"As a professional inventor, who holds both U.S. and worldwide patents, Dr Rassman invented the Densitometer™ for the precise measurement of hair density and hair quality. Such precise measurements are now the standard, required of all ethical medical practitioners in diagnosis of the balding patient."

Guys. this is straight from Dr. Rassmans website. If i am understanding this correctly, does this device provide an accurate assessment of how many grafts can be harvested?

I have consulted about 6 coalition surgeons and everybody says there is no way of determining the accurate number of grafts available....am i missing something here?

DanielKiwi,

I believe Dr. Rassman has invented a few different hair transplant related devices and I'm unsure if this is for determining density in the donor region (most likely) or part of the miniaturization testing he performs. As far as determining the number of grafts one would need based off analysis of donor density, I've heard differing things, but my guess is that good hair transplant surgeons can offer a realistic estimate. However, like you said, I'm not sure if anyone can calculate down to the exact number of grafts available.

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Blake (Future_HT_Doc)

Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

hello danielkiwi, i think even if you could measure donor density very accurately i don't think you would still be able to excise a pre measured strip so accurately as to acheive accurately a number of pre detemined grafts,as i understand it the cutting of the strip is'nt as straight forward as one may first think so makeing it much harder to obtain a precise number of grafts or strip measurement until it's actually been removed,all the best and have a nice day......

There are several devices to measure follicular density. Basically it is a magnification lens with a 1cm2 demarcation. To use it we trim the hair in the area, then the loop is used to view and count the number of follicles in the 1cm2 area. The problem is that in most individuals the density varies all along the strip, higher in the middle and lower along the sides. Also the breakdown of the number of hairs within the follicles varies along the strip, with more one and two hair follicles in the temporal sides and a higher percentage of 3+ hair follicles in the middle of the strip.
Despite all the above, most experienced hair restoration surgeons can be fairly accurate within ± 50 FU most of the time.

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Dr. Bernardino Arocha is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

thanks for your response guys

I have a question for Dr. Arocha. Does your clinic use a device like this during consultations. I have consulted with a few doctors and they have said that they will target the front portion of the head and go beyond as the grafts permit. All have said that i have good donor density. Even though i would like to trust the judgement of these phsyicians, i dont think that an answer like this inspires confidence as i would prefer to know what areas of my head are being targeted so that i can make the most informed decision...in my recent memory there was a guy named PD who was shceduled to get 3000 grafts from Dr. Feller but got only 2600...I would not like to be in that position. 100 graft plus or minus is fine but 400 is quite a big number in my opinion. Does using these devices counter higher variations? A lot of people dont seem to care but i think this is a key element of a successful surgery.

Danielkiwi,
The answer is yes; we always do estimate the donor density. Remember that it does vary along the length of the strip. Normal density, before AGA sets in is about 100 FU/cm2, so these FUs are normally spaced about 1mm apart. This is the pre hair loss density, after AGA sets in it can be much less. So usually the numbers the donor yields are very close to the estimated, but there are many unknown factors that can come into play during surgery that may decrease the actual yield. We always do our very best to get the target number provided that it is done safely and soundly.
RadioShack makes the device that is referenced on Dr. Rassman’s web site; it is called the illuminated microscope. There is nothing magical about it, it costs about $15. Yes I do have one, but whether I use it or count with my surgical loops, it is the same. By far the easiest way is to take a jpeg with my high def Nikon, load it into my Mac, were I can blow it up as much as I need on a 30 inch monitor, where the counting is easy!

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Dr. Bernardino Arocha is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians