Stretchback: Is it all about laxity?

[1978matt]

Still debunked your theory in less than 2 minutes. Oh and it only matters when the hair looks like when it is grown out... Right..

 

Fair enough, but it is still rare and when the hair grows back around the scar, who cares.

[Mickey85]

Fair enough, but it is still rare and when the hair grows back around the scar, who cares.

 

But Matt, whilst it may be a minimal issue for you, it is almost never mentioned or told to perspective patients. It is glossed over or downright ignored! What happened to informed consent and ethics? Some people actually do care about what a procedure does to the side and back of their scalps but are not informed by the very people we were brought up to believe had our best interests at heart. Even the issue of the scar stretching is rarely elaborated on. When it goes right it is all due to the surgeons closure and skill but when it goes wrong it is because "that's how some people heal". That is a glaring example of contradiction. All these omissions about strip make the strip industry seem a whole lot more disingenuous to me. The FUE industry is not perfect either but there are a whole lot more factors with strip.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Mickey85

[scar5]

...and that Bisanga strip is buckled badly! Massive indentation...for life!

[Spanker]

What a load of nonsense!!!

 

Have you taken over from Jotronic as the next FUE fear merchant?

 

1/4 inch difference?! Help, my hair is falling out??

 

Difference is like this.

 

Case A.. My hair is still falling out, I'm gonna buzz and be done with it? At least I tried.

Case B..my hair is falling out, but I've got an ear-to-ear scar, so I'm basically screwed.

 

1/4 inch difference? My ass!!!

 

A. Buzz your hair down, you will still have to leave it 1/8 to 3/16 if you want to look normal if you had any size procedure at all. Add a quarter of an inch to that and the strip scar will usual be a non issue. Not sure what the issue with this is.

 

B. I didn't bring up FUE, I'm not a fear merchant, but I don't appreciate the opposite happening unsolicited. I'm not the type to pick a fight but I'm not the type to turn one down either. Just because I speak up when I disagree with statements that are completely off topic doesn't mean I'm a FUE fear merchant. I compliment FUE cases quite often and am not tight at all with my compliments to good FUE doctors.

[CaddyTad77]

I think during FUT consultations the pros and cons should be brought up for discussion. It's nice to hear that the scar will be"pencil-thin" but that is not a promise any ethical Doctor or Clinic should make. It should never even be mentioned because usually if the scar stretches the patient is told it's because of his physiology. I don't think its worth risking permanent scalp numbness or tightness, even if the odds are one in a thousand. I think surgeons tend to gloss over the scarier aspects of FUT. That's why you rarely see a close up donor extraction video of FUT or pictures of the wound before it is tightly sutured or stapled shut. You can see many videos of FUE donor extraction. I'm not here to bash FUT, I just think that certain aspects of the surgery are hidden beneath a veneer of rainbows, unicorns, and pencil-thin scars. Is FUE scarless, no. But FUE is not as invasive and that is why those practicing FUE have no problem putting up videos of the actual extraction. I have yet to get a transplant because I do not think we got to the top of the mountain yet. Manual FUE is very difficult to master, I can count on my fingers the number of elite FUE surgeons who practice manual FUE. Most are overseas. Just to name a few- Dr Koray Erdogan, Dr Lorenzo, Dr Bisanga. Those that dismiss FUE as "Old wine being marketed in new bottles" are making false statements because they wan't you to believe that FUT is the "Gold Standard". I'm all for advances in science, in literature, in music, in cooking, in painting, whatever it is progress matters. Some people such as myself cannot fathom having a part of they're scalp amputated just to get more hair. I'd rather have a slightly lower yield- And that is up for debate, I think the three guys I mentioned above get yields comparable to FUT, and not have to worry about the chances of permanent scalp numbness, permanent scalp tightness, and a stretched scar going ear to ear. FUE is less invasive. That is a fact. Look at the recovery time. You can play hockey a month after FUE or lift weights, with FUT I've been told it's best to wait several months before resuming any heavy exercise or lifting. I'm not a FUE junkie here to sell my product, but I think FUT has had it's day and with progress comes complaints because our human nature is we like to stay comfortable with what we know and can do. Manual FUE is John Coltrane's the Love Supreme when it is successful. FUT is more like Benny Goodman. People liked Benny Goodman, were comfortable with his music. But when Coltrane came around and started the modern jazz movement along with Miles Davis everything in jazz changed. The same applies to science and hair restoration. You have to push the envelope further and further, and manual FUE is doing that right now. FUT is an old tune, to me.

