Who are the megasession gurus???

[nm315]

I know h&w are consistently doin 4-5000 and more in a single session. Who else is able to do that feat? Or who else is doing that consistently.

 

I have read in some docs websites 3000 as megasessions. Does that mean they are still doing the catch up with h&w.

 

Feel this is one of the main reason ng2gb felt h&w as the best..

 

COMMENTS GUYS!!!!!

[nm315]

I know h&w are consistently doin 4-5000 and more in a single session. Who else is able to do that feat? Or who else is doing that consistently.

 

I have read in some docs websites 3000 as megasessions. Does that mean they are still doing the catch up with h&w.

 

Feel this is one of the main reason ng2gb felt h&w as the best..

 

COMMENTS GUYS!!!!!

[richie48]

Your right nm

 

notgoing was a diffuse thinner and really only wanted to go under the knife once with a mega session hit .

 

hasson and wong are proberbly the most efficiant at great numbers in a single session , do a search on london lad , he has had two large mega sessions in the last two years

 

hope that helps

richie

[the B spot]

3000 grafts is still a mega-session.

 

For some clinics it isn't about maxing out a patient, because most patients who need 3-4-5-6-7-8K of grafts have at least 2 surgeries.

 

For some clinics, they will never have the staff or inclination to do 3000 grafts let alone 5000.

 

That is why one must research, meet patients, talk to people online, etc... and choose a doctor that fits all of their needs.

 

It isn't all about session sizes, it is about the final result--I've had two large sessions myself and I am going for a third in the near future.

 

However, H&W certainly do larger sessions on average than anyone I know---I think Joe said they are 4-4500K on average and I know SMG is 3-3500K on average.

 

NG2GB felt H&W were the best, other patients choose other docs for their own reasons.

 

Again, session size IS an important factor, but should not be the main reason you choose a doc.

 

Take Care,

Jason

[whymewhy]

A good doc plays a vital role in extracting large number of grafts but doesn't the patient's scalp also play a role? You cant just extract 4000 grafts on 9 out of every 10 patients can you?

[nm315]

B spot..

i know everyone got their own list of 'best' docs.. i am planning to do a ht in couple of months..

i am tryig to find my 'best'..

 

if possible i wud like to be complete in one session.. hairline, crown..all..

 

know that is not possible.. hmm wen will such sessions be possible..

[dakota3]

nm315,

Have you posted pics before? What age/NW level are you at? By no means should location be a determining factor, but where are you located? There are several doc's such as Feller, Shapiro, and especially H&W if you are looking for a large session. Keep in mind tho that everyone is differant. Not everyone is a candidate for a megga session. Contact jotronic, and or spex and they'll get you started in the right direction

[Jotronic]

For some clinics it isn't about maxing out a patient,

 

 

It isn't about "maxing out a patient" with us. It is about offering the most natural result, the best hairline possible, and the most overall value that we feel can be accomplished. Getting a large session for some patients is absolutely the goal but not at the expense of getting the best result possible. Overall we wish to properly manage the donor area so that the patient gets the best results sooner, has less scarring, and less downtime.

[MORE_HAIR]

nm315,

 

Good you're asking questions.

This is not something you want to rush into.

 

As B spot mentioned session size is part of the equation but not everything.

 

It really depends on many factors.

How old are you ?

What's your NW scale ?

What is your hairloss pattern ?

What are your goals ??

Can as a patient the doctor get 4000+ graphs from your donor area ?

 

I feel the best way to answer all these questions is meet with has many docs as you can.

Also doing your own research....looking at pictures will help you along.

 

I was a NW 4 and decided to get the 2800+ graphs the doc and i talked about.

 

Some guys want to do the biggest possible job possible at once.

Even though there's maybe a 50% chance I'll want a second pass...i liked this approach.

 

Then again if i was a full NW5/6 I probably would have gone for the bigger session knowing there was a 90% chance i would need the second job.

 

MH

[the B spot]

Joe--your 100% correct and it's called maxing out what a patient can safely handle--- you guys do that on a more consistant basis--whereas other clinics may do slightly smaller sessions and even other clinics may be too conservative.

 

To answer the question though-- I think if you need a lot of work, planning for only one session is not realistic--- most patients with large balding areas generally require at least 2 sessions.

 

Jason

[Bill - Seemiller]

I just thought I'd make a few very general statements on this thread.

 

No physician has magical powers so therefore the number of grafts is based on a few constants and a few variables.

 

In my below description, let's assume we are talking about a single patient going for the largest session size possible.

 

First, the constants: no matter which physician a patient sees, these constants remain the same for a single patient

 

1. Patient's donor hair density

 

2. Patient's donor elasticity

 

Now, the variables that will vary between clinics

 

1. The width of the donor strip taken: Some physicians are willing to push the envelope on the scalp elasticity, while being careful not to compromise integrity, by taking a wider strip (from top of the head to the bottom)

 

2. The length of the donor strip taken: Simply put, if you want more grafts, take a longer strip (ear to ear and sometimes beyond). Some physicians are willing to go outside of the universal safe zone if the patient has a low chance of balding in those areas. I am an example of this (see my experience below and follow to my third surgery with Dr. Hasson).

 

3. The size of the graft: Follicular unit grafts are hairs as they occur naturally in groups of 1, 2, 3, and 4 haired grafts.

 

A. There has been some speculation that some clinics cut smaller grafts. Whereas one clinic may see one 4 haired follicular unit graft, another clinic may see one 3 haired graftsand another 1 haired graft. Clearly clinics who cut smaller grafts will have inflated graft counts even when the number of hairs will be the same.

 

B. Some clinics will create what is referred to as a DFU or double follicular unit which combines 2 follicular units into a larger unit.

