FUE Shock Loss

[Guest]

Hey all,

 

Is there a substantial difference in shock loss between FUE and Strip Surgery?

 

I would imagine that their is less trauma incurred with FUE so that would equate to less shock loss but I'm not sure. If anyone has any first hand input from their FUE experience that would be awesome!

 

-k

[Guest]

Hey all,

 

Is there a substantial difference in shock loss between FUE and Strip Surgery?

 

I would imagine that their is less trauma incurred with FUE so that would equate to less shock loss but I'm not sure. If anyone has any first hand input from their FUE experience that would be awesome!

 

-k

[Franklin]

Here is my experience to share.I had absolutely no shockloss from my FUE.I have had strip and there was a difference for me.I beleive that having the docs use high powered magnification and 23 gauge needles and shaving the recepient site had a lot to do with no shockloss and having the doctors themselves place the grafts were the key.You will here other docs say that they don't use any of the above and they don;t beleive that this matteres.Well I can tell you to me it does and I did not have to worry in my case of the dreaded shockloss.And I had a decent amount of hair they were going into.All I have to say is Thank You Doctors.Woods and Campbell.

[Guest]

If you mean in the recipient area there should not be a difference between the strip and the FUE.

 

The shock is from the hair placement near a hair that is already there. Which causes that hair to go into the resting phase and than regrow in 60-90 days normal cycle.

 

Franklins experience may have been his first strip he had more of his natural hair that was shocked which is common but after that hair grew in his next procedure the transplanted hair wasn't as affected which is what I have experienced as well.

The tranplanted hair for me seems much more resilient to shock than my natural hair with all 4 surgeries I have had.

 

My conclusion:

Whether FUE/ Strip...Shock should not differ. The differential is what kind of hair is the graft being placed near.

[arfy]

According to something that Dr. Bernstein wrote, there is not always a direct link between shock loss, and how near the transplanted grafts were placed by the shocked hair.

 

In other words, you can have grafts placed only in your hair line, and still have shock loss in your crown.

 

Nobody knows exactly why shock loss occurs, but many people think that the general trauma of hair transplant surgery can accelerate your hair loss, among the hairs that are already considered "borderline". Depending on the fragility of that "shocked" hair, it may or may not return.

 

Since FUE-type procedures are known to be less traumatic than strip surgery, it would be logical to expect that FUE patients experience less shock fallout. While this is not a "rule" regarding FUE vs. strip and there are exceptions, most patient's experiences do seem to bear this out. In other words, much fewer FUE patients have reported problems with shock loss, than strip patients do.

 

If you are considering surgery, it is a good idea to have already stablized you hair loss with Propecia (for example) to minimize the amount of "borderline" or "at risk" hair. This will hopefully minimize your chances of shock loss. This is true whether you choose strip or FUE. It is better for you to NOT be in a "hair loss free-fall" at the time of your surgery.

[Guest]

I had 0 shockloss as far as I can tell, when I got 500 grafts using FUE. In my opinion the trauma of having a strip of skin cut out of your head is one of the big reasons for shock loss.

 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic''. Arthur C. Clarke

[bverotti]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Nobody knows exactly why shock loss occurs, but many people think that the general trauma of hair transplant surgery can accelerate your hair loss, among the hairs that are already considered "borderline". Depending on the fragility of that "shocked" hair, it may or may not return.

 

This sounds very much to what I have experienced. I have a feeling that my hairloss after my 1st HT has accelerated for some reason.

So far, only 3 weeks after my 2nd HT I have not seen any signs of shock loss. However it is too early for me to say I had no shock loss, that would premature.

[Guest]

"In other words, you can have grafts placed only in your hair line, and still have shock loss in your crown"

 

How often have you heard of this ? I have never.

 

Again, those that are touting the FUE as the next best thing are making many assumptions on a very, very newer procedure.

To say that Fue is less dramatic is all heresay.

 

Count the number of strip surgeries vs the number of FUE and when the FUE reaches the number of strips than you can make that assumption.

 

Many Drs. here have posted that the miniaturized hairs are often the ones shocked regardless of how it's harvested. The placing has more to do with shock then the harvesting so how can it be less shocking for FUE?

 

Aren't DRS placing the grafts the same as the strip surgery?

Than explain to me how shock can be less.

[arfy]

Manko said<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>My only comment on that would be that there are much fewer FUE patients in the HT pool.

This is a valid point. I am basing my comments on the reports of the FUE patients that I have read, and my impression is definitely that FUE patients are reporting shock loss much less often.

