I am considering a ht. I had one booked w/bernstein and backed out. I definitly do not want the scar. I am a nw6 with some thin hair on top. Is it possible to get some good results with fue? I know I wont look like fabio, just would like to have a thicker hairline than what i have now and possibly go into the crown later. I heard feller does fue mega sessions. Besides the price why arent more people opting for this to avoid the scar?

Yukon--- I think the main reason most people do not do all FUE restoration is two-fold...

It is cost prohibitive and yield can be poor.

I think best estimates on FUE are 75-85% yield, while strip in the hands of a top doc is 95% and up.

Dr. Feller will tell you this himself, in addition to the fact that he would prefer not to do massive fue restorations.

I think Dr. Feller does 1000-1500 graft sessions for FUE.

Right now, I am telling those who wish to do attempt all FUE restoration to do a consult with Dr. Harris in Colorado. He charges 6.00 per graft and I think he is set up to do 2000-2500 fue grafts in one session.

I would hope that you would check him out--- if you are not a candidate for fue surgery, both Feller and Harris will tell you this and refuse to operate on you.

Take Care,
J

Yukon,

I've posted a link below to show you that FUE can achieve good results, HOWEVER, FUE would not be a viable option for you since you are a NW6. FUE session sizes are extremely limited and as a NW6, you will most likely need at least 6000 grafts.

FUE Link:

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7466060861/m/6021000782

How old are you? What's your family level of hairloss like? Are you on any medication (finasteride or minoxodil) to fight hairloss?

Falc

quote:

Right now, I am telling those who wish to do attempt all FUE restoration to do a consult with Dr. Harris in Colorado

B-Spot. I am just cutious have you had Fue done? One should tell prospective Fue patients to go out and research all hairloss sites. Then contact and meet patients. I learned this over 5 years ago this is how the internet works. If not one will just get into a market type of hair restoration. And as far as Dr Harris . There really is not much results out there to recomend is there?

Falc,
I am 38. History of sevens in my family. I dont think I am looking for a full head of hair. Im gonna try to post some pics

Photo_4.jpg (96 Kb, 159 downloads)

another pic

Photo_1.jpg (85 Kb, 159 downloads)

Falc, left out that I am using propecia for one year,5% rogaine around 12 years.

B-spot and Falc,
Thanks for the advice.

Yukon,

I believe you are a NW4, not a NW6...that is GOOD news

Based on your age and the fact that you are on finasteride, you are most likely a good candidate for an HT.

Whether you ultimately choose Strip or FUE is up to you, however, here are some things to think about. I've written this as a summary to differentiate between strip and FUE. I hope this helps:

--------------

What FUT method is better: Strip or FUE?

FUE, especially in recent times has proven highly effective if performed by the right doctor. I still feel that Strip is superior to FUE in a number of ways, however, FUE certainly has it's place and can prove to be almost as effective graft per graft as strip in smaller sessions.

Growth Yield: From what I've read, FUE has approximately a 90% survival rate (at best) whereas strip is between 95-98%. Percentages are close, but strip still wins with the higher percentage. Whether or not the difference is worth it to some is definitely a matter of opinion. This information, however, has been disputed by several reputable doctors who claim that yield is the same.

Session Size: Strip of course has the upper hand when talking about large sessions....so for those who need a larger session, strip is still the way to go. The very large session size for strip surgery has exceeded 7000 grafts in applicable patients, whereas typically 1000 grafts is typically considered a large session size for FUE. FUE is definitely a consideration for those who need smaller sessions.

Candidates: There are more strip candidates than FUE candidates. Additionally, Dr. Feller has admitted (on the hair transplant network forums) that there is no surefire way to know before starting the surgery whether or not a patient is REALLY an FUE candidate. So when moving forward with an FUE session, you are already taking a risk because you may not be a good candidate. So going into FUE, there is a chance that:

1. You'll end up having to go to strip because you are not a good FUE candidate
2. You'll end up going home with no surgery (and most likely less money) because you didn't want strip
3. You'll end up getting an FUE that doesn't yield good results because the doctor performing the surgery gave you the full surgery anyway even though you may not have been a good candidate, which will significantly knock down the success percentage.

