Price per graft: how to read the offer correctly
Price per graft sounds simple, but it can hide both good offers and traps. Here is what to look for.
Unit price vs. package price
Clinics price in one of two ways. Some charge a price per graft (for example €1.50-3 per graft), others sell packages with a fixed number for a total price. Both models can be fair, or misleading, depending on how they are used.
A unit price gives transparency if the graft count is honestly stated. A package price gives predictability, but risks concealing the fact that your real requirement is higher than the package figure.
The danger of "free" grafts
Beware of packages that tempt with a high, "free" graft count ("5 000 grafts at a fixed price!"). More grafts are only an advantage if they are actually necessary, placed with care and survive. An inflated graft figure can even be harmful: it can require over-harvesting of the donor area, which permanently thins the back of the head.
An impressively large package is not a good offer if it costs you your donor reserve.
What is actually being counted?
A central question: is the clinic counting grafts or hairs? A graft contains 1-4 hairs, so "4 000 grafts" can mean anything from 5 000 to 10 000 actual hairs. Some clinics deliberately blur the terms to make the numbers sound better.
Ask for a clear answer: how many grafts, and what is the expected number of hairs? Otherwise you are comparing apples with oranges.
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The survival rate is the hidden factor
The most important, and least discussed, variable is graft survival: how many of the follicles you pay for actually grow. A skilled clinic with gentle extraction, a short time outside the body and precise implantation can achieve very high survival. A production line clinic with a tired team can lose a large proportion.
A low unit price means nothing if only half the grafts grow. 3 000 well placed grafts beat 5 000 poorly placed ones.
Quality per graft is the key
The conclusion: what determines the value is not the unit price, but how many of the grafts you pay for survive and are placed naturally. That is why few patients per day, permanent (not freelance) staff and an experienced surgeon matter more than the nominal figure on the offer.
See the relationship between price, quality and result in choosing a clinic, and get help assessing a specific offer by writing to us.
How to compare offers fairly
To compare two offers fairly you have to reduce them to the same basis. Ask both clinics about: the expected graft requirement for your particular situation, the expected number of hairs (not just grafts), what the total price covers, and what could make the price rise. Otherwise you are comparing a "from" figure against a real total price.
Be particularly wary of offers that are markedly cheaper than the rest, as that often reflects production line operations, inexperienced technicians or planned upselling on the day of surgery. See how price relates to quality and survival in choosing a clinic.
© IdealofMeD Research Academy. Republished with permission.
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