Is this dishonest?

[andieje]

Hello

If you were told by a hair transplant clinic that it was not possble to transplant more than 45 FUs per cm^2 due to limited blood supply, would you consider this to be dishonest or disingenuous? Clearly it is possible to transplant at a higher density than this as clinics do this on a regular basis.

what would you think of a clinic that gave you this information? would you be happy for that clinic to participate in this forum?

thanks

 

[Bigmac]

I would not consider this dishonest, just the approach of said clinic for whatever reason.

This is why the forum is here, you can educate yourself, consult with as many doctors you need until you find the one thats right for you.

 

[janna]

I don't think it's dishonesty either. It's what they believe to be optimal density to transplant to maximize yield. There are many studies that prove this argument. And "to dense pack and not to dense pack" is an ongoing hot topic among ht physicians.

You can turn this around to clinics who say they can do 70/80 grafts per cm2. Just because you can make incisions and plant close enough doesn't mean it should be done. Sometimes it works out just fine to dense pack and sometimes it doesn't. The question then is when is it fine and are you willing to risk your limited donor supply that it will work on you???????

 

[andieje]

Hi Janna,

On that grounds wouldn't you consider it more appropriate to say: 'it is possible to pack hairs at a higher density but we believe that the best yield is obtained from a density of 45 FU cm^-2. Also packing at this desnity maximises the potential of your donor hair etc etc"

It seems misleading to me to say it isn't possible.

YOu may consider this to be pedantic over semantics but I think it is very important for a person considering a hair transplant to have faith and trust in a surgeon. I think transparency of information is crucial.

 

[andieje]

@bigmac: rightly or wrongly, doctors or surgeons are generally highly respected in society. Many people would not consider the need to educate themselves further after hearing the opinion of a surgeon. They may take it as truth. This makes it critically important in my opinion for hair transplant clinics to be open and clear with information as possible

 

[janna]

Could it be that this ht doc you question is only capable of transplanting 45 graft/cm2 due to his and his team's skills? I'd prefer a physician who acknowledges his or his work limitations rather than arrogance that anything is achievable when in reality it really isn't.

One thing we should clarify is that since you are a female, you have to consider that the recipient area (native hairs) is not going to be cut or shaved down. This alone limits the density achievable. I would say at our clinic 45 grafts per cm2 is generally the upper limit for density at the top behind the hairline because the grafts generally consists of 2, 3, and 4 hairs. 45 grafts isn't just 45 hairs unless you're referring to the very front hairline. If you have 45 x 2 hair grafts, or 45 x 3 hair grafts, or 45 x 4, you get 90 hairs per cm2 with just the two hair grafts..... Therefore, we typically plant at less than 45 at the back behind the hairline.

Although, I understand what you're saying - stating something as impossible isn't correct but I still have a hard time saying it's dishonest.

 

[andieje]

Hi Janna - i don't know if that is the limit of the HT doc's skills. If that was the case I would have preferred to have been told that rather than a higher density isn't possible. And bear in mind I asked the direct question too (why can't you do a higher density? - answer - it's not possible).

Anyhow, I ask because it put me off using this particular clinic because I thought they misrepresented the facts (perhaps dishonesty is too strong). I was just wondering if I was being too harsh hence the question

 

[andieje]

And on a related note, I think it's really difficult not to be deterred from using a clinic if you don't like/respect the rep/customer service advisors who are the front men for the clinic. Even though these aren't the people do the surgery they are still ambassadors for the clinic and I think they should endeavour to be knowledgeable, efficient and infinitely patient with compassion for your situation. Let's be fair, who wants to be in a position of spending thousands on a procedure which may not work or could look absurd if it goes wrong. I'm not sure why the 'front men' don't have more empathy for this.

 

[janna]

andieje wrote:

And on a related note, I think it's really difficult not to be deterred from using a clinic if you don't like/respect the rep/customer service advisors who are the front men for the clinic.

I absolutely agree...... And, it's absolutely essential for you as a patient to feel comfortable with everyone at the clinic - from front to back and top to bottom.

 

[topccat29]

If a clinic employs someone who is not empathetic to the needs of the patient and this would also include the doctor why would anyone choose such a clinic? It €™s clearly an indication of how much thought the clinic has put into their hiring process. If it is so lax then what other areas are lax and should be cause for concern. In my book it €™s a giant red flag and I have consulted with many of those types of clinics in the past and simply kept researching.

 

[andieje]

Hi Janna, I hope you are still following this thread. In one of your previous comments you said that perhaps the clinic I was referring to only transplants hair at the specified density due to the skills of the team. I was wondering about what 'skills' could limit the achievable density and hoped you could shed some light.

I presume the size of the team could make a difference as you can only transplant as many hairs as you can prepare?

I was also wondering if the equipment made a difference. Should I be researching, for example, what 'gauge' needles a clinic uses. As a random example I looked at the Farjo clinic and they use 'a variety of needles or tiny blades measuring 0.7 €“ 1.1 mm.'

Are there any other factors I should be taking into consideration about the clinic/team from a procedural point of view?

Thank you for your input