Appropriate Graft Numbers

I was told by my doctor that I need 3000-4000 grafts, but it would take at least 3 surgeries. He said that their maximum per day is 1000-1200 grafts. He said that limiting the number of grafts is better for graft growth and for patient comfort, since each surgery will take 7 or 8 hours. What do you think?

In your doctor’s hand, if his comfortable number is 1000-1200 grafts, than that is what he should do. Seven hours of surgery is a lot, so the number he is quoting is reasonable for him. In our practice, we often perform 3000-4000 grafts in a single session and it takes usually about 5 hours or so. The reason we can do this is because:

1. We have been doing megasessions for 13 years, originating the technique back in 1992.
2. We have very experienced team members who do this every day. Many of our staff have been with us for up to 10 years.
3. Our staff is very efficient. Having enough efficient staff allow us to do more work in less time than most medical groups.
4. Better growth reflects the issues of quality control and the time it takes to get the grafts into their recipient site. Keeping them out of solution for more than a few seconds, damages the grafts during the placement process.

In conclusion, three sessions of 1200 grafts moves the same amount of hair as one session of 3600 grafts, but it would not be in your best interest to push your doctor’s estimate of what he will transplant in one session for it will, almost certainly, reduce graft growth in his hands.