Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

I was told that a spot has opened up for my hair transplant surgery. I told them to slot me in, but now that I’ve jumped into the deep end I’m a bit nervous. My nerves don’t have to do with what it will look like six months or a year from now, but for the weeks following the surgery.
I need to take the next day to really meditate on this. Although my hair loss does bother me, it’s not as if I’m noticeably bald. So I’m deciding if this is something that makes sense for me.

A:

It is completely normal to have a touch of nervousness prior to this elective surgery. Since it is an elective procedure, it is common to have questions and/or
reservations. We need to remember that it is simply hair and not some life threatening procedure! Many patients have this reluctance and there is never a clear or definitive answer aside from your intuitive feelings.

Your particular situation is for the enhancement and detailing in order to complement what you already currently have. Your hair loss is probably going to progress in the future but again, it depends on when you want to address the issue.

Having experienced seeing many other patients who had similar feelings before their hair restoration procedure, I think you will very happy you did it!! Either way, I support whatever decision you make. US Hair Restoration is always going to be a resource for you with whatever questions or concerns you have regarding hair loss and the treatment options available.

Meditate  on that assurance and clarity will present itself!

Q:

Hello,
I wanted to get more information like FUE transplantation vs. FUSS. I have been doing a lot of reading. How do you know if one is best and using a FOX test? I like the idea of the FUE but hear many claims that it is not good. However, I am not a big fan of getting a piece of my skin taken off. There is so much different information. Also all the normal questions that come with the procedure. I hope to hear from you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

A:

Great question! I realize that there is so much conflicting information on the Internet, especially relating to new technology and surgical techniques.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a method we use to remove hair follicular units individually rather than taking a strip of the scalp and dissecting it into follicular units.

The truth of the matter is, there are many hair restoration centers which may promote one method vs. the other, strictly because they are capable performing it. They may lean towards recommending one particular one as oppose to another.

If performed correctly, FUE transplantation is a great solution for some hair loss sufferers, especially those with minimum hair loss or those avoiding a scar on their scalp. We also use FUE for people who suffer from significant pain or donor complications with previous strip procedure, and those with violated donor area for which removing more hair through strip is impossible.

With that said, most of hair transplant surgeries are still done through strip for many reasons:

• Strip hair transplantation gives liberty to the surgeon to maximize the quality and viability of the hair follicles. We anticipate some number between 1-5% as the highest for a trans-section of hair follicles in microscopic strip hair transplantation. This is because the grafts are all harvested under 3-D magnifications with stereotactic microscope.
• In FUE cases patients may have a high trans-section rate, meaning that some of the grafts are cut or damaged in the process of graft harvesting and may never grow into healthy hair. The trans-section rate might be very low in most people, with an average of 0 to 10%. However, in some people it might be significantly higher based on their hair’s characteristics. FOX test that should be done in for some people with curly hair, the FOX test can determine the patients who are not good candidates for FUE procedure. It is basically a small FUE transplant that determines the levels of a trans-section.
• In FUE Transplantation, we can harvest –up to 2000 grafts in one session. Sessions larger than that keep hair grafts outside of body for a long period of time that may jeopardize the grafts’ survival.
• These days, we have several methods, such as trichophytic closure, to minimize the visibility of the hair transplant scar.
• The cost of FUE is higher since it is more labor intensive.

I highly recommend having an evaluation by a hair transplant surgeon who is skilled in both FUE transplantation and strip method before you decide which procedure is right for you. A qualified hair transplant surgeon can discuss all your options so you can make an informed decision.

Why FUE?

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) also known as FUE transplant is another version of Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT).  It is a newer method of harvesting follicular units that eliminates the appearance of a linear scar and it is much more comfortable during the post op period of a hair transplant surgery.  Although FUE transplantation may be the answer for many hair loss patients who do not want any scaring on their donor area, it is not the answer for everyone.

Who can use FUE?

The number of available grafts in FUT transplants can be limited.  So, candidates who require a large number of grafts in one session and traditionally may have needed several sessions of (FUT) hair transplantation are now able to acheive the same number of needed grafts through traditional methods of FUE. In order to be approved as a candidate for a FUE hair transplant procedure, one must attend a complimentary in-office consultation with Dr. Parsa Mohebi and have the FOX test performed to show eligibility.  

