When a surgeeon removes a section of donor hair, how do they know they will have the correct amount for the # of grafts the patient decided to get? Do they often come up short or worse yet, take too much and discard unused follicles?

When a surgeeon removes a section of donor hair, how do they know they will have the correct amount for the # of grafts the patient decided to get? Do they often come up short or worse yet, take too much and discard unused follicles?

Check out Dr.Keene from Arizona. I had my work done from her at Shapiro Medical Group in Minnesota. Fly out there. Its worth the trip. Matt Zupan is very helpful in answering any questions. I was quoted for 1200 graphs. When all was said and done I had 300 extra graphs for no additional charge. She truely is a professional and cares about her work.

But don't take my word for it. Check it out yourself...... I don't think you'll be disapointed!

Goodluck!!

Paul - The doctor will look at your donor area and determine your hair density. From there they can determine how large of a donor strip you will need to get the number of grafts you have agreed to with the doctor. Of course, you can't get this exactly right, so you will always have more or less than the desired number (hopefully more). Now comes the difficult part, determining what you will pay. Personally, I think, the doctor should charge you for the actual number transplanted, and not throw away any if you get more than you planned. Some doctors or clinics may do it differently, using a predetermined fee (and possibly discarding grafts), so you should discuss this at your consultation and make sure that you are comfortable with the doctor's method of determining your final cost. Put this on your list of questions for doctors, when you're deciding which doctor to go to.

EJR - I also had my work done by Dr. Keene.

Any doctor that would even think of discarding grafts should be beaten silly.
You will find that all reputable doctors will use all extras, regardless of your pre surgery selection of whether you'd pay for them or not. (I went in for 1200 and came out with 1475. In my case the density was under initially estimated.) I beleive they will always attempt to take out a little more than your committment so as not to come in under that number.