Questions regarding FUE

[symphonyofdreams]

I'm nearly 30 years old with very mild hair thinning all over the top of my head. If this was the worst it was ever going to get i wouldn't be very concerned about it. But being at my age it seems like it will only get worse over the next 10 years. I recently started researching Fue treatments and there's a few concerns i have. My biggest concern without being able to predict the future is that'll i'll eventually be 100 percent bald and not have enough donor hair available. in this situation i'd want to just shave my head completely instead of walking around with thinning hair that can't be fixed. But I hear there's scaring involved with FUE. I googled it but it looks like its just little spots where hair doesn't grow? but if head was shaved completely would it be noticeable?

Edited March 16, 2016 by David - Moderator

[JohnCasper]

At your age, go see a reputable surgeon and get a consultation regarding expectations, donor area density, etc. I've had over 7,000 grafts moved over the past three years and when my head was shaved for my second surgery you couldn't see any discernible scarring from a few feet away. A 0.8 mm punch was used with both of my surgeries and it does create a very faint white dot but you have to look closely to see any. With my skin color tones they are really not noticeable at all. I'm sure no one would even notice if they weren't aware of the surgeries. I'm including a picture of my donor area after at least 1,700 grafts were removed two years prior. You can see many more pictures on my personal blog site at.... MyFUEhairtransplant.com Best of luck to you. Hope the pictures help.

 

[voxman]

John, your hair is great. I hope my final HT is as good!

 

And yes it will be my final - and yes I will grow it long(er) than all of you!!

[Bill - Seemiller]

In my opinion, you should consider medical therapy first. Since you only have mild thinning on top of your scalp, Propecia might help you maintain what you have and even possibly thicken the existing thinning hair. For a synergistic effect, I would also consider adding minoxidil. Applying Rogaine foam Weiss a day in addition to Propecia might really help thicken your existing hair and stop the progression of hair loss in its tracks.

 

In a year or two you can then decide whether or not you want to proceed with surgery.

 

Also, I know that FUE is the buzz around here however, in order to maximize the number of available donor hairs, it is actually better to start with strip/FUT and once you are out of donor hair, finish off with FUE. The only real benefit to FUE is that it doesn't produce a linear scar on the sides and back of your head. But, strip surgery typically only produces a minimal scar that is hidden quite well by your hair. And if you are that concerned about scarring, you can always use FUE to place more hair into the scar to help conceal it more.

 

Those are just my two cents. I hope it helps.

 

Bill

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

Symphony,

 

Welcome!

 

Bill provided an excellent analysis of some of the points relating to FUT, FUE, and scarring.

 

I think it's important to understand that any type of procedure in the scalp will leave scars. Many times, patients think that FUE is truly a "scarless" procedure. This is not the case. While the scars from FUE -- especially in those with lighter hair and lighter skin tones -- can be excellent, there will always be scarring. And this scarring becomes visible when one truly "shaves their head." I don't say this to try and push one hair transplant technique above another; I say it because I've personally seen numerous patients disappointed after shaving their head post-FUE because they were told the procedure would be "scarless." Are the scars necessarily a "give away" that you had something done? No, but just know there will be some evidence of surgery if you ever want to really shave your head post-transplant.

 

Having said all that, maybe you could share some images of your hair loss? This may provide a better idea of what you're looking at and the best way to proceed forward.

 

Hope this helps.

[delancey]

Removed due to double post.

Edited March 16, 2016 by delancey

[delancey]

I wouldn't exactly refer to a strip scar as minimal. In many cases, it can go from one ear to another, which will prevent a young man from ever wearing his hair short again. This isn't minimal; this is a serious decision that one should think over very carefully. Once you're cut, you're cut. This goes for any form of surgery.

 

Secondly, in order to get these high graft numbers (5000+ grafts), one must take a wide and long scar. This may result in a stretched strip scar going from one ear to another. We don't talk about the big strip scars that these mega sessions may leave behind nearly enough.

 

Thirdly, some men have abruptly changing hair directions in the donor zone, which make a strip scar even more visible. This phenomenon essentially makes FUT unfavorable for many men because it makes the donor zone appear as if it were thinning, hence, showing the scar.

