follicular unit and grafts..difference..?

[javy123]

hi,

 

I got a quote from one of the forum's recommended surgeon's clinic of 4000 follicular units . now from what I have learned, I think 4000 follicular units = 4000 grafts but the sales executive from this reputed clinic is saying that 4000 follicular units means 2000 grafts... am I mistaken or taken for a ride..? please suggest..

[Beebz]

Grafts are a hair source I guess, a graft can have, 1, 2, 3, or even 4 hairs growing out of it. The amount of 2's and 3's tend to roughly double the amount of follicular units compared to which are just a fancy terms for hairs. They explained it to you in an odd and kind of backwards way but if this forum recommends them I think it would be cool.

[javy123]

nope.. 2,3,or 4 has the net effect on the total number of hairs not on follicular units...

Edited May 6, 2016 by javy123

[Beebz]

nope.. 2,3,or 4 has the net effect on the total number of hairs not on follicular units...

 

hmmm I see, but if that's the case then what IS the difference between a follicular unit and a graft?

[javy123]

they are the same is what I have learned...

[TakingThePlunge]

To answer your question, I'd like to begin by discussing hair transplant nomenclature as it can be somewhat vague.

 

Often, strip surgery if referred to as "follicular unit transplantation" or "FUT" as opposed to FUE which is follicular unit extraction. However, we prefer the term FUSS or follicular unit strip surgery to describe strip harvesting because, technically speaking, both FUE and strip are forms of follicular unit transplantation.

 

Follicular unit transplantation in either FUE or strip form refers to state-of-the-art implanting of hair grafts in their naturally occurring clusters of 1 to 4 hairs. These clusters are what we term a "follicular unit" or "FU".

 

By that definition, grafts and follicular units are one and the same.

 

There are instances when a hair restoration physician may opt to use some double follicular units (DFU) combined with FUs to create additional density. In such a case, you would have a difference between the number of grafts and the number of follicular units. However, this is not particularly common.

 

Edit: Fixed "state-of-the-art harvesting" to read "state-of-the-art implanting "

[Bill - Seemiller]

Follicular units should be the same thing as grafts when used today. There are different types of grafts and Dave did a pretty good job of going over some of the different terminology. That said there is a whole history of the term "grafts" and in the old days a "graft" may have referred to a mini-graft which consists of 4 to 8 hairs. Thus 2000 "grafts" in the old days was equivalent to about 8000 to 16000 hairs. The problem is, this wasn't very natural looking since hair groupings were too large and weren't made up of natural hair groupings.

 

Today's follicular unit grafting is made up of natural hair groupings of 1 to 4 hairs. The follicular units today are referred to as "grafts" by most clinics but it's always good to verify a clinic is performing follicular unit grafting, today's state of the art procedure. Now Today's strip and FUE procedures use follicular units, so they are both follicular unit transplantation (FUT) procedures. However most people today mistakenly use FUT and FUE as competing procedures when FUT encompasses both strip and FUE procedures. Thus it is more accurate to say FUT/strip vs FUT/FUE.

 

That said I am concerned that the clinic who is saying that 4000 follicular units is 2000 grafts is basically referring to a "graft" as the old minigrafts, which is long outdated. Thus, if I were you I'd verify what kind of procedure this physician is doing.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[javy123]

hi thank you guys for your excellent replies... well I have been in talks with ak clinic delhi and the surgeon is dr kapil dua. I have not talked to the doctor but I am being assigned to a salesperson who represent the clinic. I had send the pics of my scalp to this person who has forwarded this to dr. kapil dua and he said the dr said I would need around 4000FUs (FUE METHOD) and have quoted for the same. Then he added that 4000FUs = 2000 grafts. And that has been a matter of concern for me whether I am being taken for a ride here...

Edited May 6, 2016 by javy123

[ArochaHair]

Normally, 2000 grafts would also be follicular units, regardless of procedure with the average # of hairs per graft being roughly 2.3 hairs per graft for Caucasians and 1.8 hairs per graft for Asians. This means that if you are quoted 2000 grafts you can expect roughly 4000 hairs, give or a take a few hundred depending on ethnicity.

[lorenzo]

I had never heard that FU are less than grafts. I think you are being quoted per hair because that is the only thing that makes sense. This makes no sense but you definitely need to clear this up.

[Bill - Seemiller]

I'll be honest, this is confusing. Because this could go one of two ways. Either he is saying that 4000 follicular units equals 2000 mini grafts or he is for whatever reason referring to follicular units as hairs in which case the graft he is referring to is an actual follicular unit. That's the only thing that makes sense. Frankly, it sounds like the sales person is a bit confused. Either that or there some kind of misinterpretation somewhere. Dr. Dua is recommended by this community and is doing hi quality follicular unit grafting. But in terms of terminology, somebody is in explaining this to you correctly. What you need to find out is how many follicular units you will be getting. Then if you multiply that number by 2.2, that is the average number of hairs you will most likely how transplanted. Obviously that is an average it is not exact. Each follicular unit could be anywhere from 1 to 4 hairs. They are called follicular units because each unit is a hair grouping between 1 to 4 Harris as they occur naturally in the scalp. When you view the hair and your scalp under significant magnification you will see that hairs don't grow individually, they grow in groups. There is a good amount of space between each follicular unit which is why follicular units are typically extracted together rather than broken apart. Splitting a follicular unit is possible but it is very delicate work because you want to be careful not to damage or transect the follicles

 

Honestly, I would like to know who is telling you that 4000 follicular units equals 2000 grafts because I would like to contact the clinic and obtain more information. This does appear to be confusing and it is important that physicians we recommend are using correct terminology.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[javy123]

hi bill

 

I am attaching you the WhatsApp chat with this person. and I am also sending you his mobile number.

name: manoj verma

Mob. number: +919643102717

 

regards.

WhatsApp Chat with a k-clinic.txt

Edited May 6, 2016 by javy123

[gillenator]

A graft is a graft. Grafts are simply separate pieces of tissue that transport hair follicles whether there are one or more follicles within the graft. A follicular unit is something completely different.

 

IMHO, a FU (follicular unit) in it's clearest or most accurate definition is a natural hair grouping as it occurs in the scalp. A FU can compromise of a single hair, two hairs, three's, etc.

 

The so-called state of the art open donor procedure (plugs) of the nineties and earlier era was replaced with the micro-minis technology. Still, the aesthetics were not very natural and a handful of doctors such as Bernstein, Rassman, Limmer, and a few others went on and developed the FUHT procedure. The idea was to transplant FUs intact without manipulation of the FUs, meaning dissection of the FUs. Some clinics were breaking down the FUs in order to increase the graft total and superficially raise the total cost of the procedure.

 

Obviously it may be necessary to create more single hair grafts especially when there is a total hairline reconstruction case. Otherwise the objective of the FUHT procedure was to graft with the individual's FUs intact, an approach that was supposed to produce the most aesthetically pleasing result as possible.

 

So the evolved FUHT procedure was more commonly recognized as STRIP by us lay people based on the method of harvest. Yet whether we are discussing FUHT or FUE, most clinics and doctors charge by the graft regardless of how many hair follicles are in each graft.

 

When discussing pricing of the procedure, the term FU and graft are used interchangeably.

[javy123]

hi guys,

 

I have decided not to go ahead with dr kapil dua as the terminologies used by the sales person created ambiguity and so, as if now, I changed my decision

 

Thank you guys.