FUT vs. FUE scar concerns and future

[lileli]

Hello all,

 

I have a few questions. I am going to have to a hair transplant soon, however I have a few questions. I have been told that FUT with Trichophytic donor closure leaves a very fine scar that would allow to shave my head down to a 2 or 1 grade and FUE scaring is still noticeable when the hair cut at low levels. Is this true? I have also researched that in order to plan for the future I should consider FUT since it would preserve my donor area more and allow for future transplants. Am I over-glorifying FUT? If I shave my head down I don't want a million small bump scars. I am not worried about my crown at this point, just about my hairline. I am been quoted for about 2000 grafts by multiple doctors.

[chrisdav]

What they have told you is incorrect. Who was the surgeon?

[lileli]

That would be Dr. Alba from Dominican Republic. To her credit, she performed a hair transplant on my mother and her scar is very very hard to see.

[TakingThePlunge]

Shaving the head is off the table for all strip patients unless they don't mind displaying the scar. Most FUE patients will not be able shave with a razor either as all surgery results in some scarring. They won't be bumps but tiny visible dots. FUE scars typically allow a much closer buzz cut but there are no guarantees. There are many factors at play including your skin type and healing characteristics.

 

I have a very good quality strip scar that was closed with a trichophytic closure. Wth a #3 my scar is mildly detectable. Anything lower and it's obvious. I've heard some guys say that they can get away with a #2.

 

Many patients are opting for FUE these days because yield and session sizes have increased substantially over the last few years and they want the option of a closely buzzed haircut. Others prefer to maximize the number of strip procedures they can get before turning to FUE to exhaust all possible donor grafts. In many cases, the scar can be concealed with FUE using either scalp or body hairs or with scalp micropigmentation.

 

Patients who have already had FUE don't generally make good strip patients because FUE harvesting lowers the number of grafts/cm^2, resulting in a lower number of grafts harvested from a given strip size.

 

Hope this helps.

[lileli]

Thank you sir! Basically, I have to get used to the idea of scarring. If I am going to need surgeries int he future, would it be best to stick to FUT since it is able to get more grafts overall in the long run?

[lileli]

Shaving the head is off the table for all strip patients unless they don't mind displaying the scar. Most FUE patients will not be able shave with a razor either as all surgery results in some scarring. They won't be bumps but tiny visible dots. FUE scars typically allow a much closer buzz cut but there are no guarantees. There are many factors at play including your skin type and healing characteristics.

 

I have a very good quality strip scar that was closed with a trichophytic closure. Wth a #3 my scar is mildly detectable. Anything lower and it's obvious. I've heard some guys say that they can get away with a #2.

 

Many patients are opting for FUE these days because yield and session sizes have increased substantially over the last few years and they want the option of a closely buzzed haircut. Others prefer to maximize the number of strip procedures they can get before turning to FUE to exhaust all possible donor grafts. In many cases, the scar can be concealed with FUE using either scalp or body hairs or with scalp micropigmentation.

 

Patients who have already had FUE don't generally make good strip patients because FUE harvesting lowers the number of grafts/cm^2, resulting in a lower number of grafts harvested from a given strip size.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you sir! Basically, I have to get used to the idea of scarring. If I am going to need surgeries int he future, would it be best to stick to FUT since it is able to get more grafts overall in the long run?

 

Would you say that if I know I am going to need to future HT that I should start with FUT?

[2youngforthis]

I would. It's a scar. I'm mean just own it. If your hair looks good you will still get laid. If it's bad and a bad scar well then you my friend are f Ed. then you have two problems. You can always get fue into the fut scar to hide that scar, then rock that look. That's my plan, fut, if it's not what I wanted or expected fue into the scar shave my head and Rock a bald head.

[MAGNUMpi]

I have a very good quality strip scar that was closed with a trichophytic closure. With a #3 my scar is mildly detectable. Anything lower and it's obvious.

I would listen these words.

FUE has potentially less noticeable scarring. A FUT scar can stretch and you dont want that.

 

I have been told that FUT with Trichophytic donor closure leaves a very fine scar that would allow to shave my head down to a 2 or 1 grade and FUE scaring is still noticeable when the hair cut at low levels

Nope. I havent seen a grade 1 shave with a FUT operation. Not gonna happen. Read first quote. FUE "could" be noticeable if over harvested but is generally the way you want to go if you do want to cut your hair short in the back.

