Choosing FUT with Hasson & Wong (as opposed to FUE) - Am I an idiot?

[CatsMeow83]

I know there are a ton of threads debating FUT vs. FUE, and they have been very helpful.  But I was hoping to get some specific feedback on my situation.  My current plan is to schedule an FUT procedure with Hasson & Wong (Dr. Hasson, specifically).  I am choosing FUT over FUE solely due to the cost savings, but I am having second thoughts about whether I'm making a smart decision by opting for the more invasive FUT procedure simply to save money. 

Here is my situation:  

Basic Profile:  Frontal hair loss and thinning hairline.  H&W has suggested 3,000 grafts to restore hairline and densely pack thinning frontal and temple areas.  Both FUT and FUE options are available.  Scarring from FUT is not an issue or consideration for me due to an existing scar on the back of my head that prevents me from keeping my hair very short (scar is from old injury - not a prior transplant).  I have plenty of donor hair to accommodate current and future transplant needs, so that's not an issue or consideration here either.  The results of FUT and FUE will be roughly the same for me (this is what H&W has told me).  Based on similar H&W case studies and prior results, I believe I will get good results with either method, and if anything, may get slightly better results with FUT, at least based on my personal assessment of similar H&W case studies and their past published case results.

Cost Difference:  FUE = $23,000 USD; FUT =$13,000 USD.  So we're talking about a $10,000 USD cost savings by going with FUT.

My Quandary:  Is submitting to a more invasive FUT procedure worth saving $10,000?  I feel like $10,000 is a lot of money to save by opting for FUT, but is it stupid to go the FUT route just to save money?  Am I being ridiculous?  I'm not as big of a pussy as I sound like, but I certainly don't want to be in a lot of post-op pain or discomfort that I could have avoided by shelling out an extra $10,000.  

Is there anyone who has had both types of procedures that could weigh in on their post-op experience?  Any major differences in post-op pain/discomfort?  Any other issues that I should consider that aren't addressed above?  Basically, am I being an idiot for going the FUT route just to save money?  $10,000 isn't going to make or break me, but it's still a lot of money no matter how you slice it.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Dhyan]

Plan your vacations to India and  get your hair transplant done at eugenix with latest fue method ..and believe me you will still save a lot

 

 

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

You cannot go wrong with Dr. Hasson. He is an excellent hair transplant surgeon. If you already have a scar in donor area and have no plans on shaving head. FUT has some real benefits over FUE in some cases. It does not thin out the entire donor area like FUE can. You do not have to shave down donor area to do procedure making it easier to camouflage post operatively. Also in my opinion it has a 5-10% higher survival rate. 

[CatsMeow83]

57 minutes ago, Dhyan said:

Plan your vacations to India and  get your hair transplant done at eugenix with latest fue method ..and believe me you will still save a lot

 

 

I mean absolutely no offense by this . . . but there is no way in hell I am getting a medical procedure done in India.  I am going with H&W because I think they are the best in North America for the type of work I need done.  Of course, whether they are "the best" is debatable, like all discussions on this board, but I'm definitely looking for the best clinic to do the work, and not necessarily the cheapest.

[CatsMeow83]

[Deleted - new post below]

Edited January 27, 2020 by CatsMeow83

[CatsMeow83]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Glenn Charles said:

FUT has some real benefits over FUE in some cases. It does not thin out the entire donor area like FUE can. You do not have to shave down donor area to do procedure making it easier to camouflage post operatively. Also in my opinion it has a 5-10% higher survival rate. 

This is the type of insight I was looking for - I didn't know this.  All extremely helpful.  

[Aftermath]

It’s really a case of this:

FUT pros:

- better graft survival and more available lifetime grafts

- obviously financially much cheaper

- easier to hide the procedure than shaving half your head 

FUT cons:

- more after pain, and restricted gym time for longer

- linear scar which is only of concern if you want hair short 

 

FUE pros:

-no linear scar 

-less post op pain And down time

FUE cons:

- less graft survival (in most cases)

- less available lifetime grafts

- thinning of donor area (dependant on extractions as to whether noticeable)

- shaving half the head unless you pay premium and have non shave FUE (which I believe H&W only offer for smaller cases)

-financially more of an outgoing 

 

 

 

I've had FUT With dr hasson and don’t regret it one bit.

the way I see it is have strip to maximise available grafts and you can always have FUE after if needed and even FUE into the scar if you wish to Camoflauge it further 

 

Ive recently added donor pics in my thread if you’d like to see how it looks after multiple strips 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by Aftermath

[Melvin- Admin]

Aftermath has given you some great pros and cons. It really boils down to how heavy you personally weigh the pros and cons. Also, Dr. Charles has shared some excellent points. Glad this forum has such quality posters. 