Price: FUE to date is still typically about twice the expense of that of strip surgery. Typical strip prices range between $4-$5 per graft for the first 2000 grafts and are then discounted, whereas it’s typically to pay up to $10-$12 per grafts for FUE.

Scarring: Both Strip and FUE will leave scarring, though in the hands of a skilled doctor, scarring will be minimal. The question isn’t “Will I have a scar?” The question is “What kind of scar will I have?” With strip, you will have a minimal but linear scar possibly extending ear to ear or even further in extenuating circumstances. Typically to mask the scar, people tend to grow their hair in the sides and back a little longer to cover it. BUT, I’ve seen some scars done so well that people can even shave down to a 2 clip and not reveal the scar. With FUE, the scarring is different. Instead of a linear scar, you will have smaller round scars all over the back of your head where the hair follicles were removed. If done well, the scarring will also be minimal and one can even shave down to a 1 or 2 clip on the clippers without revealing the scars.

In summary, I still believe that strip surgery is superior to FUE. FUE, however, has come a long way and is still advancing to date. Certainly, it has its place and many have come out very satisfied with FUE procedures in the hand of the right doctor.

-----

I hope this helps.

Falc

Falc,
Bernstein informed me that I am a six. It freaked me out as well. Maybe my hair appeared a but thicker due to bad lighting. I am still undecided. Just worried about the scar since I shave to a 2 and sometimes one and a half. I am also worried about swimming and sweating with the scar showing thru.

Notice I used the word "consult" with my recommendation, not, "Oh my God, you should really go there!!!!! He is the best!!!!"

OBVIOUSLY, one should check out many sources, but when a NW6 starts asking about restoration with FUE, where do we go?

Not the guy in Atlanta, not the Docs who only do 800-1500 graft sessions, and not anyone who I have reservations about.

In addition, I do not limit myself to just this website.... I talk to many people privately as well as I see some pics that never make it here or anywhere else.

So, I PREFER to send people to our Coalition Docs and barring that, our recommended docs.

I could say Dr. Bisanga, or other clinics across the pond, Dr. Wolf, Dr. Umar, Dr. Poswal, etc.. etc...

Hell, Transmed in Turkey is doing some really nice FUE work as well.

Franklin you have been around for a while and should know by now that I try to offer a solid approach to hair restoration for all.

I don't quite get the tone of your comment, so why don't you offer a nice starting point for our new brother here, one that will offer him a better option than the one I have presented.

I will say, if Yukon visits both Dr. Feller and Harris, I daresay he will have a pretty good grasp on what he is in for should he still consider FUE.

Of course, he is still free to check other sites and try to sort through all of the cheerleading that is going on to try and deal with this situation.

My comments are a starting point, not a solution.

Yukon,

Maybe he means you are HEADING to a NW6...I can see from your pics you do have thin areas which could take you down this path. Hopefully the finasteride will prevent you from becoming an NW6.

Here is a picture of the norwood scale. Since you see your hairloss accurately in the mirror, where do you see yourself?



Falc

norwood_scale.gif (12 Kb, 704 downloads)

quote:

Franklin you have been around for a while and should know by now that I try to offer a solid approach to hair restoration for all.

I don't quite get the tone of your comment, so why don't you offer a nice starting point for our new brother here, one that will offer him a better option than the one I have presented.

B Spot,

I can't read anything negative in Franklin's tone necessarily...I think he's just asking questions and suggesting an alternative approach.

Personally, I don't know much about Dr. Harris either...but that doesn't mean the information isn't out there...it's just not on the surface.

You did, however, answer all the concerns of Frankin's post and provided good detail for Yukon to begin further researching FUE.

Franklin also gave a good suggestion to continue his research.

Anyway, we'll see how he replies...this is just my opinion.

