Regular Member Beebz Posted March 5, 2016 Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2016 I met with Dr Ron Shapiro and Dr David Josephitis a few days ago, from what I understand they were given a grant to perform a study that will use FUT on side to create a hairline on my basically bald front third of my head, and FUE on the other side to compare and hopefully confirm there is basically no difference. I feel very comfortable going through with this being as Shapiro Medical is so highly regarded and Ron Shapiro is referred to as the hairline guru. Just wanted to let you guys know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JON86 Posted March 5, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 5, 2016 That's great news for you. I remember when they posted about doing this a while back. You will be in great hands with a great clinic. This wil be an interesting study. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member pkipling Posted March 5, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 5, 2016 That's awesome man! I've always thought lucking out and being part of a study with a reputable surgeon in exchange for a free hair transplant was a solid bargain. And thanks for being the guinea pig for all of us. I'm very much looking forward to the outcome. I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff. Check out my hair loss website for photos FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14 2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted March 5, 2016 Administrators Share Posted March 5, 2016 Fascinating study, who will be performing the procedures, Ron or Paul? Who will be performing the extractions? I remember the photo of your donor area seemed very low in density. What did they say about your donor area how many grafts do they think they'll be able to extract safely? I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Garageland Posted March 8, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 8, 2016 Congratulations! You will be in very good hands with the team at Shapiro Medical. It is an exciting study and you are very privileged to be part of it, looking forward to the results. --- Former patient and representative for Hasson & Wong. Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong are esteemed members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. My opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hasson & Wong. My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Hasson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Glenn Charles Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 You are in good hands with Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Josephitis. I have worked with both and they do really top notch hair restoration surgery. Good Luck! Dr. Glenn Charles is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-from-Farjo Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Congratulations. Lucky guy! All the best with it. I am an online representative for Farjo Hair Institute Dr. Bessam Farjo is an esteemed member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions shared are my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member esrec Posted March 8, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 8, 2016 Very cool. Would love to hear more of the specifics. They mentioned when I checked in they were working on an interesting project. I'm guessing this is that What are your personal goals of the procedure? Would be curious to learn more about how you arrived at the decision to participate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MrMatt Posted March 9, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 9, 2016 I met with Dr Ron Shapiro and Dr David Josephitis a few days ago, from what I understand they were given a grant to perform a study that will use FUT on side to create a hairline on my basically bald front third of my head, and FUE on the other side to compare and hopefully confirm there is basically no difference. Congratulation, you definitely hit the Hair Lotto. Just wondering who issued the grant..I'm assuming the Federal Government ? Is there a link to the info about this program ? Would really like to read about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member bunsenburner Posted March 9, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 9, 2016 Interesting study. Beebz: Which doctor will perform which aspects of the procedure? MrMatt: I presume the funding is coming from a private organization. Possibly a professional medical organization or guild. Research, research, research! Doctors I'm considering: FUT: -Feller -Hasson -Konior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. David Josephitis Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I am glad to hear there is some excitement regarding this study. We too are looking forward to getting results after we have enough patients. We are actually still actively seeking patients for the study. This is a blurb from one of our advertisements for the study. "The world-renowned hair transplant clinic of Shapiro Medical Group is seeking qualified candidates for an exciting new study. We have received a study grant from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) to study the differences between the two types of hair transplantation known as FUT (follicular unit transplantation or “strip” surgery) vs. FUE (follicular unit transplantation). Both types of transplantation, in our hands, produce excellent results, but we would like to see if there are subtle difference with using one over the other. We are actively looking for males with a Norwood 4a or higher (bald on the front third or half of head). Also, we are requesting patients that have never before had a hair transplant surgery. Finally, you should be willing to follow up at the office for evaluation once the new hair grows in. Qualified candidates will receive a significant discount for participating in the study." Dr. Ron Shapiro and I will both be working on all of the patients. If there are any other questions please direct them to our main office and we can determine if you are a candidate. Dr. David Josephitis is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Janna Posted March 24, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted March 24, 2016 I met with Dr Ron Shapiro and Dr David Josephitis a few days ago, from what I understand they were given a grant to perform a study that will use FUT on side to create a hairline on my basically bald front third of my head, and FUE on the other side to compare and hopefully confirm there is basically no difference. I feel very comfortable going through with this being as Shapiro Medical is so highly regarded and Ron Shapiro is referred to as the hairline guru. Just wanted to let you guys know! Congrats - looking forward to seeing the results of the study too!! Patient Care Services & UK Patient Advisor for Shapiro Medical Dr. Ron Shapiro, Dr. Paul Shapiro and Dr. David Josephitis are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. http://shapiromedical.com/info@shapiromedical.com http://shapiromedical.com/contact/request-a-consultation/janna@shapiromedical.