How do you know you are getting the grafts you have paid for?

[Kiwi Guy]

Hey guys,

So scrolling through this site for months and researching all the various HT results one thing I find myself thinking is "is that really the amount of grafts that person paid for?". Often times I see photo's post surgery where someone paid for X amount of grafts and it just doesn't look like it's near the amount they have stated they paid for. This might just be a case of my untrained eye but it still concerns me being that we are paying top dollar for these procedures. So my question is... what confirmation is there that you are getting the grafts you paid for or do you literally just have to trust the clinic has implanted the amount you paid for?

[Markee]

I like it good question 

[PGDMMB]

Good question and the clinics charge you for some exact figures e.g: 2571 grafts

[bman3082]

yes would like an answer to this question as well as mine certainly looks nothing like what I paid for 5 months out. Worst feeling in the world

[SBSinNYC]

It‘s a good question, but if you can‘t trust your doctor to correctly account for the number of grafts, then you certainly shouldn‘t trust him to slice open your skull.  

In my case, the final count was below the initial estimate by about 100 grafts and I was refunded the difference.  I would have never known if not told.  

[Markee]

1 hour ago, literalno said:

yes would like an answer to this question as well as mine certainly looks nothing like what I paid for 5 months out. Worst feeling in the world

Literaino Whats going on there your almost at the 6 month point ?

[hairlossPA]

i feel like it’s a little more definitive for FUT. FUE i can see the numbers mismatching 

[LaserCap]

Trust is a big component.  But there are a few more things to consider.......Review tons of photos....Notice graft numbers and the density achieved with said number.  Also, quality of hair.  Fine, light hair will typically look more natural but you need a greater quantity to achieve the density of someone with similar numbers but with coarser hair.  Next density.  Given the instructions of the doctor to his staff, the staff could double up grafts per site.  This will provide more density, particularly going farther back into the pattern. A comprehensive conversation with the consultant and the doctor are very important, particularly during the initial consultation.  Lastly, look at the place, location, equipment...There is a reason for all these things.

[Kiwi Guy]

3 hours ago, LaserCap said:

Trust is a big component.  But there are a few more things to consider.......Review tons of photos....Notice graft numbers and the density achieved with said number.  Also, quality of hair.  Fine, light hair will typically look more natural but you need a greater quantity to achieve the density of someone with similar numbers but with coarser hair.  Next density.  Given the instructions of the doctor to his staff, the staff could double up grafts per site.  This will provide more density, particularly going farther back into the pattern. A comprehensive conversation with the consultant and the doctor are very important, particularly during the initial consultation.  Lastly, look at the place, location, equipment...There is a reason for all these things.

Really good points made here, so a lot of it still comes down to trust in spite of the amount of money we are paying for these HT's... so it's far from an exact science. I guess that's just the nature of this particular industry right now. I've seen some footage of Erdogans team counting as each graft is extracted so I was wondering if this was industry standard or not. I hope some of the other seasoned HT patients on the forum chime in so we can get some more definitive opinions as well.

[Markee]

Trust no one this is a big money grab 

[Melvin- Admin]

A graft break down. Meaning how many 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and 4 hair follicular units made up your graft count.

I disagree Markee, while money is a big propenent to anything in life, it is not everything. I’m sure the feeling of changing someones life is as satisfying as money, but it lasts a lot longer. In many aspects, it’s an accomplishment, much like an artist to a painting. It’s something they can point to and say that’s my work. 

[LonelyGraft]

I guess if you really wanted to you could take high def pics before your crusts fall off and count them individually?

[Kiwi Guy]

3 hours ago, jj51702 said:

I guess if you really wanted to you could take high def pics before your crusts fall off and count them individually?

yeah i was thinking this jj5... definitely worth doing.

[Kiwi Guy]

5 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

A graft break down. Meaning how many 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and 4 hair follicular units made up your graft count.

I disagree Markee, while money is a big propenent to anything in life, it is not everything. I’m sure the feeling of changing someones life is as satisfying as money, but it lasts a lot longer. In many aspects, it’s an accomplishment, much like an artist to a painting. It’s something they can point to and say that’s my work. 

Yeah there is a component of artistry in the best hair transplant surgeons that's for sure... good point Melvin.

[PGDMMB]

On 1/3/2019 at 7:38 AM, literalno said:

yes would like an answer to this question as well as mine certainly looks nothing like what I paid for 5 months out. Worst feeling in the world

Who was your surgeon bro?

[gillenator]

The clinics should be charting the graft numbers regarding the size, numbers, and exact placement location of the recipient area.

Every patient should be asking about this before the procedure starts and insisting the numbers are being charted...then go over the numbers with the doctor/staff before you leave the clinic.

There's no reason they cannot provide this for every patient.

[Kiwi Guy]

7 hours ago, gillenator said:

The clinics should be charting the graft numbers regarding the size, numbers, and exact placement location of the recipient area.

Every patient should be asking about this before the procedure starts and insisting the numbers are being charted...then go over the numbers with the doctor/staff before you leave the clinic.

There's no reason they cannot provide this for every patient.

Oh ok so this is industry standard or does it vary from clinic to clinic? This is definitely something I will ask the clinic when I do my consults. Cheers Gill.

[Betterhair]

A count sheet or chart sheet obviously documents the work , which in turn is filed for future reference which benefits everyone if an issue were to arise. I never requested or asked about it, simply assuming their expertise was in check. Good point to raise, since the fee is based on per graft , hence the grand total. This is such a meticulous procedure in and of itself and I would think the graft sheet would be the norm.

[home1212]

if you believe that you can't trust your doctor's own graft count sheet, you probably shouldn't be getting surgery because you're putting way more at risk in the hands of that surgeon than simply if he/she cheats you out of a few hundred grafts - at the end of the day we are all taking a leap of faith with surgery, albeit a calculated risk, but I tend to believe the vast majority of doctors are ethical and honest to their patients - the bad ones ultimately weed themselves out with their bad behavior 

Edited January 6, 2019 by home1212

[Kiwi Guy]

On 1/6/2019 at 1:32 PM, made2care said:

A count sheet or chart sheet obviously documents the work , which in turn is filed for future reference which benefits everyone if an issue were to arise. I never requested or asked about it, simply assuming their expertise was in check. Good point to raise, since the fee is based on per graft , hence the grand total. This is such a meticulous procedure in and of itself and I would think the graft sheet would be the norm.

I'd never heard of an actual count/ chart sheet before so thank you for that info, that actually makes sense that they would file it for future reference as well due to subsequent procedures.

[Kiwi Guy]

On 1/7/2019 at 4:56 AM, home1212 said:

if you believe that you can't trust your doctor's own graft count sheet, you probably shouldn't be getting surgery because you're putting way more at risk in the hands of that surgeon than simply if he/she cheats you out of a few hundred grafts - at the end of the day we are all taking a leap of faith with surgery, albeit a calculated risk, but I tend to believe the vast majority of doctors are ethical and honest to their patients - the bad ones ultimately weed themselves out with their bad behavior 

Great points raised here in regards to the fact you are putting far more at risk than just a few hundred grafts and also that the unethical doctors would naturally weed themselves out over time with bad experiences and poor results - appreciate the input : )

[gillenator]

Believe it or not, not all clinics chart the graft numbers...some just make approximations without actually counting the exact number of grafts they place.

Every now and then someone will post their result stating they had a certain number of grafts done and yet it is very obvious that was not the case.

The procedure is a huge investment and there is nothing wrong with insisting that a definite count and tracking of the grafts is done.