 

Hairseeker said<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>"In other words, you can have grafts placed only in your hair line, and still have shock loss in your crown"

How often have you heard of this ? I have never. Well, I have heard of this. Also, when I say that shock loss can happen in non-grafted areas, I am quoting Dr. Bernstein. Maybe you should take up this topic with him?<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>To say that Fue is less dramatic is all heresay.

It is definitely NOT "hearsay", please take this up with patients who have had both types of procedures, like Bverotti, Franklin, and dozens of other guys. Let them tell you that FUE is a much less traumatic operation, please don't take it from me. Ask around, among the patients who have tried both methods.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Many Drs. here have posted that the miniaturized hairs are often the ones shocked regardless of how it's harvested. Yes, I do agree that the miniaturized hairs are the ones that are shocked, but you are adding your own additional statement there, about the harvesting method, to imply it isn't a factor. Harvesting method is a factor, in my opinion, and I doubt you will find any doctor who does both methods who claims that the invasiveness of the donor harvest isn't a factor. Trauma is the culprit behind shock loss. The strip excision part of the operation is by far the most traumatic part of a hair transplant operation.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>The placing has more to do with shock then the harvesting so how can it be less shocking for FUE? I'm sorry but this is not entirely correct. General trauma is generally acknowledged as the reason that hairs in non-transplanted areas go into shock. Obviously, sloppy placement can damage pre-existing follicles in the recipient area. However, there is shock loss that happens even in non-transplanted areas, as documented by doctors and patients. Again, many doctors and patients think that the general trauma of strip excision surgery causes more shock loss than a less-invasive FUE procedure.

 

Don't take my word for it, ask the patients who have had both kinds of surgery. Patients say that there is a "night and day" difference between the two approaches, from the patient's point of view.

 

I'm sorry to contradict your opinion, but maybe you should do some research on this, by discussing these issues with patients and doctors who have experience with both methods. I bet that you will find that FUE does seem to result in less shock loss.

 

[This message was edited by arfy on August 29, 2003 at 03:47 PM.]

[Guest]

Hairseeker,

 

I'm one of those patients who has had shock loss outside the recipient area. I've had two sureries and each caused an enormous amount of shock loss. You can see that in my photos. But, what really surprised me is that I had a great deal of shock loss in the top and crown, even though I only had transplants in the front 1/3 of my scalp. It was terrible after the first surgery, but eventually it all grew back. After the second surgery, I had shock loss in the top and crown again, but not quite as severe as the first time. That has also mostly grown back and it's still improving. I'm not clear at all whether the shock loss was due more to the recipient sites or the trauma of the donor incision, but I sure know I had shock loss in the crown. I don't remember who the other poster is, but someone who had surgery around the same time I did reported the same experience.

 

Paul

 

My surgery with Dr. Sharon Keene:

 

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/bc/paul148148/lst?&.dir=/Transplant+Photos&.src=ph&.view=t

[Manko]

Arfy,

 

I think I can agree that FUE is less traumatic than strip, but I still think there is plenty of trauma involved in extracting the 500 - 2000 grafts. I'm saying those numbers because bverotti has had 2000 recently. From what I've read, FUE is a very time consuming process of harvesting primarily. I'm sure we will agree that placement takes the same amount of time - FUE or strip. So harvesting in the back/sides of the head for 3 days (??) in bverotti's case has to be traumatic to some extent. A strip is more traumatic, but that is only 10-20 minutes of the operation. The healing of the strip is definitely longer, but still in 10 days the area is no longer sutured, and at that point a patient is basically waiting for sensitivity/redness to subside. I think it's a little misleading to think that the trauma involved in FUE is not significant, while, as mentioned above, I believe it would be less than the strip it is still a factor that would contribute to shock loss.

 

Good luck.

 

Manko

[bverotti]

Let me make some remarks >

 

before OP

more nervous because of strip then FUE.

1. Knowing someone is going to cut a piece of flesh out of your head is more shocking then picking little grafts out one at a time.

 

2. the strip incision must be deeper since you do not want to cut the grafts accidently during the removal. At this point also nerve are cut in many cases causing numbness feeling that lasts many months. FUE only takes out a graft and does not cut nerve-> no numbness.

 

3. Waste from discecting the FU during strip is thrown in the bin. There is no waiste during FUE.

 

4. Strip removal is fast whereas FUE takes many hours. FUE is more physically tiring for the patient.

 

More is less:

In total, the scars created by FUE is larger then strip. However the small FUE scar will fade to invisible or near invisible on a shaven head. A linear scar will always be visible under those circumstances.

 

 

In my eyes it is clear that FUE is less traumatic. On the other hand FUE is slow and the patient gets tired.

 

I have not even talked about healing. Yes, the small scars are still visible to the expert eye after about 3 weeks after OP. I expect the reddisch dots to eventually fade away over the next comming weeks or even months.