Surat (Gujarat) [India], March 11:  Dr. Pradip Atodaria, a well-known cosmetic and plastic surgeon in Surat, has invented two devices that are proving to be a boon for hair transplant clients and hair transplant surgeons, as the devices count the exact number of transplanted hair follicles.  Dr. Atodaria has also published his work in an international journal and applied for a patent.

The cost of hair transplant is usually determined according to the number of hairs or roots transplanted on the head. It is not possible for a client to calculate, making it easy to deceive the patient.

Dr. Atodaria believes that today, not only in Surat, Gujarat, or India, but around 40% to 50% of hair transplant clinics across the world are run by only technicians, where hardly any plastic surgeon or qualified doctor is involved. The important steps of hair transplant procedures like harvesting hair follicles, making holes for implanting harvested hair roots is done by the surgeon only and implantation can be done by technicians under the supervision of the surgeon. In many hair transplant centers around the world including Surat, doctors delegate most of the procedures to technicians. It is unfair and illegal, with a possibility of the patient being deceived. Also the number of hairs & roots transplanted is wrongly quoted. To eliminate this possibility completely, I have invented the two devices,” said Dr. Atodaria.

1.Smart Storage Device

This device arranges the hair roots in a very precise order so that the number and quality of one, two, three, or more hair roots can be easily identified without damaging the hair. All grafts are ergonomically arranged in chronological order by only one-time handling which makes the implantation of hair easy. The patient can see for himself how many roots have been harvested.  The patient can see it in pictures. Only one technician is required to calculate individual and total number.

2.Slit Counting Device:

It is necessary to make a hole to implant the harvested hair root. The invented device can hold knife, needle and multiple knives. Moreover, sagittal and coronal slits are possible. Slits for single, double, and multiple hair roots can be counted separately. The number of created hole is counted & visible to the patient in real time on the digital counter which is placed in front of the patient. A buzzer notifies you when the number is exhausted. Thus, l there is no possibility of cheating anyway.

Dr. Atodaria proudly said that his research has been published in the International Journal of Hair Transplantation (ISHRS) in January 2024. This device is a boon for novice hair transplant surgeons. He also has presented his work at the FUEASIA 2024 conference. Also, the inventions have been registered for a patent in India. Other than these, his two instruments for hair transplants have been granted “Patent” by Indian Patent office.