A few FUE questions from a novice

**Folly** · 01-21-2012, 07:56 AM

I'm not an expert, but i've had an FUE procedure myself (with very poor growth), so i'll give you my 2 cents.

- From what I understand, in FUE hair is taken from one part of the head and implanted to another. What prevents the donor region from looking noticeably thinner after the procedure? Is this down to the surgeon's skill, the fact that hair "covers" the now hairless sections, or does hair actually grow back in the spot where it has been removed?

The entire donor region is typically shaved and grafts are taken sparsely in a uniform way. This way, you don't have one area which looks noticeably thin. The donor area doesn't look noticeably thinner until thousands of grafts are taken. I believe around 5000-6000 for an average person. If the follicle was fully removed from the back of the head, it does not grow back. And yes, to prevent a 'moth eaten' look in the donor area, you need a good surgeon.

- Regarding the receptor areas of the scalp: the "new" hair is immune to hair loss, so technically it should stay in place. But what about the rest of the hair that was there prior to the operation? Does it fall out?

The native hairs in the recipient area may experience 'shock loss' after surgery. This usually happens to very thin minituarised hairs that are weak, but i believe it can also happen to terminal hairs. If the mintuarised hairs were on their last cycle, they won't come back after shock loss, but the terminal hairs should. Implanting around native hairs always carries the risk of shock loss. I have only had one FUE surgery and i had SIGNIFICANT shock loss starting from 3 weeks post op. Mainly in the recipient area, but also in the donor area.

the "new" hair is immune to hair loss, so technically it should stay in place.

There are some rare cases where transplanted hairs can fall out in the recipient area. There are numerous post about that in this forum. It's rare, but you should know about it.

- Does a hair transplant still mean one has to take Propecia and Rogaine on a daily basis?

Yes, most definitely. Unless you have very limited loss in your lifetime, e.g. NW2-3, i don't believe a HT will give you a full, dense, non see-through look. Especially if you have fine hair. A HT will never give you the density of normal hair. You have to do everything in your power to keep your existing hair as long as you can. This means taking Propecia/Rogaine or whatever else may slow/stop your loss. I personal have just started losing my hair and have recently started propecia. The hair loss in my family is not that severe, so i feel if i can hold onto my hair for the next ten years with meds, there will be much better treatments available by Histogen or Replicell.

- How visible are the scars in a relatively small FUE procedure? Are they visible to the naked eye, will they heal eventually etc.

In my opinion, if you're a decent healer, a small procedure is virtually scarless. I had 1,250 grafts taken and i have buzzed down to a #2 grade with no signs of scaring. I also have a USB scope and can't see any scarring/hypopigmentation. After around 3.5 - 4 weeks post op, i don't believe anyone would notice anything in your donor area, even on close inspection.

- What exactly is the thinking behind "multiple sessions"? Do people get these done because they lose more hair and they need to address the issue? I keep hearing that hair restoration surgery is the only "permanent" solution- so it seems surprising to me that people would have to go back and keep improving on a permanent solution.

Yes. People's hair loss progresses and they need more grafts, even though they are on meds. If your hair loss is aggressive and your not on meds to slow it down or stop it, there's no point of having a HT as you're always playing catch up. People also go back to improve on density. I noticed you said you were an NW3. You do realise you will need multiple FUE sessions to get a dense look in your hairline? You might need between 2000 - 3000 grafts to get a dense look. That's 2-3 separate FUE sessions. You'd be better of with strip surgery, as you can achieve it with one surgery and it would be cheaper.

You've got to be careful with FUE mate. I thought it was great too last year when I was researching HT. I had a procedure done by a recommended surgeon, but ended up with f#ck all growth. I was an NW2 and had 1,250 grafts to my hairline. I reckon i've had < 10% growth. I'm not going to do any FUE ever again. I'll settle for a strip scar. I have a very lax scalp, so i'm expecting a good scar.

Good luck with everything !!!

A few FUE questions from a novice

A few FUE questions from a novice

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