Scalp extractions

[Stewie]

So I have just finished what I think is more than likely my final HT, and whilst bored lying down having grafts extracted, I noticed on the board as the technician was about to start another session on extractions that he had 662 left to go, so I counted each drill/extraction as he went along and got to 532 as he took a break, when asked how many he had extracted by another team member to update the board he said 300

has this happened to anyone else and is there a reason for the 232 discrepancy? it was at a top clinic with a highly skilled technician, so I dont think anything dodgy was happening, and whilst I might of been off by a few numbers here and there, I was not off by 232?

[Al - Moderator]

The number of extractions is going to be more than the number of actual grafts because they are extraction ATTEMPTS. Some of the attempts will not get a graft out. There could be some transection. Usually those hairs will grow back as the follicle root is still intact under the surface of the skin. Then the techs could also have been still counting how many they had when you asked for the number, so it may not have been all of them.

I can tell you how the process works at Dr Dorin's office. While they are extracting grafts they would give them to the techs maybe 20 to 25 at a time. The techs start looking at them all in the next room. So even when extractions are done or they take a break to see how many they have, it can take a little while for the techs to finish checking them all, so the count of grafts will be much lower than the extractions at first, but they updated the count on the board a few times as they counted up all the grafts.

So in your case, when they said they had 300, that could have just been what they had counted as good grafts so far and may still have been looking at more of them and maybe update the count again 10 or 15 minutes later. Remember also as I said that the extraction attempts will also be more than the actual grafts handed to the techs to check.

I hope that all made sense.

 

[Stewie]

No the attempts make sense, but also scary, as for such a difference I hope the attempts all grow back as to get 300 hairs out of near 600 attempts, I don't want to lose 300 hairs from attempts all being well, as then this is how donors get destroyed I guess?