Automated FUE

The good news is that the efficiency of FUE transplants have increased as newer automated techniques are developed, thus allowing hair transplant surgeons to remove follicular units faster than what was possible in the past.  US Hair Restoration is a center located in Southern California and known for its ability to perform quality FUE procedures in its Encino, Beverly Hills and Orange County offices.  We at US Hair Restoration have added automated FUE methods to our armamentarium of hair restoration techniques.  Automated hair restoration surgery with FUE techniques has increased the number of hair grafts able to be harvested from the donor area and transplanted within one day.

Additionally, we are also offering special promotions for candidates who are interested in participating in our ongoing FUE study that is designed to compare different methods of FUE procedures both qualitatively and quantitatively.  Please do not hesitate to contact US Hair Restoration’s office at 1-888-302-8747 anytime for more information.

Not long ago, I was invited to attend the Orlando Hair Transplant Workshop as a faculty member.  This workshop is sponsored by the International Society of Hair Restoration, held once a year, and is geared toward not only bringing together many prominent hair transplant doctors from all over the world, but also to teach the new techniques of hair restoration surgery to the new comers in the field.  My lecture and workshop sessions were focused on Donor closure techniques.

FUE procedure comparison

Among the different panels, one of the better lecures was on Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) in which different techniques of FUE transplants where compared to eachother. In the last few years, we have had more advanced automated devices for performing FUE procedures surface, causing the cost of FUE procedures to decline as the new methods are exposed. Because the advance of devices used to perform the procedures has allowed FUE procedures to become more efficient, physicians are thus now able to lower the FUE pricing to patients, making it a win-win situation for patients and doctors alike.

In one panel, the comparison of different FUE procedures including manual FUE transplant and automated FUE procedure with at least two different devices was explained.  Both Dr. Harris and Dr. Bauman have done FUE procedures in live surgery workshops with automated Follicular Unit Extraction methods (Safe system vs. NeoGraft) .

It is interesting and riviting to see that any new small invention in the field of hair transplantation can improve an entire aspect of the procedure.  The most eagerly asked or wondered about question though, is which invention will become the perfect solution for hair loss patients who search the world for a better solution.

US Hair Restoration FUE Procedures

US Hair Restoration is known for offering quality FUE transplants in its Los Angeles and Beverly Hills hair transplant offices along with its other offices in Southern California.  These FUE procedures are being offered to patients for treatment of different patterned baldness or FUE scar repair procedures. The hope is that the use of new Follicular Unit Extraction methods could help to improve overall FUE results.  By the same token, and to even further optimize the FUE methods, we have designed a study to compare the best FUE procedures done by prominent FUE doctors throughout the world.  We will be comparing the best FUE methods in a clinical setting side by side (All procedures performed by Dr. Mohebi himself) to minimize the selection bias.  The results will be presented in scientific meetings, published in medical journals and will also be posted in our website to review.

FUE Transplant Research

In order to proceed with this study, US Hair Restoration is offering a few exclusive spots with significant discounts. This discount will only be available to the participants of the study, who may have one or a variety of FUE techniques used for the purpose of the research.  This FUE study will not affect any of the stages of FUE surgery. The only variable that will be affected by the use of different FUE techniques is the method of extraction of the follicular units, all techniques of which are known as superior in the hair transplantation field.

Q:

We discussed the possibility to close the scar, which I think is a good idea, but again, I had already achieved camouflage with longer hair. While it may only be a 2-hour operation, I admit being very weary of such an operation because my skin is already so tight. I understand that the skin exercises you recommended should help a great deal, but for whatever reasons I am not comfortable with such an operation, especially considering that I would like to cover the whole head with some hair anyway. Perhaps you will convince me on the scar revision, or maybe you will advise me to pursue the FUE plan which would cover the rest of my head. Assuming I have an “average” density in the donor area, how many grafts do you think you could extract from it? How good or bad would be the mini-scars scattered all over the back of the head? I am assuming the surrounding hair will camouflage them?

A:

If you don’t want to pursue scar revision, the only option will be an FUE transplant into the scar from neighboring areas.  I recommend for you to wait until we see you in your follow up visit with a little longer hair before continuing. You also need to schedule for the FOX test to determine your eligibility for a Follicular Unit Extraction procedure.  The answer to your questions about how many grafts could be harvested in one session of your FUE procedure will be answered the day we do FOX test and confirm your eligibility.

You need to contact US Hair Restoration to schedule the FOX test as soon as you are able.  FOX test’s are done quite easily and assisted by numbing a very small area on the back of your scalp. The small scars of the FUE are going to be scattered throughout a larger area.  That can minimize the visibility of those pinpoint scars.  If you keep your hair not too short it is generally not possible to see them at all, but with a shaved head the tiny scars might be detectable from a close view.