Which treatment is better for me-FUT OR FUE

[Neperican]

Not sure how to post multiple pics. Looking wt this pic, which treatment is better option for me? I was leaning towards FUE but i heard FUT gives more density. After talking to few specialists, they say i need abt 2500 grafts.

[Lloyd]

Your question depends on the Docs. There are great doctors in both field.

[scar5]

Not sure..... i heard FUT gives more density.

Oh..and who told you so? How does it happen?

 

I think natural density should be in the equation. Cut your transplanted hair to 3mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches. Now ask which gives more natural density?

 

We know about the 'sweet spot' (check Jotronic's posts) but really, which procedure gives you latitude (spelling?) to suit conditions from jungle to desert?

 

I think it is FUE. Strip requires length. When strip grows out, it looks glorious, but if your crown is fading it looks 'Old man' IMO.

[Spanker]

It is not that strip gives more density, it is that in some cases you can "go bigger" in one shot, and get more lifetime grafts by eventually using both. A viable graft is a viable graft, no matter how it is taken.

 

The biggest problem with FUE at this time is that there are much less doctors that are able to get strip yield or do the procedures the size that many can do in strip. If you want the option to shave your head down to a 1mm go FUE. There are doctors that can do FUE with strip yields, and the list is growing but there are still just so few of them.

 

Get on finasteride if you are not as you are going to end up with a very advanced pattern.

[gillenator]

I want to challenge you to think about where your hair loss is headed in the future before you decide on any type of procedure.

 

Your photo shows advanced diffusion and thinning in your crown area and working towards the mid-scalp. Eventually, it will impede your frontal zone including your hairline. I have seen this a zillion times in young men and when there is this much loss at a young age, it is always an early indication that they are headed for Norwood class 6, and then 7.

 

You appear very young in the photo. How old are you? If you are in your 20's, then chances are you have the upper classes of hair loss in your family history. Father, uncles, grandfather, etc., that have reached Norwood class 7. That appears to be where you are headed as clearly seen by your progression. Have you considered that into the equation?

 

In addition, if you had this 2500 grafts in the crown, and you continue to lose, you will be left with an island of hair. The crown area can require half of one's available grafts because of the large number of grafts to cover that surface area.

 

Because our donor zones are limited and cannot cover the entire top of our scalps, I caution you to wait and see where your loss is headed. Because if you do lose in the frontal zone, "and you eventually will", where will that donor come from? An extremely large percent of men want their frontal zone restored over their crown, "once the front goes and no more hairline".

 

If you cannot wait it out, then you really want to consider approaching this with very low density so you preserve your donor for the future which you are going to need. Trust me, you're going to need it.

 

My more impending question is what did the doctors tell you about hair loss meds to get your loss stabilized? Low dose finasteride is most effective right where you are losing the most, and minoxidil foam just might rejuvenate some added growth.

 

Well, you probably were not expecting a comment like this but after counseling scoreless men over 4 decades who rushed into HTs in their twenties, wished they approached it with thinking of future loss and working within their limitations.

 

Just would not want you to be one of them...

[Spanker]

I want to challenge you to think about where your hair loss is headed in the future before you decide on any type of procedure.

 

Your photo shows advanced diffusion and thinning in your crown area and working towards the mid-scalp. Eventually, it will impede your frontal zone including your hairline. I have seen this a zillion times in young men and when there is this much loss at a young age, it is always an early indication that they are headed for Norwood class 6, and then 7.

 

You appear very young in the photo. How old are you? If you are in your 20's, then chances are you have the upper classes of hair loss in your family history. Father, uncles, grandfather, etc., that have reached Norwood class 7. That appears to be where you are headed as clearly seen by your progression. Have you considered that into the equation?

 

In addition, if you had this 2500 grafts in the crown, and you continue to lose, you will be left with an island of hair. The crown area can require half of one's available grafts because of the large number of grafts to cover that surface area.

 

Because our donor zones are limited and cannot cover the entire top of our scalps, I caution you to wait and see where your loss is headed. Because if you do lose in the frontal zone, "and you eventually will", where will that donor come from? An extremely large percent of men want their frontal zone restored over their crown, "once the front goes and no more hairline".

 

If you cannot wait it out, then you really want to consider approaching this with very low density so you preserve your donor for the future which you are going to need. Trust me, you're going to need it.

 

My more impending question is what did the doctors tell you about hair loss meds to get your loss stabilized? Low dose finasteride is most effective right where you are losing the most, and minoxidil foam just might rejuvenate some added growth.

 

Well, you probably were not expecting a comment like this but after counseling scoreless men over 4 decades who rushed into HTs in their twenties, wished they approached it with thinking of future loss and working within their limitations.

 

Just would not want you to be one of them...

 

I agree that you should hold on to your grafts for the frontal half.

