Suboptimal FUE Yield Cosmetic Implications

[RockZ]

The general consensus among the community seems to be that FUE yield less than strip. Assuming this to be true, I would like to know if anyone has experienced suboptimal growth and issues with density, specifically after a long period of time (twelve months or more) and how this would affect the overall cosmetic result. For instance, if I had my hairline rebuilt with 2000 FUE grafts and only 70-80% ended up growing, I'd be curious as to how 'even' and noticeable this would be. I'd also assume a second touch up procedure would potentially have to be considered if less than ideal growth was present.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

I think you are correct. As I have posted before, I think FUE is a great option for people who need relatively little hair, who are terrified of a scar due to a desire for a buzz cut in the future, and who have a history of poor scarring.

 

If one needs alot of hair AND is willing to tolerate what will most likely be a pretty good scar, Strip is my recommendation. That is considering survival rate, time of procedure(s), and cost. We do have a few guys with class 5 or 6 who are getting a series of FUEs rather than a strip, but I carefully explained the increase in cost, the potential decrease in yield, and certainly the increase in surgical time that in my hands, and many others too, goes along with FUE.

 

You should discuss all of that with your doctor at your preop consultation.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[RockZ]

Thanks for your insight Dr. Lindsey. So my other question is this - if hypothetically, there were two identical patients, one having a FUE and the other FUT, where the former only ended up with a 75% yield while the latter had around a 95% yield, how drastic would the difference be cosmetically in a hairline case? Would the end result just look less dense? Perhaps it's not something that can easily be generalized but it piqued my interest.