FUT Stretch the Crown?

[TrixGlendevon]

I am just reading through Dr Bhatti's website and in his FAQ, he has said FUT can stretch the crown thus negating the extra grafts that you get from an FUT procedure as you are removing a strip and then pulling what is left together. That makes sense logically but I would have thought the scalp's elasticity would return after a few months and it would be back to normal again. Any informed opinions on this?

[Al - Moderator]

Crown stretching can happen, but it's rare and even when it does happen it's very minor and usually not even noticeable. It would have to be from having several strip surgeries when there's not much laxity left in the donor area. Take a look at some of Hasson and Wong larger transplants. They do some of the biggest strip surgeries and you don't see any crown stretching. In fact the patients usually get good crown coverage from the grafts if there was work done in that area.

 

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

Crown stretching is minimal unless scalp is very tight. If a larger amount of grafts will be needed over time , multiple FUT cases will give more coverage and have donor area appear more similar to before the procedures compared to multiple FUE cases. I would recommend being cautious taking advice regarding FUT vs FUE from a doctor who only performs one of the two procedures. They may be more inclined to say negative things about the procedure they do not perform.

[Gasthoerer]

18 minutes ago, Dr. Glenn Charles said:

... have donor area appear more similar to before the procedures compared to multiple FUE cases. ...

That is true. But many FUT clinics (and also patients) that donor density is unchanged with FUT. But if the crown is not expanding and nape area is not moving up, the density has to decrease with FUT as the remaining skin has to stretch. Of course the effect will be less visible than with FUE.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

A slight elevation of the nape area is probably more likely what happening and would be very hard to detect. I often get patients who ask if they will be getting a face lift from the FUT transplant and I tell they are getting a minor rear neck lift not a face lift.