FUE or Strip Pros & Cons Please

[yellow_Fellow]

Hi everyone,

 

Please advise,

 

I'm new to this forum & want some advice on deciding which surgery to go for i.e. FUE or strip.

 

The FUE or FIT as some Doctors call it seems to be the one to go for, the only disadvantage seems to be that not all doctors do it & that it's more expensive right?

 

Many thanks

[yellow_Fellow]

Hi everyone,

 

Please advise,

 

I'm new to this forum & want some advice on deciding which surgery to go for i.e. FUE or strip.

 

The FUE or FIT as some Doctors call it seems to be the one to go for, the only disadvantage seems to be that not all doctors do it & that it's more expensive right?

 

Many thanks

[the B spot]

An age old debate........

 

For people who have extensive balding NW 5,6,7's

FUE is will not produce the results of maximized strip surgery.

 

For people who desire 500 to 1500 grafts in a smaller session and do not mind paying for it, FUE can be a great alternative.

 

Pro's FUE-- no linear scar, relatively painless, less invasive, most people can still shave down after surgery.

 

Con's--- cost, transection rates, graft survival and overall yield, limited surgical sessions (mostly 500 to 1000 grafts during session)

 

Most people that have been around for a while will probably agree that overall-- strip patients seem to have the better results, especially for those of us who have extensive baldness.

 

Weigh both sides and make a decision.

Post some pictures of your hairloss so we can see where you are at.

Cheers!

[John_in_NC]

Originally posted by the B spot:

An age old debate........

 

For people who have extensive balding NW 5,6,7's

FUE is will not produce the results of maximized strip surgery.

 

For people who desire 500 to 1500 grafts in a smaller session and do not mind paying for it, FUE can be a great alternative.

 

Pro's FUE-- no linear scar, relatively painless, less invasive, most people can still shave down after surgery.

 

Con's--- cost, transection rates, graft survival and overall yield, limited surgical sessions (mostly 500 to 1000 grafts during session)

 

Most people that have been around for a while will probably agree that overall-- strip patients seem to have the better results, especially for those of us who have extensive baldness.

 

Weigh both sides and make a decision.

Post some pictures of your hairloss so we can see where you are at.

Cheers!

 

I agree that for extensive HT strip is the way to go.

 

As far as results, I think we're comparing apples to oranges: a man needing 2000 grafts will not get the same WOW! effect as as the one who gets 8000 strip grafts and goes from being fat and bald to looking like he has a full head of hair.

 

I would be shocked if the difference in transection is more than a couple of % points, provided a competent surgeon does the FUE.

[the B spot]

John-- I am not enamoured with FUE as a method of hair restoration. My personal opinion is that FUE should be used to compliment strip surgeries (hairline, temples, scar).

 

For someone who is 35-45 and only in need of a few thousand grafts AND does not care about the money, and is concerned about a scar,I would pursue FUE.

 

As far as transection rates for FUE--- the people doing the studies are the same people pounding the internet about the wonders of FUE.

 

I plan to do another large session, and then top off with FUE touchups (I am crossing my fingers that Dr. Shapiro will begin dabbling with small cases of FUE in the next year or so).

 

Anyway, both approaches possess merit and potential drawbacks, so I suggest really reading all of the information available.

Peace and Hair Grease!

[yellow_Fellow]

Hi again,

 

Thanks for the reply, I am now a little confused, I have so far spoken to a number of HT doctors & one well known doctor in LA told me that the he recommends strip as its more efficient where as another well respected one that recommends FUE told me that FUE is the best to go for & discarded the FUE is more efficient quote from the other place.

 

I am including a photo as per your previous post.

Many thanks

[irish homer]

Hiya,

While i'm not the most experienced poster here by a long way, i had a look at your picture and you need a fair number of grafts to restore a full looking head of hair, the only way your going to get it is with strip procedure and one of the top Doctors recommended on this site. Perhaps some of the long haulers here will think differantly but i doubt it.

IH

[John_in_NC]

strip and pray that you have enough donor to get good coverage. You can always get another 1500-2000 grafts or so via FUE once you max out the strip, but better save those. You never know what spot may need to be touched up.

 

FUE is great if you want to buzz down to a #1 or #2, but after a certain point, having some hair beats the ability to buzz down. Plus, 80% of 35+ yo people probably don't buzz that short anyway so a thin scar does not become an issue.

 

FUE is at least double so in addition to everything else, you'll also be paying at least $25K more (for about 5000 grafts.)

 

Originally posted by yellow_Fellow:

Hi again,

 

Thanks for the reply, I am now a little confused, I have so far spoken to a number of HT doctors & one well known doctor in LA told me that the he recommends strip as its more efficient where as another well respected one that recommends FUE told me that FUE is the best to go for & discarded the FUE is more efficient quote from the other place.

 

I am including a photo as per your previous post.

Many thanks

[Hoping]

You have to consider the motives and biases of any doctor who recommends extraction over strip. They make lots more money doing extraction and if they can spend more time doing extraction, they need less patients to make the same amount of money. I consider the opinions of doctors like epstein a lot more significant. Epstein does both strip and extraction, but if you go to his website, gives lots of rational explanations why he prefers strip as superior to extraction, except maybe for the smaller sessions. My understanding also is that extraction results in less favorable yields, more fatally damaged grafts and still can leave scarring in the form of holes or pits in the back of your head.

[John_in_NC]

On the other hand, a busy doctor might prefer doing two strips to get the same amount.

 

Originally posted by Hoping:

You have to consider the motives and biases of any doctor who recommends extraction over strip. They make lots more money doing extraction and if they can spend more time doing extraction, they need less patients to make the same amount of money. I consider the opinions of doctors like epstein a lot more significant. Epstein does both strip and extraction, but if you go to his website, gives lots of rational explanations why he prefers strip as superior to extraction, except maybe for the smaller sessions. My understanding also is that extraction results in less favorable yields, more fatally damaged grafts and still can leave scarring in the form of holes or pits in the back of your head.