The pros/cons of FUE. Myths dispelled.

[Mickey85]

Great article Mickey

 

Having done both methods at my clinic, I feel you did a very good job at weighing both options in a non-bias way.

We feel both are very good options but have found the graft viability is greater with the strip method; consequently the scaring is much better with the FUE.

 

Thank you

[Mickey85]

I was just reading a VERYYYY(2001) thread about FUE and one doctor described it as "It is the technique of the past, with smaller donor plugs" lollllllll. How far we have come. Man I was in year 10 in 2001... Makes me sad

[snydez99]

What do people think of the machines for doing FUE? Has anyone had this, if so

what were the results? One thing I do know is that the cost goes up, however

possibly bigger sessions?

 

PS Great Article!!

[snydez99]

What do people think of the machines for doing FUE? Has anyone had this, if so

what were the results? One thing I do know is that the cost goes up, however

possibly bigger sessions?

 

PS Great Article!!

[Mickey85]

Have added Exercise and weight lifting are not prohibited for as long to the advantages list.

[Atticus]

Have added Exercise and weight lifting are not prohibited for as long to the advantages list.

 

Ah, good point for those of us who lift weights.

 

Atticus

[GreatPelo]

*Actually...head DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SHAVED for FUE. There are a hand full of doctors in the US doing the No-Shave FUE....Dr. Barusco in Florida is one of them. This is advantageous because going back to work immediately is a huge advantage over the Shaved FUE method...which makes you look funny for several weeks until your hair grows in the donor (many doctors do NOT SHAVE because it's easier for the doctor to harvest the grafts...Where as a doctor that is willing to NOT SHAVE the patient's donor will take on the bigger brunt of the work but give the patient the benefit of not looking funny afterward.

 

One more disadvantage is that multiple FUE methods can make donor area begin to look diffused....where as the FUT method you keep the same density throughout.

 

Great info above....kudos to you, Mickey85!!!

[Mickey85]

*Actually...head DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SHAVED for FUE. There are a hand full of doctors in the US doing the No-Shave FUE....Dr. Barusco in Florida is one of them. This is advantageous because going back to work immediately is a huge advantage over the Shaved FUE method...which makes you look funny for several weeks until your hair grows in the donor (many doctors do NOT SHAVE because it's easier for the doctor to harvest the grafts...Where as a doctor that is willing to NOT SHAVE the patient's donor will take on the bigger brunt of the work but give the patient the benefit of not looking funny afterward.

 

One more disadvantage is that multiple FUE methods can make donor area begin to look diffused....where as the FUT method you keep the same density throughout.

 

Great info above....kudos to you, Mickey85!!!

 

Ahh but i mentioned that for larger sessions, the donor must be shaved. I think 400 grafts is the maximum a surgeon can extract without shaving or thereabouts

 

Also mentioned the thinning of the donor. Fut also thins the donor due to the decrease in laxity but not to the same extent as fue.

[Mickey85]

Ah, good point for those of us who lift weights.

 

Atticus

 

I have to be fair. If im going to lis cost(which is not a flaw of the technique itself) and the donor having to be shaved for anything over 400 grafts then having the ability to return to weight lifting is acceptable too

[GNX1]

*Actually...head DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SHAVED for FUE. There are a hand full of doctors in the US doing the No-Shave FUE....Dr. Barusco in Florida is one of them. This is advantageous because going back to work immediately is a huge advantage over the Shaved FUE method...which makes you look funny for several weeks until your hair grows in the donor (many doctors do NOT SHAVE because it's easier for the doctor to harvest the grafts...Where as a doctor that is willing to NOT SHAVE the patient's donor will take on the bigger brunt of the work but give the patient the benefit of not looking funny afterward.

 

so is the doctor supposed to guess which grafts are actually growing so he can extract the correct ones?:rolleyes:

[Atticus]

-Use of body hair/beard hair: The advent of FUE has also allowed for the exaction of non-scalp hair. This can be extremely useful for repair patients, patients of depleted or low donor hair etc. Say what you want about body hair transplantation, but it is here to stay. Doctors like Dr. Bisanga and Dr. Umar have pushed the boundaries on what can be done with body hair.

 

 

 

I agree Mickey. For example, beard hair is an excellent source of hair for use in the crown.

[Atticus]

These implants have grown well, I now have eyebrows with leg hair that replicates my eyebrow hair . BHT is revolutionary if you ask me.

[Mickey85]

These implants have grown well, I now have eyebrows with leg hair that replicates my eyebrow hair . BHT is revolutionary if you ask me.