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted May 3, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted May 3, 2017 Any news on this? 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. David Josephitis Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 1978matt, I am glad you asked. Currently we have 4 patients enrolled in the study. We are ultimately looking to do 5 or 6 total. The patients are at various stages of their post operative period. The results are very interesting though with the 2 patients we have at or near the one year post op mark. As many of us expected, the FUE and FUT sides look very similar. This is according to the before and after photography. We have yet to fully study the magnified views and hair counts to really see if there is a difference between techniques. Still, no difference would be seen as a valid conculsion for this study. If after looking at all 5 or 6 patients we determine that both FUE and FUT are equally valid, that will be a very useful piece of info for physicians and patients considering using on techniques over the other. There are additional aspects of the study, that over time, may become even more interesting than just the results in the recipient area. We are also looking at the effect of the donor region from each technique. We are trying to see which technique allows the most number of total grafts and how the visibilty of the scar fairs over time. It appears the more we learn, the more questions we come up with. We will update you as we can. BTW. We still have 2 spots available for the study. If there are any interested candidates please contact our office at Shapiro Medical Group. The procedure is at a very reduced rate. Thanks. Dr. David Josephitis is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Spanker Posted May 3, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted May 3, 2017 1978matt, There are additional aspects of the study, that over time, may become even more interesting than just the results in the recipient area. We are also looking at the effect of the donor region from each technique. We are trying to see which technique allows the most number of total grafts and how the visibilty of the scar fairs over time. Thanks. I think this is just as interesting as the yield. In addition, what do these procedures look like after many years. Is there a difference when and if the upper and lower ends of the donor region degrades? Does that prime center strip hold out better over time? If the donor degrades, does the strip scar show up easier or less easy that the thinned out donor from FUE? Lots of questions still to be answered, but I do applaud the effort for the study. I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. View Dr. Konior's Website View Spanker's Website I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Rashid36 Posted May 3, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted May 3, 2017 Will been on or starting finasteride etc be included in the study as well ? Also which country is this in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. David Josephitis Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Rashid36, Taking finasteride is not a problem. The study is taking place at Shapiro Medical Group in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Although the surgery is greatly reduced in price, we will require patients to return for follow up in the clinic at least 2 additional times. Dr. David Josephitis is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted May 4, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted May 4, 2017 Thanks for the update Dr J. Some thoughts: I guess you match the grafts sizes taken by FUT and FUE so overall it is basically the same number of singles, doubles, triples implanted. No of failed (transacted) FUE grafts recorded? Sample size is still quite low so I suspect the results won't put FUE v FUT to bed. Given the trial patients were hand picked it may be argued you chose patients you knew you could get good FUE results from. Look forward to seeing the results! 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. David Josephitis Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Thanks for the update Dr J. Some thoughts: I guess you match the grafts sizes taken by FUT and FUE so overall it is basically the same number of singles, doubles, triples implanted. No of failed (transacted) FUE grafts recorded? Sample size is still quite low so I suspect the results won't put FUE v FUT to bed. Given the trial patients were hand picked it may be argued you chose patients you knew you could get good FUE results from. Look forward to seeing the results! Yes, we matched up the number of FUT and FUE so we could have an fair side to side comparison. We also recorded transection rate. We did 2000 graft total for each case. For our clinic, that is an average sized case. If we had dozens of patients we would have a better time with the results. Unfortunately it is tough to get patient enrolled in transplant studies. I think, although this study will not be authoritative, it will give a good idea if there are large differences between the outcomes in both techniques. If there is little difference between the donor and recipient in both FUE and FUT it will also be important for the hair community to know. Thanks for the interest! Dr. David Josephitis is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jcs87 Posted August 15, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hi Dr Josephitis / Janna, Any updates here? Been three months