Blake Bloxham

Can we still be friends if I'm a Fender -- and hopefully one day a PRS -- man who like VOX amps? And why do I feel like we need to form an HTN band? Voxman and the follicular unit graft band?

No problem! We look forward to sharing more mFUE content/cases soon as well!

2014, Dr Feller tried an "mStrip" or "mFUSS" approach in the past. He literally took out small little strips from various different areas of the scalp with a scalpel and closed them up. He was unhappy with the scarring and abandoned the idea. This is a modified strip approach. And it's not what we do with mFUE. We utilize a punch tool to remove FUGs from the safe donor region to perform Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation via a non-strip method. The technique was also created as a way to perform FUE on a patient with a wrecked donor and no real chance with traditional FUE. Hence, modified FUE. Don't know what else to call it. Haha.

Where did Dr L say the extractions were not more difficult? What was the yield of these subsequent procedures? How do we know there were not more attempts made to failed deliveries? How do we know how many grafts were wanted versus how many they were actually able to extract? So, you're free to disagree, but this isn't evidence to the contrary.

Adonix, The subcutaneous scarring is simply physiology. I've explained it -- with diagrams -- many times. It happens, and one person saying it doesn't isn't proof. Until we have a decent "N," I think, as you stated, we should "avoid such claims."

Joe, Good point. Another good example of compressive damage from a mishap.

Joe, It could happen with FUSS if techs mishandled the grafts and caused compressive damage during placement. However, this would be an avoidable situation with strip, whereas it's something that can happen even with the most careful extraction in FUE. Look forward to seeing some of the new content!

On top, Haha. You're right, I do love it! I'm sure there will be disagreement from those who only practice FUE, but London is a patient telling you first hand: it happens. Not every time, but it does happen. It's not really dependent on the surgeon either. I've seen it happen with the best. It's an inherent issue with the technique. Grafts -- strip and FUE -- grow wiry in the first 9 months because of distortion of the inner portion of the follicle. With time, the pieces fall back into the right place and this resolves. However, if there is permanent distortion from damage, it will grow this way even after the 12 month mark. Doesn't happen everything every time, doesn't happen to every follicle, but it is something that can occur.

London, I'm always available to Skype if you do have any questions or would like to go over things. I'm going to be at the office Thursday. I'll go over all the images and videos you sent with Dr Feller at that time.

Gbh, Pretty much nailed it. Feel free to ask any additional questions

Cali, Are there multiple people extracting at once? Who performs the extractions? If there were multiple people extracting -- meaning one took 1,500 and the other took 1,500 -- this would reduce out of body time and still keep extractions focused.

Shera, It's not as much the doctor and his team. Obviously the doctors we recommended here are very dedicated and will push themselves for their patients! It's more about reducing grafts out of body time and making sure no one feels rushed while scoring and delivering grafts. This is why I think the 1,500ish level is ideal.

John, It will likely depend on the amount of scar tissue in your scar. If the scar tissue is too thick and avascular (without blood supply), even the strongest, healthiest grafts won't grow. Dr Karadeniz does a lot of strip work, so he could probably evaluate the scar and give you an idea as to the best way to proceed. Doganay obvious does a lot of scar work as well, so both probably good ones to talk to!

Spark, I agree. This is even fast for 12. 3,500 is best split into 2 days (at least). I think 1,500 - 2,000 a day should be about the max for FUE. This is the best way to really reduce damage during "out of body time" and to ensure grafts are very carefully extracted.

Thanks, John! Again, I really am happy you were able to find a procedure that helped you restore you hair. Like you said, both have their place and suit certain patients best. Johnny, Nice! If you are really trying to max out -- like a champ ; ) -- FUSS followed by FUE/mFUE is the way to go.

John, I'm pleased your happy with your FUE procedure(s). However, bumping threads, sharing an unrelated image, and re-hashing the scarring differences isn't necessary. This is even more true for clinic representatives. PS: I removed the image as it's unrelated and you've shared it multiple times now.

HUGE transformation. Nice work! Thanks for sharing.