 

Indeed BHT is revolutionary. BHT and the FUE technique that acquires the body hair has been a life changer for patients who have been stripped out by FUT and/or had their donors depleted etc. BHT and FUE can fill in atrocious plug and strip scars of patients who underwent bad and/or multiple procedures and didn't get the 'pencil thin' scar they were shown on the website, brochure etc. FUE allowed to the removal of plugs in the recipient and allowed them to be dissected and redistributed with a much more natural cosmetic appearance. FUT could not do that. BHT allows for more natural eyebrow transplants where scalp hair is much too thick in caliber. Before FUE and BHT, a surgeon would have to cut a small strip out which could contain more or less grafts then desired, could contain 2 or 3 hair grafts which would be totally unnatural and of a caliber much unlike natural eyebrows.

 

I still cannot believe some surgeons said FUE was a step backwards as it was only 'like plugs but with smaller punches' or totally dismissed it as they thought the transection was too high. It is the most efficient way to extract hair, straight out of the scalp, not by removing a large and deep strip of flesh and then remove the grafts out of that strip.

[Mickey85]

-Use of body hair/beard hair: The advent of FUE has also allowed for the exaction of non-scalp hair. This can be extremely useful for repair patients, patients of depleted or low donor hair etc. Say what you want about body hair transplantation, but it is here to stay. Doctors like Dr. Bisanga and Dr. Umar have pushed the boundaries on what can be done with body hair.

 

 

 

I agree Mickey. For example, beard hair is an excellent source of hair for use in the crown.

 

This patient in the before and after photo would have had to have lived the rest of his life feeling disfigured and who knows what else he would feel(shame, embarrassment, regret, depression) but he has been given a new lease on life due to body hair transplantation. Ok his result is not that of a great HT we see on successful virgin scalp patients but considering his donor was absolutely depleted and he had a pluggy recipient, I'm sure he feels much more comfortable now.

 

Also funny that whilst body hair transplants are considered 'experimental' or 'unnatural' even by today's surgeons(mainly ones who won't or can't perform it and stick to what is safe for them), it is being used to fix up remnants and complications from plugs(which were industry standard for decades) and FUT.

[Atticus]

Mickey:

 

Before FUE and BHT, a surgeon would have to cut a small strip out which could contain more or less grafts then desired, could contain 2 or 3 hair grafts which would be totally unnatural and of a caliber much unlike natural eyebrows.

 

Yes, can you imagine. Many FUT eyebrow patient look like fu manchu, they have to trim their eyebrows daily. Not me.

[socates123]

To have a visual what FUT is you can go youtube and key in this FUHT - Follicular Unit Hair Transplant Video - Dr. Bishan Mahadevia

[Jessop]

I've been advised a couple of times i should get strip due to having thin hair and sides of my donor not being great.

 

Would taking 3000 strip leave me a lot more donor than taking 3000 fue?

[Mickey85]

I dont see the rationale in that Jessop. Having thin have would make a strip scar more noticeable. Photos would help determine your situation or you can ask a honest composite clinic who perform 50/50 fue and fut like Bisanga and Feriduni and they will give you a clear answer then a clinic who only use fue for minor recession.

[socates123]

Would taking 3000 strip leave me a lot more donor than taking 3000 fue? - I don't think this is a valid assumption for strip. Donor lax, density and clinic will determine that - this was raised by the patient rep in another thread.

[socates123]

@Mickey - I agree, but I want to see the complete picture on how this fit in.

[Jessop]

Some clinics said they could do fue from pictures, others advised only strip. Confusing. I think i need to get new photos and send them to all clinics i like and see what they say.

[Jessop]

Ive tried to pm you, socates but my phone doesnt seem to let me do it.

[Mickey85]

Ill comment on this subject very soon.

[Mickey85]

Whether you will get more grafts in the long haul with FUE or FUT will be based on donor density, scalp laxity, the actual sections of density etc. For example if your donor is more dense on the areas outside the strip zone, then FUE will yield you more grafts. If you have great laxity and a very dense strip zone, then chances are FUT will offer you more grafts. To get the most grafts however would need a combination of both. I did say the disadvantages of FUE section that FUT does GENERALLY give you more grafts. We do see more cases of 8,000 FUT grafts compared to 8,000 FUE grafts from Lorenzo and Erdogan(mega FUE surgeons). This could be because there are many more strip clinics and patients out there though. This is not taking the usage of body/beard hair into account, purely scalp hair. However you could be one of those individuals that have a donor that is more suited to FUE due to lack of laxity and/or a dense donor all over not just in the strip zone.

 

For the aforementioned reasons, I can't give you a yes or no answer. Even pictures don't show scalp laxity or an accurate donor density(lighting, angles, hair length all distort). Hence why I said consult with a honest composite clinic who do not have an agenda. A FUT exclusive clinic will tell you FUT suits your application more. A FUE exclusive clinic will tell you FUE is perfect for you. A 50/50 FUE/FUT clinic will be much more honest. I have heard all sorts of excuses as to why a method is better just to persuade the patient to go with that particular clinic. Be aware.

[Jessop]

Dr Feriduni said both were possible. This was just from photos, though.

 

Unfortunately his prices are out of reach for me.