MEGA session with Dr Hasson 11/30/05

[Jotronic]

Fellas,

 

As some of you guessed, procedures of this size require exceptional characteristics in the patient. One of you mentioned that there is no way that Qwert's head is so big as to allow for a 35cm long strip. I'll put it like this. Without revealing personal information about him I'll say that at 5'10 3/4 (gotta get all I can) I'm not a small guy but am average in height. Qwert however is above average in this respect hence a relative proportion to his scalp/skull. Combined with exceptional donor density and laxity he made for an ideal candidate.

 

It needs to be clear that sessions such as Qwert's are not routine and it has never once been implied as such either. He is not however alone. What is routine in our office are sessions of 3500 to 4500 grafts. We do this everyday and without any play on the words describing a graft either. There is no greater issue of scarring and certainly no issue of graft survival. If there were we simply would not be doing these sessions as it would be plain wrong to do so.

 

Dr. Hasson and Dr. Wong did not start performing these procedures overnight. It has taken years of constant refinement to get to this point. When the first 3000 graft session was shown at one of the conferences Dr. Hasson and Dr. Wong knew this was the future. They immediately invested in the personel, equipment and training to get to this point. Understand that this was at the time when 1200 to 1500 grafts was considered pushing the envelope and doctors were crying foul at the mere mention of even 2000 grafts in one procedure (some still do). Now, 2000 is considered average for most clinics and small for some.

 

I know that Hasson & Wong is new to some of you but I ask that you be patient with our results. The docs have been doing this for some time now and we will reveal more and more results for your review. This works, guys. We've got more results to prove this.

[troy]

Jotronic Im going to call you out on the carpet since you are the goto guy for hasson and wong. I think everyones concern is the scar, that it may stretch or be bigger what steps and research have hasson and wong done to make this not happen, Is it a higher risk. Does doing a procedure of this magnitude, or 4000 plus, Make people in the early thirties not a candidate, as we dont know the future of thier loss. and fear depleted donor supply. It would be great if Hasson or wong could post on here as well, this is a very great toppic and has us all fascinated.

[Jotronic]

Troy,

 

I'm happy to answer any and all questions that I can.

 

Like I said earlier, the docs didn't start doing this overnight. The sessions were expanded in incremental steps. When I had my first procedure with Dr. Wong in March of 02 I think they were hitting the lower 3000 range as the outside of their tehnological limits on virgin scalps. My 2406 graft session was considered huge considering I had two previous scars as well. 4000 and higher came in the subsequent years.

 

With regards to scarring I'll simply say this. Yes, our strips are long but they are well within the recognized safe zone and of course this varies from patient to patient. When it comes to the tension, this is constantly monitored and adjustments are made accordingly. Longer strips, less tension. I don't know how long it takes other clinics to remove a donor strip but at our clinic it averages from about an hour to an hour and a half.

 

"Does doing a procedure of this magnitude, or 4000 plus, Make people in the early thirties not a candidate, as we dont know the future of thier loss. and fear depleted donor supply."

 

I think I need to clarify something. We don't shoot for amap (as many as possible) in one session for everyone and we certainly do not deplete the donor area. Proper management of the donor area is crucial. If someone gets 4000 grafts in one session they most certainly have more in the donor bank should they need it. Furthermore, when we place said 4000 grafts they are not placed in such a manner as to guarantee the need for more work. In other words, we don't place your hairline so low so that you need to comb your eyebrows and we don't fill your temples leaving you with an appearance similar to a primate (banana anyone?). High, mature hairlines are the order of the day for all but the rarest of cases thus preserving the donor bank for any subsequent procedures should the patient need any.

 

Also, realize that the numbers we harvest in one session are relative to each patient and their donor limits. Some people can get 5000 in one session with no problems. Others can only get 2500 because they simply don't have characteristics that are great. In the case of Qwerty, 6500 was NOT obtained through the depletion of his donor bank. He has more if he wants it and then some. As I said, the numbers are relative to that patient's characteristics.

 

Below, I have attached a photo of the scar two years after a session of 5195 grafts.

 

As a side note, I think it is important that this thread stay on topic and not deviate into discussions specific to other clinics. Regarding Dr. Shapiro, we have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his abilities. We consider him to be one of the best surgeons in the world, period. Oh, he struck me as a darn nice guy too. As for Matt Zupan, I got the impression that he is passionate about his work and I know he really cares about what he does.

 

[troy]

Jotronic , It is exciting to know that bigger procedures are now available. I think most people would like to maximise there results as fast as possible to get to there goal asap. If a person had a lot of hair to be moved they would want to make the biggest gain the first session, and follow it up accordingly, this way a person has the most cosmetic immprovment, rather than taking so long to get to the goal. If a person is a candidate is this the kind of philosphy behind it all? I think this is what Mudpuppy was getting at, a lot of people dont want to wait 2 years to get to their goal if they are canidates.

[Jotronic]

Troy,

 

You are right on the money. If one is a candidate then a bigger procedure can be much more convenient with less overall scarring and less money forked out. I don't want everyone to think that EVERY patient will get 4000 or 5000 grafts. We will perform smaller procedures often but again the size of the procedure is relative to the area being addressed.

 

Again, this is what works for us in our clinic.

[the B spot]

Hey Jotronic, Glad to see you here again!

Anyway, thanks for posting the information regarding H&W stance on these mega-mega sessions. I think it is of the greatest importance that newbie's find the correct information, and not be misled.

I am eager to see the results of these patients with regards to growth, distribution, and scar size over the course of the next year or so. BTW your results are fantastic my friend, and I am glad you have a new lease on life!

[Guest]

Originally posted by dandare75:

I, too had a HT with Shapiro in March 05 (2200 grafts). I'm not going back either. Density is real thin in most of the recipient area. I'm scheduled for a dense pack procedure and a little tweak of the hairline by Dr. Feller in March 06.

 

Hey dan, why did you decide to go with Feller? How old are u? Do you have any current Pics? How many are you getting?

 

Thanks

[Jotronic]

Bspot,

 

Thanks, buddy. It is an incredible feeling to be able to use a... wait, to NEED a hairdryer