[chrisdav]

This argument is going to live on forever until both procedures become extinct

 

Both procedures have a valid place in the hair transplantation industry.

[1978matt]

I'm done on this thread but here's a picture of Billy Zane aged mid-20s when he was about a NW2/3 and then another of him in his early 40s. I'll let you decide which donor area is the more permanent.

 

But hey ho, this might not happen to you but it is something to bear in mind if you're likely to become a high Norwood.

[CaddyTad77]

Yes in the end we are all guys that just want our hair back and even if we disagree on FUT or FUE or whatever, I think at the end of the day we are all good dudes regardless of our arguments about hair transplantation. In the big picture your health is all that matters, and if your healthy then hair is just an added bonus. I know when a death in my family occurs, or somebody is sick it puts into perspective the importance of just enjoying your life as it is. I know we feel robbed because of our hair loss, I feel bad or would not be on here researching, but life is short and we should enjoy it as much as we can. Hair or no hair. And maybe someday hair cloning will be a reality, I hope that for everybody on this forum. As Rodney King famously said " Can't we all just get along" Take care boys.

[hairthere]

Magnum, what was your question again?:eek:

[Nick153452]

Magnum, what was your question again?:eek:

 

 

I was starting to wonder the same thing!! Haha. I hope we answered it!!! I had a thoroughly fun time reading the debate though. I find nothing wrong with a good debate as long as both sides are willing to listen and be reasonable. I am neither pro/con strip/fue. My goal is just to get hair back and help others achieve the same thing. If I find out that my advice was poorly given, I will adjust it accordingly.

[s2thoudriver]

The original question was about scar stretching and laxity by undergoing strip surgery. I think this sums up the risks and considerations...

 

"Ive had strip from three docs.. My best and worst scars came from the same doc. The worst was excised (revised) ne it improved in width but lengthened in, ah...length.

 

Then I had another scar re-opened, by one of the best in the business, and it healed OK, but still, now , it is my worst scar. The scar below it, carried out by the same doc as the original disaster, is as perfect as a strip scar could ever be. After heavy subsequent FUE harvesting, 6 weeks growth will hide it. The bad ones need three months, by which time the crown gas opened up, and I look ten years older unless I eat carrots and bleach my hair. " :eek:

 

...and the answer is what myself and others are posting, which is... Eliminate the problems and potential repair work by not having FUT in the first place.

 

 

It's moved on, most surgeons have long since moved on. There will always be FUT supporters, but for every supporter,there are many people who have been unhappy too.

 

Just have decent, up to date FUE by an experienced surgeon and forget about ear to ear scars, stretching, laxity, staples, hair direction, dormant grafts and all the other things that come with FUT.

[scar5]

A. Buzz your hair down, you will still have to leave it 1/8 to 3/16 if you want to look normal if you had any size procedure at all. Add a quarter of an inch to that and the strip scar will usual be a non issue. Not sure what the issue with this is.

.

 

Spanker!!!

WTF!!

Let me say, cudos and respect, your posts are measured, and no, you are not a fear merchant in the way so many strip reps have been.. I apologize and I have seen you compliment many a good FUE result. I lack your measure and a good deal other things beside great hair.

 

You are now in the business, you work for a composite clinic, and your post is clearly based on conflating the risks of FUE and strip by posing a quasi-scientidfic piece of spin.

 

In this case, the length.

 

There is absolutely NO way to make reliable predictions with parameters like this!!

Every time you cut the skin with a linear scar, there is no telling what will happen. I am living proof of this. And I have no pics to prove it, and for good damn reason!!

 

And I love your comment that you don't walk from a fight, well let me tell you, if anything makes me furious, it is peddling the notion there is some equilibrium, some stasis, some settled and agreeable consensus achieved through by weiging up things carefully and pragmatically, and coming to an inescapable conclusion. "Guess what! Both FUE and strip have a place"

It is a scam, a way of through ing the anchors overboard, to slow the progress of the ship, to keep income stream flowing into the strip clinics' coffers.

 

I don't for once believe that FUE is clean, as economic compromises come into play, perhaps in ways even more cavalier than strip!! Strip is perhaps, more honest in this way.

 

I agree with the poster above who used my example, don't get strip unless you know you are rolling big dice with meds and scars. Don't get FUE unless you know that yield could be weaker.but never assume the status quo. It is changing everyday in the HT world and fast, and good, mostly. Those who believe that both FUE and strip are in a stable relationship are wrong, although every rep seems to say so.

[Spanker]

Spanker!!!