[1978matt]

Would need more info to give an opinion, e.g. age, meds, likely future loss pattern etc etc.

If I were to go back in time I would not change my FUT, but then everyone's circumstances are different.

[hairlossPA]

i’m possibly eyeing up a FUT with H&W as well. I think even the slightest possibility of having a better result via FUT rather than FUE is a major point. atleast for me. The scar and recovery are what make me nervous however

[Tbcruz]

2 minutes ago, hairlossPA said:

i’m possibly eyeing up a FUT with H&W as well. I think even the slightest possibility of having a better result via FUT rather than FUE is a major point. atleast for me. The scar and recovery are what make me nervous however

Yea that’s my thought exactly. Just knowing that the odds of me getting a homerun result are greater Is the deciding factor. Also that if my hair gets worse I know I made a good choice going fut because I will be able to get more grafts and at the end I can do touch ups with fue.

[CatsMeow83]

5 hours ago, Aftermath said:

FUT cons:

- more after pain, and restricted gym time for longer

 

This is my main concern.  You said you had done FUT.  Have you also had FUE as well?  Just trying to get a comparison as to the post-op pain and recovery of FUT vs. FUE from someone who has had both.

I mean, if FUE is like a 3 out of 10 on the post-op pain/discomfort scale, and FUT is maybe 4/5 out of 10, I don't have a problem with that.  But if FUT is like a 7 out of 10 or something much higher, then I guess I might reconsider.  Just trying to get a comparison between the two if that makes sense. 

 

 

 

[CatsMeow83]

1 hour ago, hairlossPA said:

The scar and recovery are what make me nervous however

Yeah - the post-op recovery is my main concern as well.  I would love to hear from someone who has had both FUT and FUE to get an idea of how they would rate the post-op pain/recovery of the 2 procedures. 

[Melvin- Admin]

I highly doubt the difference in pain and discomfort would be a 7/10. For me my FUE was a 2/10. But I’d expect FUT with a skilled surgeon to be maybe 5/10 max. 

[Briguy]

I had both fut '2015 and fue '2019 with Dr Hasson.

Why are you paying US$ for the surgery when H&W are in Canada? Based on 3000 grafts and price per graft for both surgeries your figures seem correct but I believe it is Canadian$ you would pay.

For me the fut was definitely a longer recovery for my donor because I lost sensation in my scalp in the donor area where they took out the strip. This lasted for a few months and slowly came back. In 2015 H&W wasnt doing fue so I only had the fut option. For me personally I was hoping I could have done another fut instead of fue but I didnt have the scalp laxity to do it. I was planning eventually if I needed a third surgery then do fue. If you already have the scar and definitely don't plan to wear your hair short then I think going fue would be ok.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Briguy
Correction

[CatsMeow83]

2 hours ago, Briguy said:

Why are you paying US$ for the surgery when H&W are in Canada? Based on 3000 grafts and price per graft for both surgeries your figures seem correct but I believe it is Canadian$ you would pay.

Yeah - the USD thing did not go unnoticed.  I was a little surprised by this, but they explicitly stated that all prices were in USD.  They are clearly seizing on the strong USD by pricing everything in USD instead of CAD.  Those sneaky Canadians.  Can't say I blame them - although I was hoping to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate.  

[Al - Moderator]

FUT has been done for many years and many men and women had hair transplants done this way. FUT is still being done today too, of course, so don't think the pain is going to be so bad that nobody would do it. I think there's a bit more discomfort for the first 10 to 14 days while the staples or stitches are in, but once they are out you are fine. The first several days are hard for both FUE and FUT because you can't sleep on the donor area and that's with either method. If you already have a scar and you don't cut your hair extremely short then you are probably a great candidate for FUT. There's nothing wrong with saving $10,000 especially when it's with the same top clinic either way.

