Dr, Rahal vs Dr. Reddy

[ready4Hair]

After doing extensive research I have ended up with these two Drs. (yes I considered Dr. Hasson,Bisanga, etc).

 

I have recession and then diffuse thinning in the crown (the latter I am willing to live with and/or address with Finasteride which I am back on for the last 3 months and/or do a second HT later). Right now I want to fix the hairline and behind.

 

Dr. Rahal does amazing hairlines, yet I haven't seen as good results with FUE. I am not totally against FUT but clearly would prefer FUE if possible.

 

I have seen some extraordinary FUE results from Dr. Reddy, and his hairline and temple restoration is also outstanding (I'd say on par if not even superior to Dr. Rahal)

 

He also seems to have perfected 'cherry picking' FUE and also gets a higher yield specifically because he harvests 2-4 hair FUs (and of course 1s for hairline). I like the thought of that because my donor hair (to my eye/hand) has some areas that would be great for hairline that might be below the strip and also because I'd prefer if possible to take hairs that still have color (I am salt and pepper). I am not so worried about nape loss as i am 54 and my nape has always been strong, and it is doubtful it is or will thin.

 

In any event, I am looking for some feedback. Dr. Rahal is great choice to be sure but I'd say given the results I've seen I'd be looking at 3k-4.5 FUT which is no small FUT scar, whereas with Dr. Reddy I am thinking 2-2.5k FUE would be in order. I am also slightly concerned about a couple bad recent results from Dr. Rahal but of course understand that this can happen to any Dr. and in fairness to Dr. Rahal he seems to be outstandingly committed to his patients and work and stands behind it like no other (I've read threads where he flies patients back in on his own dime).

 

So I'm sort of up in the air. I'll assume the costs between the two aforementioned would be similar, so that is not a consideration.

[PupDaddy]

Hi ready4Hair,

You are considering two excellent ht physicians, both with generally solid track records. But I wonder if maybe you aren't presenting yourself with a false equivalency by equating a 3,000 - 4,500 graft FUT outcome with a 2,000 - 2,5000 graft FUE outcome. If anything, it takes more FUE grafts than FUT grafts for a comparable result, not the other way around. I understand your point about cherry-picking multi-hair follicular units via FUE, but that isn't likely to close the gap in yield and coverage of an additional 1,000 - 2,500 grafts harvested via strip and dissected under a microscope.

 

I also think maybe your'e not completely understanding what the determines the size of a strip taken and the appearance of the resulting scar. There are two components to a strip -- length and width. The length of the strip is usually about the same whether the target is 2,500 grafts or 4,500 grafts, for example. The width of the strip taken is generally the differentiating factor between a smaller FUT session and a larger one. However, a wider strip doesn't necessarily equate to a wider scar. The keys are the amount of scalp laxity the patient has and the surgeon's ability to close the wound without tension.

 

I suppose what I'm saying is that as between a Rahal FUT and a Reddy FUE, you should probably consider a comparable numbers of grafts in making your choice. Dr. Reddy is conservative with the number of grafts he will transplant per FUE surgery. My sense is that you would require two FUE surgeries by Dr. Reddy to achieve the density you could expect to achieve from a 4,000 - 4,5000 strip transplant performed by Dr. Rahal (assuming your scalp laxity and donor density allow for a strip procedure of that magnitude).

 

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!