WTF!!

Let me say, cudos and respect, your posts are measured, and no, you are not a fear merchant in the way so many strip reps have been.. I apologize and I have seen you compliment many a good FUE result. I lack your measure and a good deal other things beside great hair.

 

You are now in the business, you work for a composite clinic, and your post is clearly based on conflating the risks of FUE and strip by posing a quasi-scientidfic piece of spin.

 

In this case, the length.

 

There is absolutely NO way to make reliable predictions with parameters like this!!

Every time you cut the skin with a linear scar, there is no telling what will happen. I am living proof of this. And I have no pics to prove it, and for good damn reason!!

 

And I love your comment that you don't walk from a fight, well let me tell you, if anything makes me furious, it is peddling the notion there is some equilibrium, some stasis, some settled and agreeable consensus achieved through by weiging up things carefully and pragmatically, and coming to an inescapable conclusion. "Guess what! Both FUE and strip have a place"

It is a scam, a way of through ing the anchors overboard, to slow the progress of the ship, to keep income stream flowing into the strip clinics' coffers.

 

I don't for once believe that FUE is clean, as economic compromises come into play, perhaps in ways even more cavalier than strip!! Strip is perhaps, more honest in this way.

 

I agree with the poster above who used my example, don't get strip unless you know you are rolling big dice with meds and scars. Don't get FUE unless you know that yield could be weaker.but never assume the status quo. It is changing everyday in the HT world and fast, and good, mostly. Those who believe that both FUE and strip are in a stable relationship are wrong, although every rep seems to say so.

 

It is changing for the good, and fast. Just about a year ans a half ago when I decided to have surgery, there were not the FUE results that are being turned out today.

 

I guess this is just something we will have to disagree on. 3/16 + 1/4 is 7/16, very close to a half inch, which will cover most scars will. That is just true, in the vast majority of cases. Maybe not for you, but in most cases it will cover quite well. Someone can argue this as much as they want to, but it does not change anything. That is what I said and I will stick with it. You said there are no way to make reliable predictions like this, but I would have to disagree, line a 100 guys up who have had strip and have hair almost half an inch long, if the vast majority have scars that can not be seen (which is what would happen) then I would be correct.

 

 

Keep in mind that I chose to have a strip after 2 years of research a little over a year ago, and my belief in strip has nothing to do with my professional relationship with Dr. Konior. If I did not think strip was a good procedure, I would not recommend a doctor who does strip, end of story.

 

Both FUE and strip do have their place. You can disagree with that as well, but disagreeing with it or being angry about it won't change the fact that it is true. People can say whatever they want to about it, but until donor doubling comes along in a meaningful way, strip will still have its place.

 

There is a saying that I like to use, and that is:

 

The truth is the truth, whether no one believes it or everyone believes it.

 

You are entitled to your opinion and so am I. It doesn't hurt my feelings at all.

[Spanker]

The original question was about scar stretching and laxity by undergoing strip surgery. I think this sums up the risks and considerations...

 

"Ive had strip from three docs.. My best and worst scars came from the same doc. The worst was excised (revised) ne it improved in width but lengthened in, ah...length.

 

Then I had another scar re-opened, by one of the best in the business, and it healed OK, but still, now , it is my worst scar. The scar below it, carried out by the same doc as the original disaster, is as perfect as a strip scar could ever be. After heavy subsequent FUE harvesting, 6 weeks growth will hide it. The bad ones need three months, by which time the crown gas opened up, and I look ten years older unless I eat carrots and bleach my hair. " :eek:

 

...and the answer is what myself and others are posting, which is... Eliminate the problems and potential repair work by not having FUT in the first place.

 

 

It's moved on, most surgeons have long since moved on. There will always be FUT supporters, but for every supporter,there are many people who have been unhappy too.

 

Just have decent, up to date FUE by an experienced surgeon and forget about ear to ear scars, stretching, laxity, staples, hair direction, dormant grafts and all the other things that come with FUT.

 

I understand what you are saying, and your opinion is not unreasonable and given your needs I am sure that FUE worked the best for you, however, that is not what this thread was about. This thread had nothing to do with FUE, but there are a small handful of posters that will make an FUE dig anytime they get a chance and pull a thread off topic at pretty much any opportunity regarding stip or FUE.

 

You see a good FUE result: "Take that, strip surgery!"

Someone asks a question about strip: "Strip sucks!"

 

It just gets old. I don't roll into crappy FUE yield threads and say, "Hey, you know that if you had a strip you may not be dealing with that right now." No, I let it ride and try to give proper advice when a question is asked. I don't see anything wrong with asking for the same respect.

