FUT Any Regrets?

[aaron1234]

Furthermore, as most HT docs now admit that transplants can thin over time patients needs to keep that in mind in their longterm planning.  

[NARMAK]

47 minutes ago, aaron1234 said:

Furthermore, as most HT docs now admit that transplants can thin over time patients needs to keep that in mind in their longterm planning.  

I think it's not even about HT doctors now admitting it. Previously you would see doctors have patients start Finasteride and not mention it and thus the results seemed 100% to the transplant outcome rather than a combination of the two. 

Also, a common misconception is that the Donor area is 100% guaranteed to not be affected by DHT. Its just much more highly resistant compared to the crown, midscalp and frontal areas. 

Your DHT sensitivity is something that can also change over time. So the hair may do fine and then over a short few years recede rather quickly. 

I still think its amazing that like even after all this time, Finasteride and Minoxidil are still the two best treatments we can use. Even Dutasteride only blocks scalp DHT by 51% according to one study. It tanks your body serum DHT by almost 100%. I genuinely hope i see in my lifetime even if potentially i cannot use it, a new treatment that's significantly more effective for hair loss prevention and can block significantly more DHT and even maybe see a company or few finally be able to give us cloned hair. Donor area concerns, density issues for "Illusion" placements would become a thing of the past. We could literally recreate hairlines probably better than what some are born with. 

[TEXAN35]

6 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I don’t think people regret getting FUT, but a better question would be, if you had to choose today, would you still choose FUT? 10 years ago the only real option was FUT, so of course they won’t regret it. But now FUE has pretty much caught up to FUT in almost every way, even in extracting large numbers.

I meant that is the FUT scar keeping them anxious or worried. and was the recovery very painful? And yes given a choice would they have chosen FUE ? The primary disadvantage is the FUT scar but closure techniques have also improved over the years just like FUE has. I know the recovery time is longer in FUT but it is still temporary. 6 months down the line it wouldnt matter.

[TEXAN35]

1 hour ago, NARMAK said:

I think it's not even about HT doctors now admitting it. Previously you would see doctors have patients start Finasteride and not mention it and thus the results seemed 100% to the transplant outcome rather than a combination of the two. 

Also, a common misconception is that the Donor area is 100% guaranteed to not be affected by DHT. Its just much more highly resistant compared to the crown, midscalp and frontal areas. 

Your DHT sensitivity is something that can also change over time. So the hair may do fine and then over a short few years recede rather quickly. 

I still think its amazing that like even after all this time, Finasteride and Minoxidil are still the two best treatments we can use. Even Dutasteride only blocks scalp DHT by 51% according to one study. It tanks your body serum DHT by almost 100%. I genuinely hope i see in my lifetime even if potentially i cannot use it, a new treatment that's significantly more effective for hair loss prevention and can block significantly more DHT and even maybe see a company or few finally be able to give us cloned hair. Donor area concerns, density issues for "Illusion" placements would become a thing of the past. We could literally recreate hairlines probably better than what some are born with. 

Yes we wish of a world with unlimited donor hair. 🙂 . I would rather want a good hair cloning technique than a good DHT blocker medicine. Medicine for life is no fun.

[NARMAK]

56 minutes ago, TEXAN35 said:

Yes we wish of a world with unlimited donor hair. 🙂 . I would rather want a good hair cloning technique than a good DHT blocker medicine. Medicine for life is no fun.

Honestly, it always comes down to cost. 

That's why they say prevention ( Finasteride etc. where possible) is better than the cure (Hair Transplant) because even if hair cloning becomes a reality. It's going to be really expensive. Then on top of that it's going to be probably hard to get it transplanted and be expensive too. So unlike the cost of per graft extracted and re-inserted to your head atm, it's probably going to be like one company supplies the Grafts and charges X, HT clinic charge Y to implant. 

It could potentially double or triple the cost of a HT. The only upside being you could hypothetically have an unlimited supply of hair. 

I'm curious though as to how clinics would do it. Even if you could do like 100 grafts per CM squared, there's already talk of how there's potential shock loss etc. so i wonder if at first the principle would be to do it the way they do atm. An illusion of density on first pass. Then a 2nd procedure a year later to try add density etc. 

[Curious25]

1 hour ago, NARMAK said:

An illusion of density on first pass. Then a 2nd procedure a year later to try add density etc. 

Probably this yes - set up a multi stage strategy of restoration over the course of a few years. Wouldn't it be amazing to have this option! 

Back on topic - Something that I thought to add is the psychological impact of having a scar on the back of your head. I met a guy at a meet up with my old surgeon a few years ago, and he had opted for FUT when he was younger due to budget, and he told me that the biggest challenge he had faced post op, was the knowledge of having a scar at the back of his head now, not that it was particularly noticeable (he had since SMP'd into it) however I kind of got the impression he felt the same way about it, as what I would imagine people who wear hair systems sometimes have that feeling of worry in case someone uncovers their system. 

