Graft placement by tech or surgeon

[Volvic]

Can i have some opinions please on graft placement.Does it make a difference who places the grafts in the incisions.I understand with Dr Alexander his technicians place all the grafts.Do most surgeons do this,i thought all the surgeons would have at least placed the grafts in the hairline and left the techs to place the grafts in behind the hairline.

[Volvic]

Can i have some opinions please on graft placement.Does it make a difference who places the grafts in the incisions.I understand with Dr Alexander his technicians place all the grafts.Do most surgeons do this,i thought all the surgeons would have at least placed the grafts in the hairline and left the techs to place the grafts in behind the hairline.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Ultimately, we "simply" want the best result -- whatever path it takes to reach that destination. Perhaps, in this specific sense, the end does justify the means.

 

That said, it is common practice for techs to play most if not all of the grafts. This is an integral process, and a well-trained, refined, consistent *crew* of techs is essential. Above all else, your doctor will (in addition to devising your overall battleplan) create the incisions and direct the orientation of the grafts. Plus, he will handle your donor excision and closure.

 

If Dr. Feller, or Hasson, or Alexander, felt that if they placed the grafts it would increase the quality of their results -- they would. Personally, the idea of a honed team of specialists doing the graft placement sits well with me; and the idea of the doctor supervising while handling the placement of grafts and designing how my hair will grow (in addition to the excision/closure) I have zero problem with. But, again, the end may very well justify the means.

[Bill - Seemiller]

In my opinion, as long as someone experienced and well trained plants the grafts, it doesn't matter whether or not the surgeon or the technicians do it. Some surgeons prefer a more "hands on" approach by transplanting some of the hairs themselves. Those that do this often feel that they can better supervise the technicians to ensure they are following their instructions to a T. Many surgeons allow their experienced technicians to do all the planting while supervising at more of a distance (coming in the room to check on things every so often, etc).

 

I admit as a first-time patient, I was a little nervous that the doctor wasn't placing any of the grafts. But I quickly learned this was a common practice and many clinics that perform this way produce excellent results consistently.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Brandi]

Different clinics have different philosophies when it comes to how involved the doctor should be in placing grafts. In our clinic, I place a large percentage of the grafts and have almost ten years experience.But Dr. Cooley likes to place a lot of the grafts himself. He is a little bit of a control freak and wants to know that the grafts are being put exactly where he wants them. Our patients seem to feel more comfortable knowing he is in the room involved with the procedure and monitoring the whole process. But it all comes down to the skill and experience of the placers. In some of the best clinics, the placers are so experienced that they do a better job than the doctor would and they get excellent results. So it really depends on the clinic and the experience of the person doing the placing. This is a good question for people to ask: how involved is the doctor during the procedure?

[Dewayne]

I can't say it better than the person above, who placed the grafts on the left side of my head six months ago..... Thanks Brandi, and I apologize for the snoring...

 

This was a heated debate about three months ago, with one member saying a "trained monkey" could do it and it wouldn't make a difference. Obviously, he was surely exaggerating. But, I think if the doctor is in there a lot, doing some of it, etc., then that's good. I've read complaints where some aren't seen again after making the initial incisions, which is bad.

 

From what I remember, Cooley was in there all but about 20-minutes with me, which made me feel a lot better. Afterwards though, I realized there were plenty of experts who could do it just as well or better. But, I felt better with the doctor in the room because at that point he's the one I had the relationship with.