 

If strip was as terrible as this thread tries to make it out to be, the top strip doctors would not have the reputation that they have.

 

Personally, for me, shaving will never be an option, so for my own head, my goal is to maximize donor, yield, and artistry. But, even if I had FUE done (which I am not opposed to if it fits my needs), I can still objectively see that there are times that strip will offer a person the most quality grafts, and if their goals lie in the recipient area, then strip may be their best option.

 

Rock on man, and do your thing, but I would ask that you and the others keep the crusade in relevant threads. I think that there comes a point when the crusade just becomes thread spamming.

[Spanker]

 

 

It's moved on, most surgeons have long since moved on. There will always be FUT supporters, but for every supporter,there are many people who have been unhappy too.

.

 

If this were true, this site would not exist, at least not as it exists today. Let me give you a list of doctors that preform strip:

 

Konior

Hasson

Wong

P. Shapiro

R. Shapiro

Rahal

Feller

Gabel

True

Dorin

Bisanga

 

Many of these do FUE as well. The point is, they still do strip, which means that they still have their place, at least in my eyes and in these doctors eyes, or they wouldn't do them. If you disagree with that, and feel that there are many more of these doctors patients that are unhappy than are happy as you said above, I would like to know where you get that from, and if you can prove that, I will retract my statement and I will end my support of any clinic that performs strip surgery.

[CaddyTad77]

Watch out for consults that promise pencil thin scars. Do not say it unless it is a fact 100 percent of the time. And if any of you do decide to do strip surgery know that nerves can be severed and in rare cases do not re-connect so you are left with permanent scalp numbness, or a feeling of tightness all over your scalp. This does happen, has happened, and will continue to happen. It is a risk and most of the time they will not tell you that it is a risk, although it might be rare, it still is a risk. Sadly, it is only mentioned in the paperwork you sign before agreeing to go in for surgery. I think the good and bad, both FUE and FUT, should get equal billing during a consultation. But hey promises of pencil skin scars sell!

[Mickey85]

If strip was as terrible as this thread tries to make it out to be, the top strip doctors would not have the reputation that they have.

 

 

I find this statement to be quite absurd, plugs were the industry standard for decades and there were top plug surgeons back then just as there are top strip surgeons. I'm not equating plugs with strip surgery, but the correlation you made is inaccurate. That would mean plugs would have been a great procedure just because the top surgeons at the time had good reputations. It doesn't make sense. Top strip doctors have the reputation they have because they produce great results who happen to use the strip method. It does not negate that strip is ultimately more invasive, a more inefficient means of obtaining hair, causes more disruption to the donor area in the way of linear arrangement, geometry, caliber gradation, is more prone to leaving permanent numbness etc.

[Mickey85]

Watch out for consults that promise pencil thin scars. Do not say it unless it is a fact 100 percent of the time. And if any of you do decide to do strip surgery know that nerves can be severed and in rare cases do not re-connect so you are left with permanent scalp numbness, or a feeling of tightness all over your scalp. This does happen, has happened, and will continue to happen. It is a risk and most of the time they will not tell you that it is a risk, although it might be rare, it still is a risk. Sadly, it is only mentioned in the paperwork you sign before agreeing to go in for surgery. I think the good and bad, both FUE and FUT, should get equal billing during a consultation. But hey promises of pencil skin scars sell!

 

Great point. Let's not forget that the other drawbacks of strip are conveniently ignored also. I had stretchback and my surgeon didn't even bother testing my laxity prior to the actual procedure. He could not care less. And this is one of the 'top surgeons'. What an absolute joke. A kick in the face of ethics, informed consent and patient wellbeing. On their websites and brochures you see pencil thin scars due to the surgeons donor closure but then it turns out "sorry man, it is your physiology".

 

I'm venting a bit, not against Spanker, I respect him as a person and a member of the forum. Just at the industry...

[Spanker]

Watch out for consults that promise pencil thin scars. Do not say it unless it is a fact 100 percent of the time. And if any of you do decide to do strip surgery know that nerves can be severed and in rare cases do not re-connect so you are left with permanent scalp numbness, or a feeling of tightness all over your scalp. This does happen, has happened, and will continue to happen. It is a risk and most of the time they will not tell you that it is a risk, although it might be rare, it still is a risk. Sadly, it is only mentioned in the paperwork you sign before agreeing to go in for surgery. I think the good and bad, both FUE and FUT, should get equal billing during a consultation. But hey promises of pencil skin scars sell!