Anyway - like always, its down to the individual. Individual cases call for individual plans of action. If you are comfortable with FUT, then it is a tried and tested procedure that produces great results in the right hands. 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Curious25

[TEXAN35]

9 hours ago, Curious25 said:

he told me that the biggest challenge he had faced post op, was the knowledge of having a scar at the back of his head now, not that it was particularly noticeable (he had since SMP'd into it) however I kind of got the impression he felt the same way about it, as what I would imagine people who wear hair systems sometimes have that feeling of worry in case someone uncovers their system. 


 

yes this is something of concern, I would not know how my brain would react to a scar before hand even though scar may not be visible. But with the new closure techniques I would want to assume that with good doctos these days the scar is like a pencil line and then you can do SMP or FUE to cover it. Heard good things about Dr Cooley ,Dr Glenn, Dr Rose, HW and few others about closure techniques. But I guess its not guarenteed.

Also I have heard of FUT failures mroe than FUE failures maybe because FUT is older when failures were much more common.  In last 5 years would be good to know the percentage of success rate of FUT vs FUE among good doctors.

[NARMAK]

52 minutes ago, TEXAN35 said:

yes this is something of concern, I would not know how my brain would react to a scar before hand even though scar may not be visible. But with the new closure techniques I would want to assume that with good doctos these days the scar is like a pencil line and then you can do SMP or FUE to cover it. Heard good things about Dr Cooley ,Dr Glenn, Dr Rose, HW and few others about closure techniques. But I guess its not guarenteed.

Also I have heard of FUT failures mroe than FUE failures maybe because FUT is older when failures were much more common.  In last 5 years would be good to know the percentage of success rate of FUT vs FUE among good doctors.

Anybody still doing FUT is usually more skilled at this point and that's why cases going wrong seem to be at an all time low. 

FUE on the other hand has exploded in the last decade or more and the pop up hair mills around the world including Turkey as a prime mentioned culprit. Therefore all these massive sub par results by these places outstrip FUT issues on average and also, the internet has given a MASSIVE outline to have patients share their poor experiences regardless of what procedure they have. 

I am genuinely glad there's a great forum like this for real patients, real experiences and feedback to be given. It's actually really helpful and reassuring. It's something that i probably needed to help me make the right decision and talking with some of the great members on here has been great. 

I am hoping to definitely be able to learn more and follow eagerly to you guys on your journeys.

[TEXAN35]

Yes now we have more access to real data rather than just advertisement data hence we can make more informed decision. A lot to learn from people who have already experienced different kinds of hair procedures. 

[BDK081522]

The FUT closure techniques have not changed in the past 5 years. Possibly even 10 years. The FUT scar is more about going to a reputable surgeon who has a proven track record with scarring. The most important aspect, however, is your own physiology. This will have a greater impact on how your scar heals if everything else is done correctly. Unfortunately, this is very unpredictable and some patients just heal scars worse than others. I think FUT is more of a gamble because the greatest unknown impacting your result is your native healing characteristics. With FUE, as long as you go to a reputable surgeon who is very good at donor management than the healing factor is not as important. 

[JDEE0]

1 minute ago, BDK081522 said:

The FUT closure techniques have not changed in the past 5 years. Possibly even 10 years. The FUT scar is more about going to a reputable surgeon who has a proven track record with scarring. The most important aspect, however, is your own physiology. This will have a greater impact on how your scar heals if everything else is done correctly. Unfortunately, this is very unpredictable and some patients just heal scars worse than others. I think FUT is more of a gamble because the greatest unknown impacting your result is your native healing characteristics. With FUE, as long as you go to a reputable surgeon who is very good at donor management than the healing factor is not as important. 

Yeah, seems kind of hard to predict how someone will respond to a rather large and deep chunk of flesh being cut right out of your scalp.

[hairyharry]

23 hours ago, JDEE0 said:

Yeah, seems kind of hard to predict how someone will respond to a rather large and deep chunk of flesh being cut right out of your scalp.

This doesn't exactly give me a nice feeling going forward with an FUT. 🤣

Edited January 13, 2022 by hairyharry

[Britanium]

Just now, hairyharry said:

This doesn't exactly give a nice feeling going forward with an FUT. 🤣

Lol true but it’s a very accurate comment 🤣

[JDEE0]

9 minutes ago, hairyharry said:

This doesn't exactly give me a nice feeling going forward with an FUT. 🤣

Haha, sorry, not meant to put you off. But I think Everyone should google 'FUT strip' before they have the procedure to grasp the reality of what's actually happening, it's fairly shocking the first time you see what they cut out and then you start to understand why it would be hard to figure out who will scar in what way when you're sewing up the aftermath of a wound that gory!

[asterix0]

On 1/11/2022 at 8:39 PM, NARMAK said:

I think it's not even about HT doctors now admitting it. Previously you would see doctors have patients start Finasteride and not mention it and thus the results seemed 100% to the transplant outcome rather than a combination of the two. 

Also, a common misconception is that the Donor area is 100% guaranteed to not be affected by DHT. Its just much more highly resistant compared to the crown, midscalp and frontal areas. 

