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I just had 3250 hair graphs done, how am I sure to know if in fact 3250 were given and done?

So I had paid for 3000 hair graphs and paid in cash thus they gave me an extra 250 graphs. I was curious how one might now if they did in fact give all 3250 or maybe it was more like 2700 and they called it a day. The reason I ask is the procedure took all day from 9 am till 9 pm one session. It was done with the strip FUT method if I wanted i could have gotten the FUE same amount cost and graphs. But weighing out the success rate it seemed FUT was the way to go. Curious how does one know?

Doctor Answers 6

July 21st, 2016

If you trusted you doctor before you had surgery, why would you not trust your doctor after surgery. What changed?

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If you trusted you doctor before you had surgery, why would you not trust your doctor after surgery.  What changed?  It seems your doctor even gave you extra grafts for FREE. 

Learn more: https://newhair.com/resources/

Jae Pak, MD


Los Angeles Hair Restoration Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 106 reviews

July 20th, 2016

Number of Grafts is a Matter of Trust

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Hopefully you have a trusting relationship with your doctor and they deserve your trust. Growth and ultimate results are another matter. That was a long time for a procedure and should be okay if grafts were cared for properly. Graft survival will not diminish appreciably if they are properly cared for while outside the body. In addition, FUE only physicians, usually part-timers will say that FUE and FUT graft survival is the same, they are not. Graft survival with FUT exceeds FUE when performed by an expert. This is fact that is well known by members of the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery). See link below as a reminder of how to find a well qualified physician.

Learn more: http://www.hairtransplantseattle.com/avoiding-a-bad-hair-transplant/

Brian Goertz, MD

Brian Goertz, MD
Seattle Hair Restoration Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 36 reviews

July 20th, 2016

How many grafts?

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Ask your doctor for a copy of the surgical record. The graft counts are often done by the staff and it shoudl be broken down into 1,2 3 and 4 hair grafts. 
William Rassman, MD

William Rassman, MD
Los Angeles Hair Restoration Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 29 reviews

July 20th, 2016

If you do not

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trust the clinic you have no way of knowing.  One thing that is interesting in this case is that usually graft viability goes down dramatically after a few hours.  Of course, some people still get good results despite the time limitations, especially with good clinics.  Also FUE vs FUT should produce equal results if the clinics do FUE all the time, FUE has very few limitations.  

Rashid M. Rashid, PhD, MD
Houston Dermatologist

July 20th, 2016

Accurate count

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Truth be told, you have to trust your surgeon on this.  As was mentioned previously, reputable clinics will have a count that is carried through out the day as the grafts are dissected and examined under the microscope.  At my office, this is what is done with traditional FUT.  Not only that, but doing a density estimate before hand of the donor area gives us a good idea (how long the strip will be, expected outcome, etc).  I, personally, also like to keep my patient informed on how the grafts are looking and how the count is coming along.  In regards to FUE, our SmartGraft machine has a counter with attempted punches so our patient is aware of how many punches are being made, and during each break our techs announce what the count is under the microscope such that our patients know what our transection rate/count is.  I don't like to hide the information, as my transection rate is pretty low :).  Anyways, best of luck on your procedure.  Now it's just a matter of waiting and seeing how things grow over time! Best of luck.

Learn more: http://www.miguelmascaromd.com/hair-restoration-1/

Miguel Mascaro, MD

Miguel Mascaro, MD
Delray Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 21 reviews

July 20th, 2016

How do you know how many grafts have been done in a hair transplant procedure?

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The truth is that patients have to trust that the hair transplant surgeon has done what he/she has said they have done.Reputable clinics will have quality control systems in place that document the number of grafts cut by each technician in a Strip FUT case.In FUE cases the recording of graft harvesting attempts, graft retrieval rates, and graft transection rates is very variable but again it comes down to trusting the doctor that you got what you paid for.Clinics that offer discounts and financial incentives may be more likely to look at profit margins than those clinics where patient care and service quality are the primary objective.It is also important to understand the difference between the number of grafts and the number of hairs. It is possible to generate additional grafts to make up required promised numbers by splitting larger follicular units but this will not increase the number of hairs. In Strip FUT cases it is widely accepted that you will either get a few more or a few less than planned but in the former case this should not be so many that it causes an inferior aesthetic result. Generally, in FUE cases, you will get the number of grafts that were planned.

Greg Williams, FRCS (Plast)
London Hair Restoration Surgeon

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.