 

[CatsMeow83]

4 minutes ago, BeHappy said:

FUT has been done for many years and many men and women had hair transplants done this way. FUT is still being done today too, of course, so don't think the pain is going to be so bad that nobody would do it. I think there's a bit more discomfort for the first 10 to 14 days while the staples or stitches are in, but once they are out you are fine. The first several days are hard for both FUE and FUT because you can't sleep on the donor area and that's with either method. If you already have a scar and you don't cut your hair extremely short then you are probably a great candidate for FUT. There's nothing wrong with saving $10,000 especially when it's with the same top clinic either way.

 

Thanks man - that's pretty much where I have landed.

[Aftermath]

8 hours ago, Briguy said:

I had both fut '2015 and fue '2019 with Dr Hasson.

Why are you paying US$ for the surgery when H&W are in Canada? Based on 3000 grafts and price per graft for both surgeries your figures seem correct but I believe it is Canadian$ you would pay.

For me the fut was definitely a longer recovery for my donor because I lost sensation in my scalp in the donor area where they took out the strip. This lasted for a few months and slowly came back. In 2015 H&W wasnt doing fue so I only had the fut option. For me personally I was hoping I could have done another fut instead of fue but I didnt have the scalp laxity to do it. I was planning eventually if I needed a third surgery then do fue. If you already have the scar and definitely don't plan to wear your hair short then I think going fue would be ok.

It’s only Canadian dollars if you’re Canadian and the transfer is done from a Canadian bank, otherwise it’s USD 

[Aftermath]

6 hours ago, CatsMeow83 said:

Yeah - the USD thing did not go unnoticed.  I was a little surprised by this, but they explicitly stated that all prices were in USD.  They are clearly seizing on the strong USD by pricing everything in USD instead of CAD.  Those sneaky Canadians.  Can't say I blame them - although I was hoping to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate.  

It’s always been in USD (at least since my first surgery in 2008) Canadian customers pay CAD everyone else it’s USD. It’s Due to exchange charges etc. Maybe if you were to pay in cash in CAD?!lol 

[Sean]

Not sure if exchange charges occur to the recipient though?  I sent money to rahal by converting my usd to canadian via bank wire transfer.  All charges and fees were charged to me, the sender.  Rahal took CAD (Canadian Dollars) from me, a US patient.  Back then the exchange rate sucked.  Today, the USD is worth more when it comes to currency exchange.  From what ive heard, Dr Rahal still accepts Canadian though (even from US customers)

I am unsure why it is different between surgeons.  In fact, accepting Canadian will probably open up a bigger market and more US customers that want to take advantage of the exchange rate favorability.  

[jjsrader]

It's simple.  H&W basically take advantage of non-Canadian consumers.  If they were completely transparent they would let US customers exchange to Canadian and pay them in their own currency.  It's a money grab as Canadian Dollar has rarely been on 'par w/USD in 30 years.  Some years the Canadian Dollar is nearly 50% cheaper than usd (USD/CAD).

As Americans - we pay a premium. 

[Melvin- Admin]

I don’t think that’s fair to say, this has been their policy for over a decade. There are a lot of other clinics that charge USD for Americans, even in Turkey and India, they will charge USD and charge locals in their own local currency. 

[jjsrader]

Yea I know that.  Still - open borders and all.  In-country pricing should be in local currency regardless of citizenship.  Penalizes against US methinks. 

Imagine you are selling services that are non-essential (discretionary) in any country & you charge different people different rates based on where they were born and what currency you decide is best.

Ahahaha!  I stand by my post.  It's a fact.  End of.  Do I care - somewhat.  What can I do about it?  Nothing.  I wired my USD $$ to my last surgeon at the rates he quoted me USD vs his local currency.

Just a moneygrab for the same services rendered.  I'm in finance so to me it is not a balanced transaction.  Just my opinion.

[John Doe]

This is one reason why I chose Rahal.  This and their phone call was better. H and W rep seemed annoyed and disinterested. One minute basically saying you want surgery here or not then that was it. Rahal staff talked on the phone for 15-20 explaining things and answering questions. Hasson and Wong was charging $8 cad and also $8 usd when I asked about conversion. Thought it was shady. Rahal charged whatever price in cad and let you use credit card or whatever converting usd.  

Edited January 31, 2020 by John Doe