Your DHT sensitivity is something that can also change over time. So the hair may do fine and then over a short few years recede rather quickly. 

I still think its amazing that like even after all this time, Finasteride and Minoxidil are still the two best treatments we can use. Even Dutasteride only blocks scalp DHT by 51% according to one study. It tanks your body serum DHT by almost 100%. I genuinely hope i see in my lifetime even if potentially i cannot use it, a new treatment that's significantly more effective for hair loss prevention and can block significantly more DHT and even maybe see a company or few finally be able to give us cloned hair. Donor area concerns, density issues for "Illusion" placements would become a thing of the past. We could literally recreate hairlines probably better than what some are born with. 

I am hopeful that a good topical fin or dut alternative finally arrives so I can ease off of oral 1mg fin.

I don't want to risk my transplanted hair, donor, and native recipient by getting off...I'm scared to do so. 

It's probably 5 years away, just like the cure lol.

[hairyharry]

I've seen the pics of FUT so I know it's more invasive than FUE. I'm starting to have second thoughts about going forward with FUT. Can anyone who has had this procedure tell me it's not that bad and are glad they did it? Or should I reconsider and have FUE instead? I need some encouragement I'm doing the right thing and should move forward with confidence.

Edited January 15, 2022 by hairyharry

[aaron1234]

It's hard to tell you which way to go without pics because every situation is different.  All the advice you've been given above is sound.  

If you have advanced balding and you're open to getting multiple procedures then FUT+FUE should be considered because it will yield you more liftetime grafts.  If you're really bald you'll want every scalp graft you can get (plus, HT's can thin over time and you may need to go over the same area multiple times). 

If you hate the idea of having a linear scar and/or like to cut your hair very short on the sides and back, if you don't have an advanced pattern and you don't think you'll need/have multiple procedures, then FUE for sure. 

[hairyharry]

Here you go.

Edited January 15, 2022 by hairyharry

[NARMAK]

14 minutes ago, hairyharry said:

Here you go.

Firstly, i've never had an FUT or FUE, but tried to see what i should go for. 

For you, an FUT might be a wiser choice in the long term. Your skin tone usually means the scar may not be as visible as on say a darker skin individual. You also depending on the length you wear your hair and how visible your scar is after healing may not be an issue. You just need to be aware of all the factors before jumping into either method. 

I understand the logic of FUT for your first surgery because they close the strip area which maintains more of a sense of density in the donor area, whereas FUE takes away from the area, even in a uniform manner where it can feel more tangibly "thinned" in comparison. 

Choosing the best surgeon for yourself and budget is the first part. The rest is the great unknown of your body and whatnot. Usually i'll stick to the idea of "I'm gonna be below average" for results and it usually tempers expectations. 

Hopeful actual FUT members can chime in but @Melvin- Moderator probably the best to give a response too. 

[aaron1234]

Thanks for the pics.  It appears you have advanced loss but your donor is of high quality (no retrograde from what I can see), so you are probably a good candidate for either FUE or FUT.  @NARMAK is right that FUE will have a more noticeable impact on your overall density in the donor region.  If it were me I would do a FUT megasession (3-4k grafts) for your first round.  Check out Hasson & Wong for sure...

[Britanium]

Yeh your donor looks good. I was thinking H&W or Hattingen for a FUT, both are doing very good larger sessions. 

[JDEE0]

Yeah, your donor is good. You're a NW5 or so which is advanced loss, but its not nothing that can't be rectified with a decent donor supply. If I were you, I would focus less on the technique so much at this stage and just narrow down whichever doctors it is you like the most into a shortlist. Send them your pics, and they will give you their advice on what should be done. Instead of having the mindset of wanting one or the other, just ask them if they think FUE or FUT is best for you (they will just tell you anyway) and from here you can decide which doctors you have the most respect for or trust in, and go ahead with what that particular suggestion. 

Also, just to play devils advocate a little to what Aaron says above (although I don't think he's wrong for suggesting FUT - I just think you're also more than fine to go FUE), look at someone like Rolandas who overall had pretty much the exact same area as you filled in with I think 6000 or so grafts; his hair density honestly looks great still and you can see this in his videos. I personally can see hardly any signs of density reduction across his head.

Anyway, whether you go FUT or FUE, I would do around 3500 or so grafts in the frontal third and then go back a year later and do the back of the mid-scalp and crown with whatever else was needed; probably about 2500 grafts. 

[hairyharry]

1 hour ago, JC71 said:

Yeh your donor looks good. I was thinking H&W or Hattingen for a FUT, both are doing very good larger sessions. 

I'm scheduled for an FUT with Cooley.

[aaron1234]

43 minutes ago, hairyharry said:

I'm scheduled for an FUT with Cooley.

Wise choice.

[Britanium]

52 minutes ago, hairyharry said:

I'm scheduled for an FUT with Cooley.

Yup definitely a good choice 👍🏽 look forward to seeing your result 👌