 

C. Most if not all clinics will occasionally cut larger grafts into smaller singles to use for the hairline.

 

The question I have however, is whether or not these clinics count grafts before or after they combine or further cut grafts.

 

4. Physician experience and philosophy: Some physicians don't have the experience to perform these larger sessions and simply fear change. They'd prefer doing what they are comfortable with and won't evolve with the times. Others have the experience but prefer smaller sessions as to lower the risk of donor scar stretching. However many clinics who perform regular large sessions have proven that these sessions can be performed without causing additional donor scar stretching.

 

5. The size of the staff: Though some physicians have the ability, experience, and philosophy to perform larger sessions, some simply don't have a large enough staff. A greater number of grafts requires more technicians carefully cutting and placing.

 

Taking all of these into consideration, this is why maximum session sizes varry from clinic to clinic.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill

[NJ]

Guys,

 

As far as large sessions, does the size have anything to do with the size of the scar you want to tolerate? In other words, do patients say get as many grafts as you can because I will always keep my hair long enough to hide the scar? I would have to think if H&W did a procedure of either 3000 or 6000 on a patient that the larger session would have a slightly wider scar, maybe not?

[hairthere]

Today's scars should be pencil thin, no matter how wide the strip. tricho will take care of that. some scars however will be longer than others.

[hairbank]

I don't think there's any question that H&W consistently are able to do more in a session than other clinics. It's what they do and they do it well. In addition to the top-notch surgeons, proper staffing is needed to accomplish such a feat.

 

Many excellent points have been raised on the thread. Everyone isn't a candidate for a session of 5000 or more due to different reasons................young age along with those unknowns about further loss, donor availability, scalp laxity....and many, many more.

[Bill - Seemiller]

NJ,

 

Read my response above . Sorry I was a bit long winded....a lot of information in there

 

Width and length of the strip removed has a lot to do with how many grafts can be obtained.

 

But as hairthere rightfully pointed out, the end result of the scar should be pencil thin.

 

On a personal note, I chose Dr. Hasson for my third surgery because I was very impressed with the megasession "wow" results they consistently have been pumping out for years. 7550 grafts and 3 hair transplants later (3701 of which are from Dr. Hasson), I'm a changed man!

 

Bill

[NJ]

Thanks Hairthere and Bill..I understand the length x width x density = total FU"s...makes total sense to me.

 

For megasessions who else does the largest sessions. I'm not arguing which docs are the best and saying the bigger the better- but for me it looks like Dr Feller and Dr Rahal seem to also do pretty large sessions of 4000+

 

Thanks

[thanatopsis_awry]

One question I've had, which I've been making an assumption about, is that if Dr. X (let's say Feller or Rahal, like NJ mentions) perform a 5k session on someone....does this then mean that they have the ability to perform 5k on *anyone*, assuming they feel it to be appropriate, and the patient's charachteristics are in line?

 

So, if Patient X goes to H&W and receives ~5k, does it follow that, strictly in terms of graft #s, he could have gone to Feller/Rahal/____ and received a very similiar graft #?

[richie48]

than buddy ?

 

I've read your post twice and still didn't get it hahhaahha

 

Hasson and wong also have a lot more techs than Dr Feller i believe , so it becomes easier to complete a "mega session" , I remember somebody else bring this up and asking if more techs and overheads was reflected in the prices too .

 

something to consider

richie

[thanatopsis_awry]

If you perform a 5k session once, does this mean that any prospective patient is inline w/ the possibility of a ~5k session himself, and it is just a question of what that patient's individual donor charachteristics happen to be.

 

5k is an arbitrary number; 4k, 6k, etc. could be substituted.

 

Having a robust-enough team is also required, and you need to have the right techs; but, if you perform X-session one time, assuming your staff remains the same, you should be able to replicate the session size again, and it just an issue of the aforementioned (donor, patient-desire). (?)

[richie48]

hahahahahahaha

 

I get it now , thanks bud , and to add to what you just said alot also depends on the patients personal characteristics as to whether a "mega session" can be performed on them , for example london lad , I remember it being stated he had excellent donor and scalp laxety , better than the "norm" so to speak .

 

cheers than

richie

[thanatopsis_awry]

Cheers back @ ya! Let's swig a round of brew in honor of our rapidly growing follicles.

[agentHarley]

very interesting thread. thanks Bill, awesome insights into subsequent procedures.

 

i am 2 months post op. i had my first HT with Dr. Bernstein, and i asked him about a second procedure in the near future and he said that a megasession was definitely an option for me (though i don't think he was suggesting that his clinic would perform it.)

 

i was putting some mederma on my scar today and was thinking that i will probably have to grow my hair out more than what i have now if i don't want to show the pencil-thin scar.

 

and i am still looking like i was prior to the surgery, though i know i have to just ride out the wait and in a year i can eval how much i have gained.

 

H&W definitely seem like my next choice just based on their recommendations here.

 

ONE ?: what about donor scars from various surgeons. how have ya'll dealt with the layering of various surgeries over your previous scars?

[hairthere]

agent,

if your scar was placed properly, which i'm sure bernstein did, the second surgery would simply excise the 1st scar so you'll just have one.

[Bill - Seemiller]

agent,

 

hairthere is absolutely correct.

 

With very few specific exceptions, a surgeon wil remove the existing scar with a new strip leaving you with a single scar no matter how many surgeries you have.

 

Bill

[bverotti]

The good news is that you can have the old scar removed with the new scar which hopefully will turn out better.

The bad news is that with each new strip removed there is an increase in scalp tension which may lead to a larger scar or a stretching scar... remember there is no free lunch in a hair transplant procedure !

 

Alternatively you can have a look at FUE megassesion. This can supply you with a lot of grafts and also soften the linear strip scar, all in 1 procedure.