How Will You Calculate The Required Number Of Grafts In Hair Transplant In Your Case?

“How will you calculate the required number of grafts in Hair Transplant in your case?”

Secret revealed by Hair Transplant Surgeon@ Atodaria Hair Transplant & Cosmetic Surgery Center, Surat, Gujarat, India.

The total cost of hair transplant depends on the number of hair follicles/grafts implanted in bald or balding area/s, so it is very important for patients to know the required number of hair follicles/grafts to cover their bald/thinning area/s. Most of the clinics give the required number of follicles/grafts by just looking at the baldness but correct way of calculating the required number is as follow:

To calculate the required number of hair follicular units, mark the area in which you want hair transplant to be done. Then put a transparent gelatin sheet over scalp & draw the marked area once again on the gelatin sheet. Then put the gelatin sheet on graph paper to calculate the number of square centimeter as you can see in below photographs.

Depending upon the availability versus requirement ratio, 40 to 50 hair follicles per square centimeter are transplanted for reasonably good density. If you have some hairs present in the area [e.g. in Diffuse thinning of hairs], where you want a hair transplant, then the density can be reduced depending upon the number of hairs present in the concerned area as you can see in below photographs.

In anterior hair line area ( up to 2 to 3 cm. zone), we can give more density –even up to 50 to 60 per square centimeter[Please see below photograph]. You should definitely asked the surgeon how he/she will calculate the density.

Then next question is “How to know or calculate the Density? “

Density means number of hair follicles/grafts implanted in a square centimeter. Usually in normal individual, density of hair follicles in scalp is ranging from 65 to 100 in Indian. Recommended density in transplanted area varies between  40 to 60 depending upon many factors. For each graft one slit or hole has to be made by a knife or needle.

It is a difficult procedure to make 2500 to 5000 slits/holes at the desired distance keeping desired angle, direction & depth. To overcome these difficulties Dr. Pradip Atodaria from Surat has invented an instrument – Multiple Slit Knife [MSK] to create slits for hair transplant which is very accurate in calculating density. It is also very precise in terms of direction, depth & distance kept between two slits & two rows of slits. The MSK can give density ranging from 20 to 70/sq.cm.. The MSK instrument can make 3000 slits in just 10 minute time; thereby it saves lot of time & reduces the “Out of Body time of hair Graft” & thereby increases the chances of survival of transplanted hairs.

This research work of Dr. Atodaria’s Multi Slit Knife [MSK]  has been published in the journal of International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons[ISHRS] in July 2014