 

I don't know of any doctor or rep that promises pencil thin scars personally, but I am sure that they are out there.

[hairthere]

Mens Health has an article in the current issue (Joseph Gordon-Levitt cover) about hairloss prevention and restoration. They discuss strip and FUE and use Alan Bauman as a reference (he not surprisingly touts the LaserCap). There is plenty of misinformation in the article (they make FUE sound as if it is done solely with robotics). But the most troubling part is the following sentence from a dermatologist named Dr. Cotsarelis about the downside of strip surgery: "The downside is that it may leave a thin scar, a concern if you keep your hair short." It really is stunning how in the dark most people are about HT surgery still.

[Spanker]

I find this statement to be quite absurd, plugs were the industry standard for decades and there were top plug surgeons back then just as there are top strip surgeons. I'm not equating plugs with strip surgery, but the correlation you made is inaccurate. That would mean plugs would have been a great procedure just because the top surgeons at the time had good reputations. It doesn't make sense. Top strip doctors have the reputation they have because they produce great results who happen to use the strip method. It does not negate that strip is ultimately more invasive, a more inefficient means of obtaining hair, causes more disruption to the donor area in the way of linear arrangement, geometry, caliber gradation, is more prone to leaving permanent numbness etc.

 

I do not think that you can compare the success of plugs and FUSS, or the satisfaction of their respective patients.

[Mickey85]

I do not think that you can compare the success of plugs and FUSS, or the satisfaction of their respective patients.

 

But the context is the same. You used the correlation strip not being terrible because the top surgeons would not have their reputations. At one time, plugs were considered THE form of hair transplantation and it was as good as it got, much like the pre-FUE days of strip. I'm not comparing them visually or cosmetically, but in that your reasoning strip not being terrible due to strip surgeons having a stellar reputation is void.

 

I would hate to think of how many people have been put into depression and anxiety and feeling disfigured after a bad strip procedure. We now have surgeons and clinics practicing the repair of such consequences via FUE grafting into the scar, SMP into the scar or both in unison. Compare that to the amount of people existing in anguish over the FUE scars... Doesn't even compare. In fact I have only ever seen one case of a patient who was in despair over his FUE scars and wanted body hair implanted in them, everyone thought he was crazy. I never called strip surgery 'terrible', but I do admit that I find it vastly inferior, invasive, a gamble and un-calculated. The way strip surgeons easily operate on low norwoods, young patients, low-laxity individuals knowing the potential ramifications without informing the patient is unethical.

[Mickey85]

I do not think that you can compare the success of plugs and FUSS, or the satisfaction of their respective patients.

 

Again,

 

Strip surgeons having great reputations does not negate that strip is ultimately more invasive, a more inefficient means of obtaining hair, causes more disruption to the donor area in the way of linear arrangement, geometry, caliber gradation, is more prone to leaving permanent numbness etc. This isn't about just the cosmetic look of the scar. You keep ignoring that aspect.

[Nick153452]

I do see Mickeys point about the reputation bearing little importance on the overall ethics of something. On the other side,I do agree with spanker that sometimes the strip bashing is a bit annoying and goes as far as to insult those of us who underwent a strip by insisting that we didn't do our research or weigh our options. if the debate is to continue, you have to be reasonable of both sides and be objective about the facts.

[Spanker]

Again,

 

Strip surgeons having great reputations does not negate that strip is ultimately more invasive, a more inefficient means of obtaining hair, causes more disruption to the donor area in the way of linear arrangement, geometry, caliber gradation, is more prone to leaving permanent numbness etc. This isn't about just the cosmetic look of the scar. You keep ignoring that aspect.

 

FUE having positive attributes does not negate the advantages of FUT either. I got this off Dr. Bernstien's site because I am too busy to write my own, but I may consider doing it when I finish grad school in 2 weeks.

 

Saying that it is ultimately more invasive is not necessarily true either. I would argue that your total scarring is probably greater. Also, saying that FUE is more efficient at obtaining hair is debatable as well. While I liked a lot of the work that you have done found in your signature, blanket statements like that look good, but it kind of sounds like a politician's statement; there is a lot more to it than that type of blanket statement, but you are saying it like it is a fact, which, in fact, it is not. I am not ignoring any facts, I just understand that they are way more complicated that you are making them out to be in that small paragraph.

