FUE vs. FUT (strip surgery)? Ask yourself this question!!!

[JoeTillman]

I contend that FUT strip surgery would not be the method of choice by the patient. I believe that FUE is without question the best process for the patient. FUT strip surgery, however, can arguably be the best process for the surgeon. The surgeon, in a relatively short amount of time, can make lengthy incisions across the back of your head, hand the “strip” off to a trained technician to dissect the grafts and prepare them to be transplanted. The patient is left with an eight inch scar (average of 22 cm), and a limited number of grafts from the strip. With FUE, the surgeon has a vast area of donor hair and the surgeon can pick and choose areas based on donor density and choose hairs based on caliper size to be used in strategic cosmetic areas such as the front hair line. The FUE patient is left with a donor area that heals very quickly without ANY visible scarring.

 

I don't understand how FUT is best for the surgeon? Because of his need for techs and he can be less hands on or because you think he is making more money? If the former, then yeah, the doctor can take the strip, make the incisions and then disappear and take a nap in his office. If the latter, then you're mistaken. Less money per graft and much more overhead than with FUE. The economics favor the doctor with FUE. The fatigue factor favors the doctor with FUT.

 

Scar5

FUE was immediately ostracized by the hair-medical community. Strip was a massive boon to the HT community because of its economics - just as the OP says. The road FUE had to take was incredibly slow.

 

Let's not rewrite history here. Yes, FUE was ostracized by the HT community, and I was part of it, but EVERY development that drastically changed the way surgery was performed took a long time to make their way into the mainstream. Plugs turned into strips, yes with an "s", because of the multi-blade scalpels that were used to cut two or three strips at once. This is STILL being done in some clinics. Strips turned into strip (singular) with a single blade scalpel (this took several years) and then there was a big fight when graft dissection went from "eyeballing it" to then using jeweller's loupes for mini/micro grafts and then on to the eventual pinnacle of FUT with microscopes for follicular unit grafting (which took about 10 to 12 years to go mainstream). Strip wasn't accepted overnight and the economic "advantages" don't make sense. Again, larger staff is needed and the cost per graft had to drop. Before strip, plug jobs of a few hundred grafts were still up to 10K dollars or more and this was without a small army of techs (overhead) because there was no follicular dissection to speak of. It was quick and profitable and incredibly damaging to the patient.

[KO]

I disagree here, I believe the economics do not necessarily favor FUE, if you are a strip clinic with a large technical staff you will be idling them and and still paying them, and you'll need to make up the shortfall in revenue from the missed strip procedures.

 

From the POV of a new surgeon entering the field, perhaps FUE is better as you can set up shop with much less overhead, but from the POV of an established clinic, I do not believe so.

Edited February 11, 2015 by KO

[JohnCasper]

I can certainly see both sides but Strip surgeons do have the ability to do two patients in one day with the proper number of techs, etc. Still...as the patient, if you offer me 2,000 grafts with an 8 inch scar, or 2,000 grafts without any visible scarring, the choice is easy for me.