since the last post so I'm wondering if you guys have before and afters available for the first couple people that participated in this experiment. I have been debating FUT vs FUE for months so I am keenly interested in these results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. David Josephitis Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hi Dr Josephitis / Janna, Any updates here? Been three months since the last post so I'm wondering if you guys have before and afters available for the first couple people that participated in this experiment. I have been debating FUT vs FUE for months so I am keenly interested in these results! Thanks for the ongoing interest in the study. We currently have 4 people in the study at various post op points. The first two are currently around the one year post op. I unfortunately can't reveal any of the actual data or photos at this time, as all of the data from all of the patients is not in yet. We want to make sure we are careful in our assessments before coming to any conclusions. Having said that, preliminary results have been very promising! At this point, there is very little to no differences in the results of the recipient in the FUT vs FUE side. The growth, yield, and density visually appears to be the same. This is from photography alone. As I mentioned, hair counts have not yet been fully counted. This is good news though for patients debating whether to go with the FUT or FUE. We are still looking for a couple more patients to enroll in the study to further bolster our results. Thanks. Dr. David Josephitis is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mikeyhwk Posted August 15, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted August 15, 2017 Thanks for the ongoing interest in the study. We currently have 4 people in the study at various post op points. The first two are currently around the one year post op. I unfortunately can't reveal any of the actual data or photos at this time, as all of the data from all of the patients is not in yet. We want to make sure we are careful in our assessments before coming to any conclusions. Having said that, preliminary results have been very promising! At this point, there is very little to no differences in the results of the recipient in the FUT vs FUE side. The growth, yield, and density visually appears to be the same. This is from photography alone. As I mentioned, hair counts have not yet been fully counted. This is good news though for patients debating whether to go with the FUT or FUE. We are still looking for a couple more patients to enroll in the study to further bolster our results. Thanks. I can't wait for this study to wrap up so all the data can come out, those prelim results are very exciting to hear! thank you for sharing Dr Josepthitis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jcs87 Posted August 17, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted August 17, 2017 Thanks for the ongoing interest in the study. We currently have 4 people in the study at various post op points. The first two are currently around the one year post op. I unfortunately can't reveal any of the actual data or photos at this time, as all of the data from all of the patients is not in yet. We want to make sure we are careful in our assessments before coming to any conclusions. Having said that, preliminary results have been very promising! At this point, there is very little to no differences in the results of the recipient in the FUT vs FUE side. The growth, yield, and density visually appears to be the same. This is from photography alone. As I mentioned, hair counts have not yet been fully counted. This is good news though for patients debating whether to go with the FUT or FUE. We are still looking for a couple more patients to enroll in the study to further bolster our results. Thanks. Hi Doc, thanks for the quick follow-up! So as I mentioned in my previous post I have been debating FUE vs FUT for quite a while. I've also been researching different doctors for quite a while and SMG is on my short-list so that makes these results even more pertinent. A couple follow-up Q's: 1A. Were the FUE portions of these procedures done with the Devroye Punch? 1B. How long has SMG been utilizing the Devroye punch? 2. I've heard pretty good things about this punch. Has there been a noticeable improvement in SMG's FUE results since you started using this tool? 3. As far as I can tell you've got two patients from the study that are around the 1-year mark. Two more patients that are somewhat less than that. And you're currently looking for two more patients to bolster the study's sample size. So given those circumstances does that mean we will need to wait for all six patients to achieve their 1-year post op results (meaning we likely wouldn't see final results for the study until late 2018 or 2019)? If not, when do you anticipate SMG will release the results? 4. I think this sort of study is awesome since it gives us a true scientifically grounded apples to apples comparison for FUE vs FUT. But while we wait for the results I was curious to hear your anecdotal experience over the past couple years. Do you find that your FUE cases turn out just as well as your FUT or does FUT still have a slight edge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Gasthoerer Posted August 17, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted August 17, 2017 Very interesting study. And due to the fact that they are looking for new candidates, I expect very promising results. Otherwise it would be unethical to continue. My questions: - Will the shaft Diameter be measured in the recipient? The effect of the diamter has been a big dicussion Point in this Forum. - If yes, will it be compared with the donor shaft Diameter? I expect the fue to be larger as it is from the sweet spot. Can't wait to see the final results. 400+ grafts in 2018 and 2900 grafts in 2020 via FUE with Feriduni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member mephesto Posted March 24, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted March 24, 2019 Sorry to revive an old topic, but Dr. Josephitis, has there been any update on this? I wasn't able to find anything in the search results so I thought I would ask here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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