Ontop, Thanks for the kind words. Looks like we are honestly on the same page. The right procedure for the right patient! I am very eager to continue working with the mFUE technique. We have already booked a good number of patients and will have some good cases to roll out. Like you said, our intention is to marry the best of both worlds!

Ontop, If you want, I will send you the two examples I sent the other member via PM. I'm not going to repost results from member who were good enough to share their progress publicly. This isn't okay. And yes, they are from legit surgeons because it's an inherent flaw in the technique, not the surgeons themselves. And remember, I found these after searching for 2 minutes on the forums. Why was it this easy? Because it happens. Doesn't sound like you want to see them though. Not too surprised. I don't need to convince you. Just be aware that this can occur while you're doing your research. If you don't care and would rather take this than the linear scar, then discussion is over. You know what you want and should move forward confidently. However, this doesn't mean that you should deny that FUE -- like any other surgical procedure that has ever existed -- has flaws and inherent weaknesses. Nor should you feel the need to resort to personal attacks when these issues are addressed.

Yeah, I'll have to work on getting some sticky threads made.

Oh OnTop ... what am I going to do about you? Haha. Just kidding. I'm absolutely not anti-fue. I've studied and researched the technique for years, written multiple articles about it, learned the technique from someone who practiced it from the beginning, practice it, and helped invent a new way to perform it. This isn't someone who is anti-FUE. However, there are inherent weaknesses of the technique and patients should be aware of the pros and the cons, not just the pros. Many of the 'pro-FUE' people have a really big problem with these problems being discussed publicly, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be discussed. As far as the character changes, you're wrong. It does happen. It happens for the same reason why all hairs appear wiry and kinky for the first 9 months: changes to the inner part of the follicle. Unfortunately, these changes can be permanent in FUE, and this causes the kink after 12 months. It does not always happen, but it can happen. I had a member doubt me the other day. I found a few examples with about 2 min of searching on the forums. I didn't hear anything after that. I can send you them as well. And I clearly discussed the scar. It's a reality and shouldn't be downplayed. However remember that being too negative about FUE to members is just as dangerous as being too positive. Lay out the pros and cons and let the patient and doctor make the right decision together.

Oh no .... Maybe we should make some sticky threads on the subject Until that time, however, I'll just share the following: Both are valid procedures. It's important to figure out what your goals are, discuss these with trusted doctors, and pick the technique that best fits your goals. IN GENERAL, FUE has lower growth yield compared to strip. You will hear a lot of arguments as to how much, and how much of a difference it makes, but it's pretty well accepted. FUE also causes subcutaneous (under the skin) scarring in the donor region which can complicate future procedures. Strip is also more consistent -- in general -- compared to FUE. I also think FUE hairs can sometimes appear more wiry or kinky compared to strip hairs. Now, the caveat here is that strip has the strip scar. Period. So, to summarize: more consistent rate of success with higher growth yield, softer hair AND a linear scar versus more variable outcomes without the linear scar. My whole mantra is "doing the right procedure on the right patient." Are you a 25 year old guy who just wants to fill in his temple recession a little bit to sport a slick, retro undercut? If so, FUE may be a better choice. Are you kind of on the fence about surgical hair restoration -- but want to give it a shot -- and wouldn't be opposed to buzzing down completely ("retreat" as it's sometimes called here) if you didn't like the results? If so, then FUE may be a better choice. Never shave your head, have no interest in doing so, and really want to get some density back in the front? Then strip may be a better choice. Are you looking for that 'DAMN!' result and feel willing to accept a strip scar -- and the knowledge that it would be visible if you did decided to shave in the future -- to get it? If so, strip may be a better choice. Hopefully that helps a bit.

Swoop, Yeah, it's looking solid. Now that you're all settled there, we should get working on cracking the whole donor doubling and hair multiplication thing ; )

Angry, Sorry about the bad experience and thank you for sharing. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know. Best of luck.

That seems really, really, really fast. Agree with above. FUE grafts are very fragile and prone to injury during the extraction process, even when handled with the utmost case. I would be very concerned about the health of grafts removed in this short period of time AND the quality of the donor afterwards.