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RO Duration is an output, not a setting. Nobody decides how long a procedure will take; it falls out of the graft number, how difficult the donor is to work, how many trained people are on the table, and how much of the scalp was left unshaven. Two clinics quoting different hours for the same graft count are describing different combinations of those four things.
| Factor | Effect on the clock |
|---|---|
| Graft number | The dominant factor; roughly linear |
| Donor difficulty | Curly, fine or scarred tissue slows extraction |
| Team size | More trained hands shorten placement, not extraction |
| Unshaven work | Adds substantially at every stage |
A shorter day is not automatically better. Time can be cut by rushing extraction, skipping graft inspection, or placing without care — and each of those buys hours at the cost of yield. Speed is only a virtue when it comes from organisation.
Nor is a longer day. Every additional hour lengthens the interval the earliest grafts spend outside the body and works against the accuracy of the people doing the placing. A well-run long session manages both; a badly run one simply lasts.
Breaks are part of it. The published figure usually covers surgical time only, while the day itself includes preparation, anaesthesia, meals and position changes.
Related terms
For what the whole day looks like from arrival, see the hair transplant journey. For what to do beforehand, see hair transplant preparation.
