HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

I tried looking at what other physicans say about FUE but I can't find out the other side of the story. I found clinics saying that strip is less scarring but there is no way to discuss the facts on many sites. I went to several strip doctors' sites but I didn't find even open forums or ways to discuss differences between FUE or strip. The blogs that I found are made up of the questions that they answer themselves. Anyone is welcome to discuss my encounter.

I had surgery with Dr. Cole 16 days ago and there is no visual sign that anything has been done to my head. Two of my buddies had strip surgeries over the last couple of years and they each have a long scar on the back of their head. I'm not a doctor, but it's pretty logical that if you rip out a huge hunk of skin from the back of your head and then sow it shut...there will be a scar left in it's wake. I never in a million years would have gone ahead with a transplant if the strip surgery was the only option. Personally I don't even think that this is a debatable issue. It's open and shut. The goal of any plastic surgery is for there to be no scarring because scarring means that it's not as nature intended...and outsiders will notice. How many nose jobs do you think would exist out there if it left a big red dot on your forehead??? "Hey, your nose looks great man!!! Not sure about the big red dot though...."

I'm just one man's opinion though...

Spinner

Countless surgeons have been trying to perform minimally invasive ways to transplant hair for many decades now. Many of these patients are under-educated in regard to the hair transplant industry so our clinic has taken tremendous steps in terms of research and engineering. Since the "doll hair" days in the 70s and 80s, our clinic has been repairing the unnatural looking work on a consistent basis. It is a fact that strip method is from a decade ago and is not in the best interests of any patient.

Strip is for the individuals who are more mature and will not shave their head or will not wear their hair in a short fashion. Patients may have this performed if they are absolutely aware of the side effects which are both long-term and short-term. I encourage any patient not to consider the strip method (FUT) based on cost. Most clinics offer strip at a cheaper price because it is a one-time extraction with the use of a scalpel. Long-term, strip patients may also experience a life-long tingling sensation or loss of feeling on the site of the strip incision.

Our technique of CIT is recommended for patients who wear a short style of hair or may want to shave. The donor area is not traumatized after a CIT procedure and the patient can go back to normal daily activity after about 3 days with no stitching to be removed.

There are dozens of clinics world-wide that can't perform the non-strip method with natural and consistent results. Countless patients will consult with these clinics due to geographics and cost. My words of wisdom to these patients are:

"Hair Transplantation is surgery performed on your body that you will see almost everyday and the after effects will be permanent in almost all cases. Don't compromise quality with cost. If you can't afford the best procedure available then don't do it at all."


FITness




My advice is not medical advice.

Hey y'all,

I really appreciate everything said here by the way. I wish that more patients studied the methods these days. I hear that there are still docs doing the balloon procedures out west.

Hi Gamecock,

I can claim to have had 3 different sorts of graft extraction, multi-bladed knife at the nobel clinic, which has the 'advantage' of saving the clinic actually having to do much preperation of their hideous 'mico' grafts. Then strip with Dr Cole a number of years ago which honestly was amazing in comparison- I didnt know the tissue had been removed for a 1000fu strip.

Just focusing on the 'old school methods' for a bit, the nobel clinic thing left my scalp tight numb & painful for the best part of two years, the Dr Cole strip felt basically comfortable after about a week or so and was sleepable on after a few days, I think I recovered 'normal' feeling after a couple of months but my scalp was never as numb as my awful UK experience.

More recently I had fue at Atlanta and from the first night I could sleep on the donor aria, it felt at worst like the sort of tissue 'bruise' you get when you burst a spot of pimple, recovery was comparable to that, basically no symptoms at all withing a week tops.

I have to say if I were starting out I'd go for no strip. But keep asking smart questions!

NV

PS- I am personally banned from Pat's Hair Transplant network after posting about my brilliant experience with Dr Cole, so you are 100% right that there is censorship on a number of forums