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The role technicians play during a hair transplant procedure seems pretty important. How can I make sure prior to surgery that the technicians are skilled and experienced enough to be handling my grafts?

This insightful answer was provided  by Dr. William Lindsey of Reston, VA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

The issue of hair transplant technicians placing grafts is certainly an important one. Last year I posted pictures on this network of how we train our techs: first on pickles, then on fruit. Ask your hair transplant surgeon how experienced the graft placers are when you are there for a consultation. Better yet, as we try to do, have your potential doctor show you a case in progress and spend a few minutes watching how the techs place.

Before I had enough skilled placers, I used to place at least half the grafts, then a third, and now I do a few to give breaks and come in at the end to look for empty spots. That’s not entirely because I don’t want to place anymore, but rather I have found a group of small-handed females who are better and faster than me at placing. In the end, I believe the hair transplant patient gets a better result.

When we move a tech up from placing on fruit to a patient’s scalp, they start on the crown at the beginning of the case, and are supervised directly by me or the lead tech. We let them work for 10 minutes, then the regulars take over. A critical review of progress is done and some folks just can never “get it”. For example, we have one male cutter. He’s the best I have in terms of speed and quality of grafts– and he is undestractable. I’ve had him practice on fruit for a year and when it comes to trying on a hair transplant patient, he just can’t do it. But as a cutter, he does the work of 1.8 techs!

Just ask your hair restoration physician how they pick their graft cutters. Most of the established folks will have a rhyme and reason and will be up front about this issue.

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Anthony – Editorial Assistant / Forum Co-Moderator of the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.
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