[lileli]

Thanks for the words of advice everyone. Is impossible to resort to a FUT transplant after having an FUE one?

[pkipling]

How severe the strip scar is varies from person to person. Not only does the surgeon make a difference in how detectable the scar is, but it also greatly depends on how your body individually heals. Even the best surgeon can leave a noticeable scar if your body/skin just happens to be more prone to scarring than someone else's. And additionally, how well you take care of it also plays a factor in its healing.

 

I will say this, however: I recently noticed that a coworker of mine (who has a great head of hair, btw) had FUT surgery in the past. He keeps his hair quite long, but even with about a 3/4 of an inch of length in the back, the scar is extremely visible. So much so that I feel really bad for the guy. His recipient area looks great, and there are days when you can't see the strip scar at all. But if you catch him looking down, for instance, or if he has more product in his hair than normal, the scar is extremely visible.

 

Now, since I had my hair transplant about 8 months ago, I've been hyperaware of other guys that may have had it done, so maybe I'm noticing something that other guys wouldn't even notice. But for me, it's severe enough that it would make me never want to consider FUT. So while FUT/FUE both have their merits, you have to decide what's in your own best interest.

 

I would actually love to know where my co-worker got his HT done though to see if that's any indication of his poor strip scar, but approaching him about that would be way out of line.

[voxman]

He keeps his hair quite long, but even with about a 3/4 of an inch of length in the back, the scar is extremely visible..

 

Good lord, my hair in back is always about 3 inches and it's still half of what I want! Not that that helps, I just wanted to point it out .

 

Length means different thing to different people.

[pkipling]

Good lord, my hair in back is always about 3 inches and it's still half of what I want! Not that that helps, I just wanted to point it out .

 

Length means different thing to different people.

 

Haha! Yes, very valid point. It is all relative to a certain degree. Once mine gets over a half an inch on the sides, I start itching for a haircut... An inch of length on the sides is considered long for me. I've tried to grow it out many times over the years but can't seem to pull it off.

 

Also, there's the very good chance that I just have no idea how to measure the length of someone's hair and his could be longer. Lol. So let's say this: He doesn't get it cut with clippers, so the sides are done completely with scissors... 4-5 inches or so on top, with about a third of that length on the sides? Whatever which way, you can see his scar right through it sometimes, which really bothers me for him.

 

And remember Voxman.... Not all of us are rockstars that need half a foot of hair to toss around while we're on stage. :cool:

[matt3480]

Wow, if you only need 2,000.....I would almost just opt for FUE. It takes so much uncertainty out of the equation (meaning having to worry about how you heal, how the strip is going to be closed, etc.).

 

No treatment is scar-free. That being said, I would say in most cases that even bad FUE scars are going to look better with a short haircut than a good FUT scar. Will the FUE scars be 100% undetectable? Probably not. Will it be 90% undetectable at a 2 guard and 100% undetectable with longer hair? Yes, should be. With a FUT....even the best closures and healing probably won't allow you to cut the hair down to a FUE size....and again, there is the uncertainty of how you will heal...whether you will do something to stretch the scar over the next YEAR, etc.

 

I think FUT is great for those who need a lot of grafts. However, for smaller jobs (2k-2500 or under)...I think FUE is the choice.

 

Man, I just had my 2000 graft HT a couple weeks ago and basically feel 99% healed and the donor area is pretty much unnoticeable (and this is at a 2 guard at most). I was going to do FUT until literally a last second chance at my consultation the morning of surgery....I just can't imagine having to deal with the scar and healing for several months and worrying about whether any little movement over the next year (since scars can stretch for that long) is affecting the scar.

[GreatPelo]

Patients with multiple future procedures are best to use the strip. You're a future NW 5...so I think you're on target with the FUT with trychophytic closure. Everything above and under that scar will be as thick as when you were born. With FUE and multiple surgeries, your donor can start to become diffused. Doesn't make sense to help thicken front mid and crown areas while diffusing donor.

 

Best of luck!

[Andre1979]

Hi There, just as an FYI, I had a FUT done, also with TC scar, its barely visible! What you DO see though is a small area with no hair growth that gives the impression of a scar but when you look at it closely there is very little to none scar tissue, I'm considering now to do a small FUE to cover that bald are above the scar.