Regular Member jimdee Posted February 14, 2007 Regular Member Share Posted February 14, 2007 I'm not entirely schooled on hair transplantation techniques but I had heard that some surgeons like to do combination grafting where they use follicular units in the bare or very thin areas and double follicular units where the hair is thinning but not as barren. This method supposedly reduces costs but also provides for better coverage in the long term. Any thoughts or comments? Pat, have you heard this from any surgeons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member jimdee Posted February 14, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 14, 2007 I'm not entirely schooled on hair transplantation techniques but I had heard that some surgeons like to do combination grafting where they use follicular units in the bare or very thin areas and double follicular units where the hair is thinning but not as barren. This method supposedly reduces costs but also provides for better coverage in the long term. Any thoughts or comments? Pat, have you heard this from any surgeons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 jimdee, Good question: Firstly, I recommend that you read the entire thread of discussion posted in the link below between many members and Paul Shapiro who uses DFUs on some patients when appropriate. http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/746...751082382#7751082382 Just IMO, I believe, as Dr. Paul Shapiro does, that DFUs can be beneficial at times, however, should not be used in over abundance. Using an over-abundant supply of DFUs will most likely cause a pluggy look. I believe Dr. Paul Shapiro uses these artistically, however, there are other doctors that have been discussed (I believe Dr. Chang was one) where it seems his over-abundant use of what he called Muliti-grafts (essentially the same thing as a Double Follicular Unit) produced a less natural look and minimized/eliminated the possibility of dense packing. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Jotronic Posted February 14, 2007 Senior Member Share Posted February 14, 2007 One way to reduce the chance of a pluggy look is to simply not use dfu's. If one uses blades that are small enough then two double hair fu's placed closely enough together should do the trick. DFU's, in my opinion, are no different than mini grafts. The Truth is in The Results Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Jotronic, I think DFU's in it as themselves would be very similar if not the same as mini-grafts, however, I think Paul Shapiro validates pretty well that they can be used in small quantities to produce quality results. Now comparing one DFU to 2 FUs packed closely together...is there a difference? I'm not fully convinced that there is one, however, Paul Shapiro does make some good points in the thread above worth considering. IMO, however, I don't hold a strong opinion either way as long as DFUS are not used in over abundance potentially creating a pluggy look like mini-grafting. It's probably a case of 6 and 1/2 a dozen in the other the way Dr. Paul does it...however, the benefits for use of a few DFUs here and there (potentially less trauma to the scalp - less incisions and a lower price if the doctor charges the same price for a DFU as he would an FU). Bill Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HK500 Posted February 14, 2007 Senior Member Share Posted February 14, 2007 Fascinating discussion, nice going guys. My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Siporin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member the B spot Posted February 14, 2007 Senior Member Share Posted February 14, 2007 This is an interesting discussion! Anyway, my opinion is this--- if used properly DFU's can help creat the illusion of more coverage, without being pluggy. The 2 immediate benefits that I see is fewer incisions and lower cost----- So if 2-2 hair grafts placed in close proximity create the same result as a 4 hair DFU, what is the difference? In the hands of a top Doc a properly trimmed 3-4 hair graft is advantgeous to helping present the illusion of greater density. Also, I think it is pretty obvious that a 4 hair DFU that requires an incision of 1-1.1mm takes up less space than 2-2hair grafts spaced .5-.6mm apart, with each 2 hair graft requiring .6-.7mm incisions. That is a total area of 1.1 mm for the DFU and a total area of 1.7-2mm for 2-2hair grafts. Even if the DFU required a slightly larger incision, the fact is we cannot get 2- 2hair grafts closer than mother nature can. Less area and more hair? Oh, and I don't get charged for extra "grafts?" Of course, this leads into actual density using all 1's and 2's versus using 3's and 4's in addition to 1's and 2's. I think it comes to down to choice/philosophy on a Dr. by Dr. case and it is the responsibility of the INFORMED patient to assess this and move forward. Joe is right about one thing--- in the hands of the wrong Dr. a DFU would look pluggy or odd. The good thing here is that we are talking about some of the best Dr's. Patients SHOULD know the difference. Go Cubs! 6721 transplanted grafts 13,906 hairs Performed by Dr. Ron Shapiro Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member nobuzz4me Posted February 14, 2007 Senior Member Share Posted February 14, 2007 Just my two cents from a guy who has gotten plugs in the past, I would avoid this approach if you can afford to do so. If this is a cost issue, than it might make some sense, but I personaly would not want this done. (I am by no means comparing this to plugs, just having suffered with them, this sounds scary to me) I think that 2 / 2 hair fu's placed in the same incision is different from two seperate closely aligned incisions. This approach to me seems like a step backwards in Ultra - Refined HT. If a guy's donor is heavy with 1 and 2 hair fu's, he has limited donor density anyway and may never acheive full coveage. This method may give more density in some areas but not full coverage. Patients choice here though. Make the extra incision and place the extra graft, whats the big deal, to save a few $$$, in the hands of the wrong Doctors this could method may turn out bad for some unsuspecting newbies. Good discussion, I would like to know if this method is being used at Bosely or MHR????? NoBuzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member jimdee Posted February 16, 2007 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 16, 2007 Thank you boys. Some really great insights!! I appreciate the thoughtful responses. I've got two consultations coming up. I'll let you know what I decide -- and the results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now