What happens if your surgeon realises you need more grafts on the day?

[HelpfulFriend]

This is more relevant to those of us travelling internationally for a HT.

A lot of people say that a true assessment can only be made in person, and that despite pictures, video-calls, etc - the real number of grafts can change when you get in the chair.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever had this happen?

E.g. what if the surgeon realises that you need more grafts than estimated? Perhaps there's more thinning than was obvious in photos, etc.

You've already paid, so they can't really adjust their estimate one would assume.

Do you simply get your number of grafts and then book a follow up down the track?

I'm travelling from Aus to USA, and it's something I've been thinking about.

[Jayson1361]

I feel like this is especially relevant for those on a year waiting list after consultation. 

[Grant]

I was quoted 2200-2400

on video call

but ended up with 2650

no extra cost at the time 

[SeanT1]

You should always save up more than you need.  Anything could happen abroad.

 

[NARMAK]

I actually got told i'd need a little less than estimated for by the 200 grafts but that's predominantly because i wanted to be more aggressive for the hairline and went for the highest estimate and added additionally to the estimate. 

However, i think usually this is because of you not having an in person consultation so my view is that in those situations you should probably budget on average 20-25% more just in case or make an agreement with the clinic in advance that if that situation arises, they can accommodate you perhaps making a later payment under a plan, but personally i think that would be incredibly difficult and more likely they'll tell you to save up more money and re-arrange in a polite way. 

[Gatsby]

Good question @HelpfulFriend. Before I left Australia to have surgery at Eugenix I was very dubious that I was really a candidate for surgery. I was prepared to cancel the surgery then and there in person if they believed I didn't have enough scalp grafts. And I would have. This surgery is forever and no one should ever feel pressured into going ahead with it once you have traveled from overseas. I read this time and time again with patients who wish they had cancelled their surgery after being told a different story once in the chair.

[HelpfulFriend]

2 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Good question @HelpfulFriend. Before I left Australia to have surgery at Eugenix I was very dubious that I was really a candidate for surgery. I was prepared to cancel the surgery then and there in person if they believed I didn't have enough scalp grafts. And I would have. This surgery is forever and no one should ever feel pressured into going ahead with it once you have traveled from overseas. I read this time and time again with patients who wish they had cancelled their surgery after being told a different story once in the chair.

This is a great point. I was wondering about this, and hope I'd have the strength to do this. E.g. if the grafts I've paid for aren't enough to cover the area, then it would be a bad idea to proceed and do only a portion.

Good on you for having the presence of mind to consider this going in, it's a difficult concept to grapple with 

[Xanadu]

2 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Good question @HelpfulFriend. Before I left Australia to have surgery at Eugenix I was very dubious that I was really a candidate for surgery. I was prepared to cancel the surgery then and there in person if they believed I didn't have enough scalp grafts. And I would have. This surgery is forever and no one should ever feel pressured into going ahead with it once you have traveled from overseas. I read this time and time again with patients who wish they had cancelled their surgery after being told a different story once in the chair.

Hi mate. Is there a way to easily find your own results from your profile? 

Maybe consider adding a link like many others have done.

 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@HelpfulFriend,

Graft estimates a patient receives during a virtual or even an in-person consultation, especially if performed by anyone other than the surgeon are simply that…estimates.  Hopefully, the clinic will explain that whatever number they give you is simply an estimate and that the actual number of follicular units required and harvested on the day of surgery may be a little different than what was estimated.

Now, I highly doubt the estimate will be so far off that the number needed will be substantially more or less than what was discussed during the consultation. I suppose it could happen depending on certain variables but usually the estimate is pretty close.

That said, policies vary from clinic to clinic but in some cases, if you end up receiving a few more grafts than estimated, you might end up getting those for free.  If the difference is substantial, you’ll likely be asked to pay the difference on the day of surgery.

All of that to say, all of these policies should be explained to you prior to the day of surgery. In other words, there should be no surprises and/or additional costs that you weren’t expecting going into it.  

There are sometimes cases where a surgeon realizes that they can’t harvest as many as anticipated in which case, you will be refunded for the difference.  This can happen if the donor area appears much thinner in person than it did during a virtual consultation, etc.

The above is exactly why it’s highly important that patients are 100% honest with a surgeon and as much as it’s tempting to try to make your hair appear fuller and thicker during a virtual consultation, it’s important that they see reality and what it really looks like so that they can provide you with the most accurate assessment they can over video.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Edited November 5, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[HappyMan2021]

If time is not an issue, then the doctor can still implant the additional grafts and charge you for them.

Tell your doctor before surgery that you want him to be liberal with the graft count. At least when I had my last surgery with Dr Mwamba, part of the intake form gives options if you want to follow the pre-op graft estimate to a T, or allow the doctor to use as many grafts as possible.

Wjatever the estimated cost of surgery is, budget for another 5 or even 10k, so you have all your bases covered. 

This is another reason to go to an elite surgeon as opposed to a hack charlatan. 

An elite doctor will already factor in the unknowns of surgery. Whereas an amateur hack is more likely to undercount the grafts needed and just kick you to the curb.

[Fox243]

10 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Good question @HelpfulFriend. Before I left Australia to have surgery at Eugenix I was very dubious that I was really a candidate for surgery. I was prepared to cancel the surgery then and there in person if they believed I didn't have enough scalp grafts. And I would have. This surgery is forever and no one should ever feel pressured into going ahead with it once you have traveled from overseas. I read this time and time again with patients who wish they had cancelled their surgery after being told a different story once in the chair.

This is a separate question, but if you were a candidate, then why wouldn't almost anyone else? You were a victim of the worst of hair transplants several years ago, and lost a lot of viable grafts from it. I was told by a doctor that actually most people that appear before him are candidates for surgery, as long as they have realistic expectations (i.e. going from a NW7 -> NW3 but not to a NW1).

[Doron Harati]

Grafts estimations most of the times are what you'll get in the procedure, in very few cases you may get more around 100-200 grafts, but sometimes a surgeon can't harvest as much as anticipated, for instance on my 2nd repair (had 3 HTs), I aimed for 3000 grafts, instead I had 2550 grafts due the complexity of my case with conservative approach, since I was botched terribly on my 1st procedure by a hair mill.

In general most of the times you'll get what the clinic estimated.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Doron Harati