Category: FUE

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Female Hair Transplant Shock Loss? – Balding Blog

I am a female who had a hair transplant last week with the FUE method. I have FPB and a very thin donor area. I was told that on the day of operation and too far into the procedure i dont have thick donor hair so the coverage wont be very good. I am concerned now as i wonder will i get shock loss too as i have weak hair then and will i be balder then before.

  • When will the hair fall out now it is placed and how can i look after what i have to look like a normal lady?
  • Can i use Regaine as that did work when i used it last time but it irritated my scalp?
  • Should i take extra vitamins?
  • Shall i just say a wig and be done with it?
  • Does FUE not work for FPB then?

Hair loss in womenFirst off, if you are female with a poor donor area, why would you even consider follicular unit extraction (FUE)? That surgical technique is mainly for people who want to cut their hair very short (like a crew cut) and not see any scar or just might want to shave their head, not likely for a female. If you are a woman, a scar (large or small) on the back of your head should be inconsequential and will never be noticeable with long hair covering it. I generally try to convince my females patients against FUE.

I am outraged and you should be furious. How can one have surgery and not understand what to expect?! It seems that you got conned into doing a surgery by an unethical doctor. The doctor should have told you about this before you underwent the surgery. Now the problem you face is waiting for complications of the transplant such as shock loss, accelerated cyclical loss, failure to grow, and on and on. If you were told that the surgery you are having won’t give you good coverage while the surgery was being done, then you might have a malpractice claim against that doctor if you are worse for doing it!

Vitamins will not help with your surgery. The wig is up to you, but it could ultimately make your loss worse from any traction alopecia that could develop. I would not use Rogaine (minoxidil) if it irritates your scalp. Let us hope you have no or minimal shock loss from the surgery itself and you can at least achieve some coverage. Only time will tell.

For the rest of the readers out there — beware of unethical doctors and do your research. Use this guide to help select your hair transplant doctor. We generally believe that 80% of female patients do not make good hair transplant candidates, especially if their donor hair shows diffuse thinning.




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ACell, FUE, and Follicle Harvesting – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

Love the site and the calm measured manner you guys take to things. I’m finding the Acell stuff really fascinating for a lot of reasons beyond my own hair concerns. I had a couple questions and was hoping you might be able to shed some light on them.

From what I understand, one of the many unanswered questions in the auto-cloning process is whether or not a plucked hair from the balding-immune donor zone, implanted into the bald area will continue to be fully immune to balding because of the mixed biological source nature of the hair/implant zone/newly generated follicle. Theortically couldn’t this issue be circumvented thusly :

1) Use standard FUE/implant techniques from donor areas
2) Depending on scalp availability, reseed these areas with acell plucked hairs
3) Harvest established acell hairs for further implanting
4) repeat until desired results

Not to get into totally wacky territory here, but is there any investigatory efforts to see if Acell plucked hairs can be implanted in other areas of the body and harvested in that manner if scalp tightness is an issue? For instance, growing a crop of donor hair via auto-cloning on the arm/back/leg, and taking them for standard implant from there?

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Perhaps you are misunderstanding what the auto-cloning technique with the ACell product is all about. The research we’re conducting is basically plucking out hair from a donor scalp area (where hairs are considered immune to genetic balding), applying the ACell products, and transplanting to an area of scalp where there is balding. We are not harvesting hairs to be multiplied in a lab. Growing a crop of donor hair is not what this is all about.

Finally, we still do not know if the transplanted ACell plucked hairs will continue to survive years down the line as if they are immune to genetic balding like standard transplanted hair follicles. We are all assuming that it will be just like transplanted hair follicles, but this has yet to be proven. That proof will come many years from now where we can follow those transplanted patients.

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I Had FUE Surgery a Few Months Ago – Where’s the Growth? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, i have had a Fue hair transplant on the 28th of May 2010. I Have not experienced or noticed any hair growth on the transplanted areas. I would like to enquire how long before the graphs become visable and noticable in the transplanted areas.

Thanking you for your assistance and helpful advice.