[Neperican]

Thanks gillenator, i am 32. I have gone to bosley & another doctor and a rep fro hair restoration clinic. They all said i would need about 2500 grafts. That was before i cut my hair so that might have given them an illusion as i have dark and thick hair. I have a very good donor hair. On the back. I am just confused. I obviously want to look good in my youth & especially when i have no expenses for kids yet. Your comments has made me think though. The doc told me that this might be it for my hair loss but it is getting progressively worse year by year. I only use rogaine. I think i might be one of those with multiple proceedings throughout the years. Is it fairly common to have multiple procedures?

[Neperican]

"If you cannot wait it out, then you really want to consider approaching this with very low density so you preserve your donor for the future which you are going to need. Trust me, you're going to need it."

 

Gillenator, can you please explain what this means? Do you mean just use few grafts and wait for few years?

[gillenator]

Neperican,

 

Thanks for your kind reply my friend. Not all younger men like my truthful straightforward comments and yes it can indeed be challenging. If the docs you consulted with did not inform you that the loss you are seeing is going to progress with time, then IMHO, they failed you, period. Did they take the time to discuss effective hair loss meds? If they did, that's more responsible.

 

A couple of things. Rogaine will only buy you time. It's really low dose finasteride that has proven clinical substantiation to inhibit DHT which is the culprit in MPB, genetic hair loss. MPB is indeed progressive and those of us who have it will continue to lose more hair because of its genetic implications. Without even asking you it's obvious that there are other older men in your family that have advanced hair loss right? That's where you are headed so anything that you can do medicinally speaking is going to help.

 

Stay away from the hair mills and choose a reputable independent recommended doctor who will carefully plan your restoration over a lifetime, not just addressing what you are currently seeing in the mirror and taking your money.

 

I can tell that you have great hair quality yet we know nothing about your donor density. Even with great hair quality you still have a limited number of grafts that can be safely harvested from your donor zones. That's a scientific fact. And did the clinic you saw also inform you that implanting such a high number of grafts in that area can also cause more loss to spread further from shock?

 

Some guys wonder why I am down on younger guys trying to fix their hair loss. It's absurd. It's not that I am down on young men with MPB. What they do not realize is that I have heard from countless men over the past four decades who rushed into this and got too aggressive not considering the skills of the doctor and not considering future loss. They are regretful and I all too often hear them say, "If I could do this all over, etc, etc" I don't want to see you make the same mistakes my good friend.

 

Now having said the worst, please allow me to encourage you to approach this very methodically which is going to answer your second question about lower density.

 

The area you see that has the most loss at present is not the frame to your face. Your hairline or lack of it has the highest area of visual impact, not your crown. That is why I say approach your crown loss at a much lower level of density with maybe only 1000 - 1200 grafts for now. Why? Because once those 1200 grafts grow out, you can potentially grow them to a longer length and cover more of what's missing, especially if you comb/brush your hair in a forward direction which is very stylish for you younger guys. You will appear a little thin in that crown area, but not bald.

 

You can also use some cosmetics like Toppik which will also make the area look more restored because the negatively charged protein fibers will also beef up your hair shafts and magically produce more visual coverage. I have been using Toppik in my frontal zone after I lost my entire scalp hair to chemotherapy five years ago. It really helps my frontal zone look more dense.

 

This approach will buy you time so that as you get older and begin to lose your frontal zone, you have plenty of donor grafts left in the bank to restore your frontal zone. Ask yourself which would you rather have in the future, a nice hairline or no hairline?

 

Did the doctors you met with first physically calculate your donor density and then suggest you only restore the mid-scalp at say one third of your original density? Let me explain. If hypothetically your donor density was say 87 FU per cm2, then half of that level will completely make you look restored providing the yield was good.

 

You only want to go one third of your density in that crown/midscalp zone. So in other words, if you have 87 FU per cm2, then you only want to go at roughly 30 FU per cm2 with your graft count.

 

Once you lose your frontal zone, you can start with 44 to 50 FU or approximately half of your original density. That can potentially give you a very nice result and then as you get older, you can always add more grafts from your donor bank as you continue to lose.

 

Approaching it in this methodical way not only makes more sense but also leaves you with future grafts in your donor to use when you get in your 30's and older.

 

You will also have the benefit to see how much more your hair loss will progress especially if you choose to incorporate a medicinal factor in your restoration plan.

 

I have witnessed tons of younger guys stabilize their MPB and even older guys like myself save significant amounts of their native hair by using low dose finasteride. It has kept my crown stable for roughly 15 years now. But medications are a personal decision and should only be considered under a reputable licensed physician's advice. Just don't jump online and purchase it.

 

Again, approaching your restoration with a sensible plan can and will prevent you from regretting past decisions.

 

I truly hope this has made some sense and I wish you the very best in your journey Neperican...