 

Finally, another important factor to consider is that FUE allows for smaller and more personalized session sizes. As mentioned previously, in order for a FUT session to really yield 5000+ grafts, a wide and long strip is a necessary evil. When they work, they work very well. However, no one wants to be that guy who had a failed 5000+ mega session with poor growth. They do occur. Can you live with that possibility? What do you do when it fails? In contrast, FUE allows for smaller session sizes without compromising future donor availability. More specifically, laxity decreases after each subsequent procedure with FUT. This is a non-issue with FUE. I've seen excellent Doctors, such as Dr. Lorenzo, get 6000-7000+ FUE grafts from an average donor zone on a frequent basis (although in smaller, more conservative sessions). That way, if something goes wrong, there are more grafts in the bank. You don't want to put all of your eggs in the same basket, especially not for a decision as important as modifying your appearance.

 

 

 

Just my two scents. Consult with a Doctor.

Edited March 16, 2016 by delancey

[symphonyofdreams]

In my opinion, you should consider medical therapy first. Since you only have mild thinning on top of your scalp, Propecia might help you maintain what you have and even possibly thicken the existing thinning hair. For a synergistic effect, I would also consider adding minoxidil. Applying Rogaine foam Weiss a day in addition to Propecia might really help thicken your existing hair and stop the progression of hair loss in its tracks.

 

In a year or two you can then decide whether or not you want to proceed with surgery.

 

Also, I know that FUE is the buzz around here however, in order to maximize the number of available donor hairs, it is actually better to start with strip/FUT and once you are out of donor hair, finish off with FUE. The only real benefit to FUE is that it doesn't produce a linear scar on the sides and back of your head. But, strip surgery typically only produces a minimal scar that is hidden quite well by your hair. And if you are that concerned about scarring, you can always use FUE to place more hair into the scar to help conceal it more.

 

Those are just my two cents. I hope it helps.

 

Bill

 

My concern with FUT is if i eventually run out of donor hear and have very thin hair then i'm forced to keep a balding hair style. i wouldn't want to shave my head bald with the scarring i've seen with FUT

 

I'm also considering the propecia route. though the potential side effects make be hesitant

[symphonyofdreams]

At your age, go see a reputable surgeon and get a consultation regarding expectations, donor area density, etc. I've had over 7,000 grafts moved over the past three years and when my head was shaved for my second surgery you couldn't see any discernible scarring from a few feet away. A 0.8 mm punch was used with both of my surgeries and it does create a very faint white dot but you have to look closely to see any. With my skin color tones they are really not noticeable at all. I'm sure no one would even notice if they weren't aware of the surgeries. I'm including a picture of my donor area after at least 1,700 grafts were removed two years prior. You can see many more pictures on my personal blog site at.... MyFUEhairtransplant.com Best of luck to you. Hope the pictures help.

 

 

 

your results are very impressive. Thanks for the link, i'll have to check out your page

[symphonyofdreams]

Symphony,

 

Welcome!

 

Bill provided an excellent analysis of some of the points relating to FUT, FUE, and scarring.

 

I think it's important to understand that any type of procedure in the scalp will leave scars. Many times, patients think that FUE is truly a "scarless" procedure. This is not the case. While the scars from FUE -- especially in those with lighter hair and lighter skin tones -- can be excellent, there will always be scarring. And this scarring becomes visible when one truly "shaves their head." I don't say this to try and push one hair transplant technique above another; I say it because I've personally seen numerous patients disappointed after shaving their head post-FUE because they were told the procedure would be "scarless." Are the scars necessarily a "give away" that you had something done? No, but just know there will be some evidence of surgery if you ever want to really shave your head post-transplant.

 

Having said all that, maybe you could share some images of your hair loss? This may provide a better idea of what you're looking at and the best way to proceed forward.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

I just hate the idea of scaring not know how much balding i'm potentially facing in the future . Worse case id get a FUT and have hair looking good for the next few years but the rest of my hair falls out and i run out of donor hair. then i can't shave my head because of really bad scaring.

 

regarding the pictures. Right now i have my head shaved. not razor level but a 0 on normal buzzer. whats strange is when it's that short i my hair on top looks as good as on the sides. But when i grow it out for a month or so it just looks thin under most lighting. most the time it looks fine but under very bright artificial light it looks noticeable.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

No two patients' donor regions are the same. Skin pigmentation is perhaps the greatest attraction of attention. Scarring will always be present after FUE surgery, but you cannot predict with certainty that your donor scarring will be noticeable.