Senior Member Rick055 Posted November 5, 2008 Senior Member Share Posted November 5, 2008 All else equal, patient per patient, are there more grafts available for FUE surgery or for strip surgery? I am in sales and am not sure if I can get the time off necessary for a strip surgery, but also want to maximize the amount of grafts I have available. I have heard it is best to have a strip surgery first and then FUE can be used to get some more grafts thereafter. Ultimately, if I'm losing available donor hair by FUE, I'm just going to have to figure out how to get time for a strip surgery. Also, is there any difference in growth rates? I have noticed some feel that not as many FUE grafts "take". Is this true even with a coalition doc (i.e. is it an anomaly of the surgery itself)? 1.25 mg finasteride EOD Rogaine Foam 5% QD am Kirkland minoxidil 5% QD pm Nizoral Q2W American Crew Revitalize Shampoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Rick055 Posted November 5, 2008 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 5, 2008 All else equal, patient per patient, are there more grafts available for FUE surgery or for strip surgery? I am in sales and am not sure if I can get the time off necessary for a strip surgery, but also want to maximize the amount of grafts I have available. I have heard it is best to have a strip surgery first and then FUE can be used to get some more grafts thereafter. Ultimately, if I'm losing available donor hair by FUE, I'm just going to have to figure out how to get time for a strip surgery. Also, is there any difference in growth rates? I have noticed some feel that not as many FUE grafts "take". Is this true even with a coalition doc (i.e. is it an anomaly of the surgery itself)? 1.25 mg finasteride EOD Rogaine Foam 5% QD am Kirkland minoxidil 5% QD pm Nizoral Q2W American Crew Revitalize Shampoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member thanatopsis_awry Posted November 5, 2008 Senior Member Share Posted November 5, 2008 By virtue of the procedure itself, there is certaintly more room for "creative harvesting" by using FUE vs. FUT. That said, reality deals all a hand where we have respective donor "safe zones", and that different areas of the body deliver a different quality of hair. This radically nullefies the ability of FUE's theoretical ability to harvest a superlative # of grafts. There is also a radical different in growth rates; generally speaking, the growth rate is weaker and more erratic. Specifically, the yield gets increasingly shitty as you harvest more grafts. It goes back to the process itself -- FUE, which due to inherent forces placed upon the uber-delicate grafts leads to problems w/ yield. FUE is a very attractive procedure, and I will be doing it myself once I am stripped out (which I find to be the ideal way to max out your donor). Of course, where there is honey there will be apes, and the attractiveness of FUE attracts a lot of charlatans. ----------- *A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics* 1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash. Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician. Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Rick055 Posted November 5, 2008 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 5, 2008 I figure - based on a consultation with a (non coalition) doc - that I need about 150 grafts on either side of my forelock (just to fill it in to match density of the center), and about 2000 grafts in the crown. That said, I am in my 4th month of propecia and want to see what it will do. As such, I was thinking about going to see Dr. Feller for a FUE procedure solely to do the front portion. This would be cost effective for me, would satisfy my urge to fix my hair NOW, and give the meds a chance to work. I was also thinking 300 would be a reasonable size for a FUE procedure from a competent doc (I think he calls those "postage stamp" sessions, lol) and would not harm my donor area for future consideration of a strip surgery. 1.25 mg finasteride EOD Rogaine Foam 5% QD am Kirkland minoxidil 5% QD pm Nizoral Q2W American Crew Revitalize Shampoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Dr. William Lindsey Posted November 6, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted November 6, 2008 The postage stamp sized FUE is a great option for many guys like what you describe. Dr. Lindsey McLean VA William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS McLean, VA Dr. William Lindsey is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member latinlotus Posted November 6, 2008 Senior Member Share Posted November 6, 2008 Great post Thana. I have the same approach/plan as you for dealing with my hair loss. ******** I am not a doctor. The opinions and comments are of my own. HT with Dr. Cooley on Nov 20, 2008 2097 grafts, 3957 hairs Proscar, 1.25 mg daily, skip the 5th day, started Nov 2007 My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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