Can’t decide! Fut or Fue

[Recedinggenes]

Hey all, so I had a consultation recently and everything went well, and was going to call back to schedule a date for my surgery but can’t decide if I really want Fut and that scar, or fue and and pay an extra 5 grand?

Really want some opinions here from folks who have had both.  Some points to consider; I like wearing my hair longer- I have soft/fine hair qualities.

Im ready to get this done, and was leaning towards Fut but thinking about the scar and future thinning and not knowing where I’ll be at in 10-15 years scares me. 

Any advice/ opinions please chime in!

thank you all 

[Dazed]

I have had both and I thought FUT was easier because I have longer hair.  I would not recommend FUT for guys who like short hair, but you already stated you like longer hair.  For longer hair guys it is nearly impossible to hide the shaved donor area with FUE.  I think the success rates are about the same so it comes down to hair styles for me.  If you decide to go FUE I would suggest you just buzz your head ahead of time so people get used to that look, and then let it grow back out.  Trying to maintain length with FUE is not easy.  You didn't mention hair color or density of you donor area.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Dazed

[Recedinggenes]

40 minutes ago, Dazed said:

I have had both and I thought FUT was easier because I have longer hair.  I would not recommend FUT for guys who like short hair, but you already stated you like longer hair.  For longer hair guys it is nearly impossible to hide the shaved donor area with FUE.  I think the success rates are about the same so it comes down to hair styles for me.  If you decide to go FUE I would suggest you just buzz your head ahead of time so people get used to that look, and then let it grow back out.  Trying to maintain length with FUE is not easy.  You didn't mention hair color or density of you donor area.

Thanks @Dazed, here’s a photo of my donor.  Id like to grow my hair out at least another inch in the back.  

 

[LaserCap]

Just by looking at this it seems you may be experiencing retrograde.  It also seems you are dipping in the back quite a bit.  This typically does not happen, but what if these two unite and eventually your donor disappears? The grafts taken from that area will also disappear. So, the first thing I would suggest you do is FORGET transplants for now. Get on medical therapy and, (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser, PRP),do all of them.  Give it a year and then take another photo.  Seems by the photo you are young with a lot of hair.  Chances are you may experience, at least, retention and perhaps even enhancement.

Let's take this a bit further.  Say the meds don't work and you keep thinning.  Seems you are experiencing aggressive loss for your age...and, if you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue loosing.  This is a fact.  So let's say that the loss is so extensive you don't have enough donor to allow for a full set of hair. At that point you will need to be very judicious with your grafts.  You may end up doing both FUT and FUE to access as much donor as you can.  Honestly, whatever angle you consider, get on the meds and wait.

[paddyirishman]

I think because you are concerned about the scar you might be better to forget about FUT . If your hair thins out on the front you might not want your hair that much longer on the back or sides as this would only highlight your thinning area more so what do you do with the scar then.  I would do a lot of research on medication before you consider as there are pros but many many cons.

..........Paddy.......

[HLPToronto]

I would recommend FUE for many good known reasons, I would never sign up with FUT in 2019/20 .

2010, may be FUT was good as the only option but not anymore.  

[Greg_Swanson]

What does your family history look like?

FUT can still be great for patients with a long-term goal which requires maximum grafts.

I have some some FUT scars that are virtually impossible to detect, some very bad FUE scarring, and vice-versa. 

I would carefully consider what @LaserCap has discussed, and hop on preventative medication. 

I also understand the hesitation with FUT scarring - I always worried that if I lose my hair anyway, and want to shave it, it will be obvious, so you are doing the right thing in doing your research.

[yesplease]

5 hours ago, HLPToronto said:

I would recommend FUE for many good known reasons, I would never sign up with FUT in 2019/20 .

2010, may be FUT was good as the only option but not anymore.  

Starting with FUT for your first procedure is still the superior choice for long term donor supply/graft optimization. 

If you’re going to need multiple procedures over your lifetime, you’ll get more total grafts by starting with the strip method and switching to FUE for subsequent transplants. 

[elduterino]

with FUE you can get more grafts in total as you wont need much hair to hide the scar in the back, as there is none

I would never have FUT nowadays, the FUE techniques and tools have improved a lot and survival rates are the same 

I had 2 FUE total 3700 grafts and can buzz it to zero and no one can see anything out of the ordinary  at the back, no dotting or mini scars. I have very fair skin which heals well though.

For the surgery preparation I suggest you grow hair on top real long for 6 months at least and buzz the sides and back so to cover the recipient area with a combover  during the ugly duckling 4 + months phase which is the biggest pain in the whole HT process

This is what I did and even dated new chicks during the ugly duckling as no one noticed anything even though I had full redness and of course shedding and shock loss going on "undercover"

Edited July 15, 2019 by elduterino

[LonelyGraft]

17 minutes ago, elduterino said:

with FUE you can get more grafts in total as you wont need much hair to hide the scar in the back, as there is none

I would never have FUT nowadays, the FUE techniques and tools have improved a lot and survival rates are the same 

I had 2 FUE total 3700 grafts and can buzz it to zero and no one can see anything out of the ordinary  at the back, no dotting or mini scars. I have very fair skin which heals well though.