Spread the hair love boys

Falc

quote:

Franklin you have been around for a while and should know by now that I try to offer a solid approach to hair restoration for all.

I will state like I did above. If you are interested in Fue seek out patients from various docs that offer it. You have a few organizations ISHRS. IAHRS, and the coalition. You will notice as even in strip many docs will have different opinion so that a label should not be the end all. From his fotos and situation n/w 6 38 at this time he can start with Fue. And some extra density added with some robust body hair mixed in. My opinion because I have seen succsessful results over the years in person. As you said above I have been around awhile. And do not frequent boards as much as in my beggining search. But contact with former patients is Key. No insult in my tone intended. There are many newbies everyday on forums and I do not want anyone to get burned. I would like to have heard from some Dr. Harris patients before I would consider him myself that is all I am saying.

I would say a 5a. Its hard to say because I think we all seem to want to believe that we have more than what appears. I thought a five but I was told a five by True and a six by Bernstein. Perhaps it has gotten a but thicker due to the propecia.
How long does propecia work for? Will it still stop the dht in say five years from now? Is there anything else on the horizon that may be even better?

I appreciate any and all feedback and did not feel your tone was insulting at all. I do intend to do more research and will visit with fue patients. I have to see the results in person. Pics always look better. I almost made the plunge without seeing any patients and good thing I visited with some of Bernsteins patients because that is ultimately why I canceled. I did see some very good patients of his but Do not feel that I am the greatest candidate. Like I said before I am not looking for a full head of hair just a bit thicker than what I have now and most importantly a permanent solution.

Yukon,

What did you think of my post above regarding Strip verses FUE? I hope you found it helpful.

Just FYI: there really is NOT such a thing as a "full head of hair" from an HT. You can improve density and achieve decent coverage, but it would be unrealistic to think that anyone could achieve such goals. Now I know you said you do NOT need a full head of hair...but do understand that when we are talking about decent and/or excellent results, we still are not talking about a full thick "high school like" head of hair.

Finasteride should work for a long time...it is discussed that the efficacy of finasteride goes down over time, however, there are many people that have used it for 10+ years and are still reaping its benefits. The only thing medically I'd say is on the horizon is dudasteride. Many people already have started using it, though it's not fully been tested at this point.

Hope this helps.

Falc

Franklin,

Personally, I would never recommend BHT to a patient at this point. I feel the results have been too mixed over time and is still in infant stages regarding it's effectiveness.

I agree that in depth research is necessary before ANYONE makes a decision to go into surgery. Online forums are a huge resource (not just this one but others too), talking and meeting with real patients if possible is clearly a HUGE benefit also.

My other personal OPINION is that FUE would NOT be as suitable for Yukon as strip. I've already posted detail between these two methods above so I won't post it here...however, Yukon will end up paying a LOT of extra money and ultimately need many sessions to meet his goals (assuming his goals are for DECENT coverage and density). Of course, there are less pricey doctors out there...but at what cost? I'm not going to make a broad claim to say cheaper doctors do bad work...but I have found that the majority of the doctors that do EXCELLENT work seem to be competitive in price, closer to the average rather than the high or low scale.

Just my opinion...

Falc

Falc,
Thanks, your post on strip vs Fue did give me a better idea of the difference between the two. As you know I am not crazy about the idea of having the scar but regarding fue I may not get the greatest results yet will still have some scarring. I really dont know what to do. For some people it is a simple decision but for me it is not. I feel with Fue if I am not happy with the results I can always just cut my hair very short. With Fut If I am not happy with the results I will never be able to wear my hair short again. And I dont mean shave down to sking but down to a one or two. Its a gamble.

Yukon,

I do know what you mean. I don't think you should go into an HT unless you really decide that the beneifts outweigh the risks. Take your time to research both FUE and strip. Llook at patients before/after photos for both, concentrate on the scarring as well. At best, both strip and FUE will have minimal scarring (just different). At worst, well, I've seen ugly scars for both methods...but I have to mention that the worst scars I've seen are from clinics using outdated methods.

Good luck my friend.

Falc