Is it necessary to shave recipient area in FUT

[I_cogitate]

Title pretty much says it all! I've gotten mixed answers from doctors I've consulted with so far.  Dr. Blumenthal at natural transplants has told me that while he can do it, not shaving the recipient area affects yields as some of your existing hairs can "attach like velcro" to the newly transplanted grafts and cause them trauma while they are "setting".  However, Dr. Sara Wasserbauer, a highly reputable surgeon, says the opposite--that shaving the recipient area is NOT preferred, because it does not allow the surgeon to properly place grafts in a way that will blend in naturally with existing hair.

Do most surgeons require you to shave recipient areas? I was told I would need upwards of 3500-4000 grafts (Norwood 4).  Has anyone done this type of "mega session" without shaving recipient area?

I wear my hair medium length, and use concealer daily, such that it is pretty much unnoticeable that I have almost any hair loss--I look like a Norwood 2.  For me to shave my entire head, or shave a perfect circle on my crown, would be a drastic change to my appearance that would require some explanation, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't look great bald (I'm only 28).  I am a psychotherapist in training getting my doctorate in clinical psyche, and will be actively seeing patients within 1 month of a procedure.  I am afraid it will be too much of a disruption to the therapeutic process to have to answer tons of questions about why I suddenly decided to shave my head or get a hair transplant, and about the fact that I've clearly been concealing significant balding for years  it is generally frowned upon at my training institution to drastically change one's appearance while in training as a therapist--it creates a disruption to the therapeutic relationship and takes the focus off of the patient and onto you.  For this reason, it would be highly desirable to do the surgery without shaving recipient area.  
 

Any thoughts experiences, or names of doctors that would do this without charging a ridiculous amount extra would be amazing.  Thanks!

Edited July 11, 2021 by I_cogitate

[Melvin- Admin]

Is it necessary? No. But is it better? Yes. Simply put, less chance of trauma and shock loss when you shave.

[I_cogitate]

Thanks for the response! Do you mean shock loss to the existing hair or do you mean that it may cause some of the transplanted hairs to fall out? 

[BDK081522]

With a session of 3500-4000 grafts shaving the recipient would be required by most top surgeons. That large of an operation would need to be as efficient as possible or it would take 16 hours. This is a lifelong result so you want to give your surgeon the best working conditions possible to have a successful operation. 

[gradina22]

Hey man. 

I can relate to your current problems. 

There is of course possibility of unshaven FUE. Though it depends where do you live and what doctors are performing this. 

There are so many guys that will help you with the answers you seek but I think generaly majority of top doctors will tell you you need a shaven approach of you want to undergo an FUE for a LOT of reasons. 

On the other side, if you need something around 4000 FU you are an eligable candidate for FUT. Your native hair will cover the strip... But. 

No way you can hide the process all in all. 

I was a hair piece guy, so Im playin ninja while recuperating

 

Be brave and go for it

[I_cogitate]

Thanks for the info!! So you think it would be possible to do FUT without shaving recipient? Yeah I don’t want an FUE it’s prohibitively expensive and also many docs can’t do 4000 in one FUE surgery. 
 

thanks!

[Al - Moderator]

Drs recommended here who perform hair transplants without requiring the recipient area to be shaved include:

Dr Robert Dorin (True & Dorin)
Dr Robert Bernstein (Bernstein Medical)
Dr Bernardino Arocha (Arocha Hair Restoration)
Dr Carlos Wesley

There may be others, but these are the ones I know of.

 

[hairlossPA]

there is no correlation between FUE/FUT and no shave for the recipient. you can not shave your recipient for either method. it solely has to do with how easy you want to make it for your surgeon

[Melvin- Admin]

21 hours ago, I_cogitate said:

Thanks for the info!! So you think it would be possible to do FUT without shaving recipient? Yeah I don’t want an FUE it’s prohibitively expensive and also many docs can’t do 4000 in one FUE surgery. 
 

thanks!

Can and should you do it are two different things. Can you? Yes, should you? No. Why would you risk the results for a few months of inconvenience. Makes no sense.

[gradina22]

22 hours ago, I_cogitate said:

Thanks for the info!! So you think it would be possible to do FUT without shaving recipient? Yeah I don’t want an FUE it’s prohibitively expensive and also many docs can’t do 4000 in one FUE surgery. 
 

thanks!

Hey man. 

Fut is a different pair of shoes than Fue. Dont rush the decision in matter of days. Think things through.

I meant that with Fut you dont need to have a shaved donor. 

 

 

[I_cogitate]

Thanks for the input everyone. Unfortunately it’s more than inconvenience for me, it would be a breach of professionalism at my job to suddenly shave my head. If the consensus is that shaving is always going to yield better results, I’m confused why internationally renowned surgeons like Dr Wasserbauer recommend AGAINST shaving to be able to better see the native hair and blend more effectively. What is the incentive of someone like this recommend not if it really yielded significantly worse results and is significantly harder for the surgeon ? 
 

Thanks!

[Slightlymodded]

Dr. Cooley does the no shave technique. He seems to produce consistently positive results. 

[TEXAN35]

I had 1500 FUE without shaving the recipient area and it took 9 hrs (longer than normal) but the process was smooth. The donor area was shaved but kind of grew little in 2/3 weeks and after 3 weeks no one could notice the transplant but I had to cut my hair short to match it all and have a tapered look in the back.

As for result it has been three months as right now so I cannot say if having no shave had a very bad impact.

But no shave fue needs more attention and concentration by the technicians/surgeon when putting the graft.

[Melvin- Admin]

9 hours ago, I_cogitate said:

Thanks for the input everyone. Unfortunately it’s more than inconvenience for me, it would be a breach of professionalism at my job to suddenly shave my head. If the consensus is that shaving is always going to yield better results, I’m confused why internationally renowned surgeons like Dr Wasserbauer recommend AGAINST shaving to be able to better see the native hair and blend more effectively. What is the incentive of someone like this recommend not if it really yielded significantly worse results and is significantly harder for the surgeon ? 
 

Thanks!

I can’t speak for that surgeon, as I don’t know her, or her results. But the vast majority of surgeons charge significantly higher for no-shave procedures.

So if you’re bald at your job you’re not allowed to shave? That sounds pretty backwards if they think a shaved head isn’t professional. 

[gradina22]

5 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I can’t speak for that surgeon, as I don’t know her, or her results. But the vast majority of surgeons charge significantly higher for no-shave procedures.

So if you’re bald at your job you’re not allowed to shave? That sounds pretty backwards if they think a shaved head isn’t professional. 

He wants to hide his HT. I think je explained that with fibers He still has an appereance of a good head of hair. 

If he looses medium lenght of hair that he has, he will have.. .. Problems

No point in doing fibers. Recipient area will be exposed. 

 

Man the only thing that you might try if you dont insist on unshaven recipient is a hair piece. But... Well lets say that I dont know what to say about that. Its a big risk. I know 

Im in a proces of readjusting my piece, so I can show my face in a few occasions

 

My status with shitty scalp hair and fibers. 

Maybe it aint looking like a hi grade stuff, but it was working for a couple of years

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by gradina22

[gillenator]

I had 4 separate FUHT procedures without my recipient area being shaved...this was not by my choice, it's just that the surgeons never required it to be done.

But here's the real issue:  the more existing hair is present within the recipient area, the more important it is for that hair to be cut or shaved so that the surgeon is able to see the direction of the hair shafts as they protrude from the scalp...they need to see the direction and angulation of the existing hair so that when they make the new recipient incisions, they won't transect or damage that hair...it is much easier for them to make these new incisions when they can clearly see where to create them and the proper angles of the new incisions.