For the surgery preparation I suggest you grow hair on top real long for 6 months at least and buzz the sides and back so to cover the recipient area with a combover  during the ugly duckling 4 + months phase which is the biggest pain in the whole HT process

This is what I did and even dated new chicks during the ugly duckling as no one noticed anything even though I had full redness and of course shedding and shock loss going on "undercover"

Wtf? U can get more grafts total from fue?

 

honestly, I’ve seen your posts since about 2007 on various hair loss forums and you have given some horrible advice through the years. You used to praise RU58841 from Chinese black market chemical companies like it was the cure for hair loss. You used to also praise topical flutamide even though it’s known to cause all kinds of systemic issues like liver problems; even the company that made topical flutamide gel discontinued it due to safety concerns but you kept recommending it to everyone on the forums. Then u started praising other black market antiandrogens from China. You changed your tune every month.

 

you used to tell people for years minox was a horrible treatment and not to use it, but now you’re using it yourself.

 

time to hang up your hat with giving advice on forums

[elduterino]

@jj51702

I only wrote on stuff that I used or did on myself

 

flutamide and later RU saved my hair. I used RU for 9 years and kept my hair 

I also used FIN for 6 years

We have new options now, so yes its not 2007 anymore 

what did YOU do to save your hair ?

Edited July 15, 2019 by elduterino

[Greg_Swanson]

52 minutes ago, elduterino said:

with FUE you can get more grafts in total as you wont need much hair to hide the scar in the back, as there is none

I would never have FUT nowadays, the FUE techniques and tools have improved a lot and survival rates are the same 

I had 2 FUE total 3700 grafts and can buzz it to zero and no one can see anything out of the ordinary  at the back, no dotting or mini scars. I have very fair skin which heals well though.

For the surgery preparation I suggest you grow hair on top real long for 6 months at least and buzz the sides and back so to cover the recipient area with a combover  during the ugly duckling 4 + months phase which is the biggest pain in the whole HT process

This is what I did and even dated new chicks during the ugly duckling as no one noticed anything even though I had full redness and of course shedding and shock loss going on "undercover"

You don't get more grafts using FUE versus FUT. 

The way to ultimately maximise the donor is to start with FUT, and then switch to FUE. 

That's awesome you got such a good FUE result, you are very lucky. 

Keep in mind I have seen some absolutely horrendous FUE scarring, and some FUT scarring that isn't even detectable at a 2 guard. Dr. Konior's strip scars spring to mind.

Both techniques are still great, and the "best one" ultimately depends on the patient.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Greg_Swanson

[elduterino]

@Greg_Swanson

You get more grafts as you can maximize the donor area, and extract more -  it may look sparse at the end but still way better than any scar  even dr Konior's.

No one with a FUT can shave it to a zero, but most dudes with a FUE can

Look at the many threads under "scar revision/FUE into scar/SMP into scar" as a result of FUT , and compare it with the number of people posting with FUE scar issues, which are almost inexistant

Edited July 15, 2019 by elduterino

[Greg_Swanson]

1 hour ago, elduterino said:

@Greg_Swanson

You get more grafts as you can maximize the donor area, and extract more -  it may look sparse at the end but still way better than any scar  even dr Konior's.

No one with a FUT can shave it to a zero, but most dudes with a FUE can

Look at the many threads under "scar revision/FUE into scar/SMP into scar" as a result of FUT , and compare it with the number of people posting with FUE scar issues, which are almost inexistant

FUE definitely has less scarring that FUT, I agree with you there - but claiming it's virtually not visible at all, and is "better" than FUT concerning number of grafts collected isn't true. 

Most dudes cannot shave to a zero with FUE, that's essentially saying FUE is a scar-less procedure. 

So many have come to this forum post-FUE, saying that their donor is patchy even at a 2 guard, and they were told it would be invisible at a zero. Which is a sales tactic lesser-known clinics push to those who haven't done their research. 

 

[elduterino]

FUE can be totally scar less if the doc is using smaller caliber punches and the patient  has skin which heals well

Mine is totally scar less and I had  two FUE  with 2 different docs

Nothing to do with luck

FUT is NEVER scar less

Patchy means that donor area was not well managed, but with a good surgeon taking equal grafts from a wide area this is a non-issue. 

And these FUE  patients are often complaining soon after the HT, not 2 years later when its all healed eventually 

If you are ok with the type of extreme case hair cut like in the pic I posted, you can potentially get a lot more with FUE than FUT

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by elduterino

[LonelyGraft]

15 hours ago, elduterino said:

FUE can be totally scar less if the doc is using smaller caliber punches and the patient  has skin which heals well

Mine is totally scar less and I had  two FUE  with 2 different docs

Nothing to do with luck

FUT is NEVER scar less

Patchy means that donor area was not well managed, but with a good surgeon taking equal grafts from a wide area this is a non-issue. 