 

 

Anyway, since people have continued to listed the advantages of FUE, below is Dr. Bernstein's list of FUT advantages. Some of it I have already touched on. Honestly, if someone is so pro-FUE that they feel that strip is substandard care, I can't win them over, and that is OK. But it is not fair to other people if all they see is people saying how inferior strip is and never seeing the positives of the procedure. Most people that feel that strip is a good procedure don't beat drum to say so, and I don't like to either. I don't feel like we have to because the results really speak for themselves. That is not to say that FUE is not a good procedure too, because it is. But when people take a blind approach and turn their backs to a proven procedure that can produce a lifetime natural result, that is fine, but preaching it to others in a seriously biased manner is a disservice to the community in my eyes. Some of the issues below I an sure can be minimized in the best of hands and some of them will come down to pt physiology.

 

 

I am trying to offer a balance to this thread, which is not about this subject, but the FUE drum was beaten without provocation so I spoke up. I really don't have to time or will to conduct a thorough debate but I think when I finish school I am going to get try to dedicate some time in doing some real research directly from the mouth and "pens" of published physicians on both subjects. A lot of what has been said in this thread are just opinions and words that can go on the internet as fast as a person can type, but in reality, many just know about their particular case and the knowledge that they opened themselves up to.

 

I am not trying to convince anyone, and honestly, as long as a person's recipient looks good and was pulled from a safe zone, I don't care how it was pulled from the donor.

 

 

Follicular units in FUE are harvested from a much greater area of the donor zone compared to FUT

 

• In FUT, all the hair is harvested from the mid-portion of the donor area where the hair is most permanent. This is done to maximize the yield of high quality grafts from the permanent zone. In FUE, to obtain a sufficient number of grafts, follicular units must also be extracted from the upper and lower portions of the donor region and these may not be as permanent. Therefore, over time, the hair transplanted from these areas to other parts of the scalp may be lost

• Over time, continued thinning in the upper and lower parts of the donor zone may cause the FUE scars to become visible

 

Graft quality is not as good compared to FUT *

 

• Greater rate of follicular transection (damage to grafts) compared to FUT

• Grafts more fragile and subject to trauma during placement, because extracted grafts often lack the protective dermis and fat of microscopically dissected grafts

• More difficult to capture the entire follicular unit – resulting in lower density

• * This disadvantage is minimized with Robotic FUE

 

The maximum follicular unit graft yield is lower than with FUT

 

• Lower quality grafts may not grow as well

• Inability to harvest all the hair from the mid-permanent zone results in decreased numbers of grafts

• The scarring and distortion of the donor scalp from FUE makes subsequent FUE sessions more difficult

 

With each subsequent session, the scarring in FUE is additive

 

• For example, if the first FUE session is 2,000 grafts, there will be 2,000 tiny round scars. With a second session of 2,000 grafts, there will be a total of 4,000 scars

• In contrast, with FUT, the first scar is completely removed in the next procedure. Even though the scar may be longer in the next session, with FUT, regardless of the number of procedures, the patient is left with only one scar

 

In large hair transplant sessions, the entire donor area must be shaved

 

• This may present a significant temporary cosmetic problem for working patients or those in the public eye

 

“Capping” *

 

• Capping occurs when the top of the graft pulls off during extraction

• * This disadvantage is minimized with Robotic FUE

 

Buried Grafts *

 

• This may occur during the blunt phase of the three-step technique when the graft is pushed into fat and must be removed through a small incision

• * This disadvantage is minimized with Robotic FUE

 

Microscopic dissection may be needed in addition to the extraction

 

• If the number of single-hair grafts is inadequate

• To remove hair fragments

 

After large numbers of grafts are harvested, fine stippled scars may become visible due to thinning of donor area Long-term, if the donor area narrows, the scarring may become visible

 

• Both FUT and FUE produce donor scarring; FUT, in the form of a line and FUE in the shape of small, round dots. With FUT, the line is placed in the mid-portion of the permanent zone and in FUE the dots are scattered all over the donor area. If a patient becomes extensively bald (i.e. the donor fringe becomes very narrow), the line of FUT will generally still remain hidden, whereas the dots of FUE will be seen above the fringe of hair. In the less likely scenario of the donor hair actually thinning significantly, both the line (of FUT) and the dots (of FUE) may become visible.

 

The size of a single session is limited

 

• Since the extraction process is slower than strip harvesting, large procedures may need to be performed over two days

 

With FUE, grafts are usually out of the body for a longer period of time compared to FUT

 

• This runs the risk of sub-optimal growth

• This problem can be mitigated by performing large sessions of FUE over two consecutive days

 

FUE is usually more expensive than FUT