Who is More Important Techs or Doctors for Hair Growth

[Doug Monty]

With the massive increase in FUE Cases over the last several years and in light of recent legal decisions and other posters dancing around the issue, I think its about time to ask the question:

 

Who is more important to a successful Hair Transplant Techs or Doctors?

 

Sure I guess you could say they are both important. But the question is who is more important.

 

For patients seeking a strip procedure, the doctor is responsible for removal of the strip and closure and typically responsible for hair line design and making the sites.

 

The Techs are responsible for slicing up the strip into appropriate sized FU's and then implanting the grafts. In cases where the doctor promotes stick and place, the techs are more than likely making the slits for the sites just prior to placing the grafts.

 

In either case the techs are handling the grafts several times and are typically that last ones touching the grafts as they are implanted.

 

So from a strictly hair growth standpoint; it's the shaving of the grafts, the gentle handling and the proper placement of the grafts which is actually going to directly contribute to hair growth.

 

It does not matter how small the scar is or how beautiful the slits look...... if the grafts shaved and placed by the techs are not up to the standards of the doctor or industry standards the Hair Transplant could have a negative outcome.

 

When its all said and done it is the tech who will have more of an impact on actually hair growth than the doctor.

 

Obviously for FUE cases the Techs have been taking the lead in this time consuming tedious procedure for years. It's quite common for techs to be doing the harvesting along with the implanting.

 

Even in practices where the doctor uses a rotating tool or does harvesting by hand its frequently left up to the techs to actually remove the cored out grafts from the patient and once removed they are sorted and then implanted by the techs.

 

So while the title of this thread may rub some people the wrong way the reality is you better make sure that the doctor you choose has high quality techs because they will typically have more to do with the actual hair transplant than the doctor.

[tacolinowest]

60% doc and 40% techs IMO

[Blake Bloxham]

Doug,

 

I wanted to address your question and, again, explain my slight confusion at this recent topic:

 

First, and foremost, the idea of technicians, assistants, aids, etc, playing an important role in surgical procedures is not a new idea, NOR is it exclusive to hair transplantation. Recently, several members have asked similar questions about hair transplant procedures, and continue to state how this doesn't occur in other areas of medicine and surgery. As someone involved in healthcare each and every day, I BEG to differ.

 

For every successful family practitioner, dermatologist, internist, and plastic surgeon practicing today, there is a team of assistants, nurses, technicians, physician assistants, and office staff behind him/her. I do not care how talented the physician may be, healthcare is a team-based profession, and these physicians could not survive without these individuals. Ask an emergency medicine physician what their outcomes would be like without a triage nurse, ER technicians, ER nurses, ER scribes, radiology technicians, and social workers. When these doctors catch a life threatening pulmonary embolism or find a subtle case of angina, does the team start to question whether the ECG technician should receive X amount of credit for completing a quality test or whether the radiologist should be thanked first because he read the chest CT scan? Or do they all breath a sigh of relief and relish in the positive effect on the patient?

 

Much like any other field of medicine, hair restoration is no different. Without the technicians and office staff, the hair transplant surgeon could complete about 1 procedure a week. However, when a physician selects, trains, and builds a relationship and rapport with a talented group of individuals, a team arises and together they achieve an impressive result for the patient. The number one goal of any medical/surgical procedure is a satisfactory outcome for the patient. When a healthcare team achieves this goal, why would they want to break down exactly who deserves what portion of the credit? If a hair restoration physician is treating his technicians poorly, asking them to perform work they are not legally allowed to do, or trying to take 100% of the credit without performing his/her fair share of the work, then I completely understand the sentiment. However, as I currently see it, I don't see FUE technicians starting these threads. Frankly, I think these individuals understand the importance of the team model, and are simply proud to take part in such a positive, collaborative experience.

 

What's more, please keep in mind that on top of practicing hair restoration themselves, hair transplant surgeons must also act as managers, consultants, small business owners, and accountants all at the same time. While it may seem strange to delineate some important tasks to technicians, physicians in private practices "wear a lot of hats," and training a quality team and appropriately allocating tasks is an important part of being an effective team leader.

 

Having said all that, I want to make a few things clear:

 

1. I really do feel like physicians should be the ones removing FUE grafts. Like I said before, not only do I feel like the extraction of follicular units (whether it is via FUT or FUE) is the job of the doctor, I also believe it is illegal in a variety of US states for anyone besides a physician (and likely a PA) to pierce the skin with a scalpel or punch tool.

 

2. I really respect hair transplant technicians and completely agree with the fact that modern hair transplantation simply is not possible without them. Period. No argument. However, I do think technicians are one crucial element of an important team, and I don't think trying to rate percentages of importance is a useful exercise.

 

3. Quality hair transplant surgeons recruit, train, retain, manage, and nurture quality technicians. Great hair restoration physicians understand the importance of quality technicians, and accept nothing less in their practice.

 

Again, hair restoration is a collaborative effort, and I think the entire team deserves credit. If a quality team achieves successful outcomes while remaining honest to their patients and practicing ethically, more important questions arise: Why does it mater who is more, less, or equally important? Aren't all parts of the team important? Shouldn't we celebrate positive results and respect the intricate nature of the entire hair transplant team?

[Doug Monty]

Blake,

 

I agree with almost everything you wrote.

 

I knew this was going to be a tough question to hear or answer.

 

I Understand the team approach. Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck make a great winning team. Bill calls the plays and Tom Brady gets the work done on the football field. But who is more important?

 

Anything that is not consider politically correct is not going to be termed a useful exercise.

 

However it is a very valid question for patients.

 

If the doctor stays the same, but the team members underneath him change and they are the ones doing the bulk of the work. Shouldn't the patient know this or else be prepared to ask the questions.

 

Yes doctors do wear a lot of Hats, the Hair Techs only wear one. And yes it is a team effort.

 

But every member of a team typically has a person who is the MVP.

 

Getting back to the initial subject question who is more important to hair growth, the person putting the game plan together or the person handling every single graft multiple times and then implanting?