And these FUE  patients are often complaining soon after the HT, not 2 years later when its all healed eventually 

If you are ok with the type of extreme case hair cut like in the pic I posted, you can potentially get a lot more with FUE than FUT

 

Show us pics of your donor shaved to a zero guard. This type of misinformation will lead to newbs getting fue then realizing they can’t shave down like they had hoped.

[bismarck]

This is the central question of hair loss. To the OP, you must try to be on meds for at least a year before considering surgery. I think most shaved head guys that you see in public are pretty clearly balding and you can usually tell, but if you're okay with that look, FUE might give you that lukewarm exit strategy.

FUT usually leaves a more recognizable scar than FUE, but the yields and possibility for repeat procedures down the line are probably better too. Some have advocated at strip first, FUE towards the end, which intuitively makes sense to me, but there is no perfect solution.

There is no way to 100% know which is best for you, even in retrospect, but the more time you put into researching, the better your outcome will likely be down the line.

[JayLDD]

On 7/15/2019 at 6:36 PM, elduterino said:

@Greg_Swanson

You get more grafts as you can maximize the donor area, and extract more -  it may look sparse at the end but still way better than any scar  even dr Konior's.

No one with a FUT can shave it to a zero, but most dudes with a FUE can

Look at the many threads under "scar revision/FUE into scar/SMP into scar" as a result of FUT , and compare it with the number of people posting with FUE scar issues, which are almost inexistant

NO ONE who has had FUE can shave it to a zero, or as low as this guy without the scars showing. Very silly thing to suggest.

[paddyirishman]

27 minutes ago, JayLDD said:

NO ONE who has had FUE can shave it to a zero, or as low as this guy without the scars showing. Very silly thing to suggest.

It depends on the patients healing ability whether or not the scars can be seen by the naked eye.  All patients are left with scars, some patients can be noticed. Some patients have microscopic scaring. Which cant be seen by the naked eye.

............Paddy......

[elduterino]

Guys 

I shave the sides and back to a 1 guard which is 3mm, every 2 weeks 

This is pretty much what the guy in Pic has, or a bit longer. I could try a zero shave but I work in an office so maybe just before holidays at some point. 

Will post pics over the week end 

Edited July 16, 2019 by elduterino

[s14a]

1 hour ago, JayLDD said:

NO ONE who has had FUE can shave it to a zero, or as low as this guy without the scars showing. Very silly thing to suggest.

I've seen many FUE posts with people shaving their sides this short...I will also be doing so in a few weeks.

[JayLDD]

47 minutes ago, s14a said:

I've seen many FUE posts with people shaving their sides this short...I will also be doing so in a few weeks.

I've virtually never seen it and I'm sure I've seen significantly more cases than you have, when I do see a legitimate FUE zero guard the scarring is apparent.  Very big difference between a two or even one guard which is typically what I see at the shortest and a zero as in the above photo. Not once seen a zero guard where scarring wasn't apparent to some degree.

 

1 hour ago, elduterino said:

Guys 

I shave the sides and back to a 1 guard which is 3mm, every 2 weeks 

This is pretty much what the guy in Pic has, or a bit longer. I could try a zero shave but I work in an office so maybe just before holidays at some point. 

Will post pics over the week end 

Its plausible that at a 1 guard it won't be noticeable but I doubt it. The bigger issue between FUE and FUT is long term donor useage, 3700 grafts as in your case is relatively small and you've covered what is a very small area. For someone who is looking at full coverage for a NW5 minimum etc in the long term then you're looking at 6k grafts minimum for a conservative approach, at that level you're likely going to have more cosmetically significant scarring than you would with FUT.

[elduterino]

I don't have scars but you guys miss a big point - even if someone ended up with tiny dotted scars on their bare skin, we have a lot more options to get ride of those.

Laser abrasion, chemical peeling etc all these treatments for acne scars can be used to smooth the skin if needed. This isn't possible on a fut scar hence all the threads seeking to fix FUT scars 

I have seen reports of guys having plugs removed from the hairline then had skin smoothed by laser and it looked perfectly smooth at the end

The key is to go to a doc using smaller caliber punches 

Edited July 17, 2019 by elduterino

[Recedinggenes]

I’m considering a highly reputable surgeon, so I feel better about going fut.  My hair is just naturally thinner and my dads a Norwood 6 so I feel fut is best for the long run. 

Havent heard much from people that have gone fut and have been pleased with their scar/donor. That’s why I posted this

[Melvin- Admin]

@JayLDD is right, no one who undergoes hair transplant surgery should ever expect to shave down to a zero. You will 100% see scars.