case therefore involved 808 fewer grafts while still containing a higher minimum hair count because the two donor areas had different natural follicular-unit compositions.
This is why graft count and hair count are not interchangeable measurements.
Visible coverage also depends on hair caliber, graft survival, placement, recipient-area characteristics and hairstyle, so hair count alone does not determine the final result either.
Was the crown transplanted?
No. The crown was not transplanted.
Many miniaturized native hairs were still present there, and finasteride and minoxidil were started after surgery to support those existing follicles.
At the 11-month clinical follow-up, crown coverage was considered sufficient for the time being and additional crown transplantation was not indicated at that stage.
For a more detailed example of how medical treatment can affect the interpretation of native crown hair after transplantation, see our 3,853-graft FUE case with post-operative finasteride and minoxidil.
The 11-month result
At 11 months, the photograph shows substantially greater visible coverage across the frontal region.
The patient’s head is tilted further forward in the follow-up photograph, and the longer hair is styled across the front. This adds to the visible coverage provided by the hairstyle and also conceals much of the final hairline.
The final hairline shape therefore cannot be compared directly with the pre-operative design from these two images alone.
The patient’s hair had also been dyed considerably darker by the time of the follow-up photograph. The change in hair color alters the contrast between the hair and scalp and can affect how coverage appears.
Hair length, styling, head position, color and lighting all differ between the photographs, so an exact increase in density or graft-survival percentage cannot be calculated from this comparison.
The result is well developed at 11 months, although further maturation may still occur.
How medical treatment affects interpretation
The patient had not used finasteride or minoxidil before surgery. Both treatments were started afterward, primarily to support the miniaturized native hair in the crown.
Native hairs remaining within or around the transplanted mid-scalp may also have responded to treatment. The 11-month appearance may therefore reflect both transplanted growth and changes in pre-existing native hair.
Those effects cannot be separated precisely from photographs alone.
For contrast, our 4,610-graft FUE case without finasteride or minoxidil documents a patient who chose not to use either treatment before or after transplantation.
What this case shows
Measured in grafts, this was a 3,802-graft procedure. Measured in hairs, it transplanted at least 8,672, because 1,757 of those grafts were multi-hair units from a donor area with a particularly high share of them. That is 163 more hairs than our 4,610-graft case, from 808 fewer grafts.
The crown was supported with finasteride and minoxidil instead of grafts. Native hair in the mid-scalp may have responded to the same treatment, so the 11-month appearance cannot be credited to the transplant alone.
Dr. Mesut Demir’s note
“This patient’s donor area naturally contained a high proportion of follicular units with multiple hairs. That meant the 3,802 transplanted grafts represented a calculated minimum of 8,672 individual hairs.
The crown still contained many miniaturized native hairs, so we supported those hairs medically and concentrated the transplant in the frontal region and mid-scalp.”
Dr. Mesut Demir · Pure Line, Istanbul
About this result
This page documents an individual patient’s result at 11 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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