Fut hair transplant: What happens to the unused grafts?

Thanks for the question. 
This is something I have an issue with in terms of charging for a specific number of grafts. The problem is you do not know the overall viability of the grafts and even if you harvest dead on 700, 10 % may not survive. 
Having said that, if you are harvesting through the strip and there are more than 700 harvested then these should ideally be used. Different clinics have different methods of dealing with this - one method is to charge for the extra grafts that were harvested - others don't. Similarly, if the donor site has relatively weaker hair, then you might get less than the 700 also and accordingly the clinic may give you back some money as they did not get the full 700.
The best thing to do is to discuss this with the clinic that you are undergoing the treatment with and you will know what to expect. As a rule of thumb, I always use all the grafts I harvest and nothing is thrown away. 
I hope this is of help 
BW

It is not possible to know exactly how many grafts can be obtained from a harvested strip of scalp.  With the smart graft device that I use, individual grafts are harvested as opposed to a strip that needs to be cut up into separate grafts, so the exact number of grafts that are needed are harvested.  My technique also avoids a long scar that can be visible.  I'm sure that your surgeon would not throw away any grafts and that he would use them to get the best result.

I ALWAYS try to harvest a bit more than I charge, because in FUT your estimate can be a bit off and I prefer it to be on the benefit of my client!
And you can ALWAYS add 5-10% in-between your incisions if necessary. If you are more off than that, you can always ad in between thinning hair in other areas, but very carefully and sparsely.
NEVER, I mean NEVER is a single graft thrown away in my clinic! 
Your follicles is your fortune and I am called to invest it in the best possible way.
This mentality is shared by all distinguished Hair Restoration Surgeon I know.
It is just unimaginable to throw away grafts!

With both the Strip FUT and FUE methods, the hair transplant surgeon should have an objective method of estimating the maximum number of grafts that can be harvested. Similarly, when performing a Strip FUT procedure there should be an objective method of harvesting the required number of grafts - not too few, not too many. This is done by measuring the length of the strip, the width and estimating the follicular unit density.Unless the patient agreed pre-operatively to pay more for additional grafts, any extra grafts should be implanted free of charge to the patient.If too few grafts are harvested then this should be discussed with patients openy and honestly and a financial arrangement made.Of course, patients will never know how many grafts were harvested or implanted so it is important for doctors to behave in an honest and ethical manner.

You should discuss this with your surgeon. In my experience counts tend to go slightly over but I never throw grafts away. All grafts extracted in my clinic are re-implanted. 

It would be unusual to get exactly 700 grafts but the count should be pretty close.  Most surgeons will plant the extra grafts as well, but you should confirm this with your surgeon before the procedure.

Good afternoon and thank you for your question, it is highly unlikely that you would have had 6000 hair follicle grafts done, because it is humanly very very difficult to even achieve that larger figure, so I am not sure if I agree with your comment that that much of hair was done, having said that we will presume that it was done, then you have ample reasons to be very unhappy with the result, so I would suggest that you speak to your plastic surgeon and get a revision done immediately, In case the doctor refuses to entertain your request you should seek the help of an experienced doctor to do a redo for your hair transplant and you can hope to do about 2500 grafts again to achieve a more normal front load and top load. Thank you .Best Regards,Dr Amit Gupta 

Usually the doctor with experience can estimate the number of grafts from the strip. IF I exceed the estimate, I always pout them in the patient and never toss them away