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It generally takes anywhere from 4 to 12 months to see results from a successful hair transplant surgery, regardless of whether strip or FUE was used. You may be on schedule. Be patient and check in with your surgeon if you have concerns going forward.

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Is FUE or Strip Better for Asians? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I’m considering getting a hair transplant and I need your opinion. I am asian and was wondering which suits better for asians FUE or the strip harvesting method? I am hearing mixed comments. FUE less scaring for asians. strip harvesting higher chance. from your experience which is better for asians?

Thanks!

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Both the FUE technique and the strip technique have their own pros and cons, and there is no correlation with Asian hair. The type of surgery is based on each and every individual. FUE is best to use with smaller areas and when the density of the hair is good. The strip can be used almost on any good transplant candidate. FUE is not the latest and greatest that some clinics claim it to be and for those individuals with extensive hair loss, it is clearly not the procedure of choice. That is why patients like you are confused about these choices.

As an example, many Asian patients have surgery with Dr. Pak and most of them have the traditional strip surgery with great results. One of the more public examples of such a patient was Jon Gosselin (he had the strip surgery).

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FUE’s Impact on Donor Density – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello dr rassman,
I did 1000 grafts FUE hair transplant one year ago, which was my biggest mistake in my life from 1000 grafts half of them didnt grow back , my donor area damaged considerably, my density in donor area was 85 grafts in 1cmm before surgery now its gone to 55 grafts in 1cmm , i calculated approximate 2500 grafts been damaged. dont you think FUE is a basic method and must be banned?

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Swiss cheeseI’m sure the donor impact of follicular unit extraction (FUE) is rarely a subject discussed by many of the doctors doing this procedure. When the donor area has a below average density, the impact on the donor area is very significant and it may appear to look like Swiss cheese. When the density is high, this is not a problem.

Some doctors and patients seem to think that FUE is the answer to the ideal method of harvesting, but your example shows that it is not. Of course, it is possible that in getting out 1000 grafts, 2000 punch holes were made, but as I was not there, this is only speculation about a doctor that has perhaps not mastered the process. Damage to the donor area does occur with FUE, the question is just how much damage occurs in the hands of a skilled FUE surgeon.

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Does the Recipient Site Have White Marks Around the Grafts? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

I have a question about scars after one has healed from surgery. Mainly the recipient transplanted sites. I know a doctor will puncture holes to put the grafts in. And my guess is that these holes will eventually have some form of scarring. From your past experience how visible are these scars if one shaves his head, transplanted area not donor area. Will there be tiny white spots on the transplanted area with little holes from the punctures?

My second question relates to FUE mainly from thick coarse arm hair to a missing patch in my lip area. From your experience how is the scaring like on the arm? Since a doctor would removing the hairs on the arm out with FUE. Would the arm area scar less than using FUE hair from the scalp? Let me know, since I am considering using hair from this area. Thanks

Third question, I noticed scars from a hair transplant are usually white. How well does this blend in for asians, from your experience? I am asian with very pale skin.

Thanks!

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The recipient sites are made with slits which heal very well and leave no visible scar in most people. The donor area does have whitish scars that can be seen on close inspection if the head was shaved, rarely with the hair long.

I would use scalp hair though, not arm hair for your lip area (I assume you mean moustache). On the arm, I imagine the scarring would be more evident with less hair to cover it.

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The ISHRS Compares Strip Harvesting and FUE – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) site has posted a great comparison of the strip harvesting and FUE techniques. Here’s the first paragraph from the article:

Ten years ago the use of follicular unit extraction (FUE) was advocated as an alternative to traditional strip harvesting of the donor tissue. The use of the technique has been slow to be accepted as a new standard. Many physicians have, in fact, tried the technique but with markedly varying success. The recent promotion of mechanical devices and powered follicular extraction devices has sparked renewed interest and controversy regarding this method of harvesting. A great deal of discussion by physicians, ancillary personnel, and the general public has occurred on the Internet and multiple media sources about the value of FUE versus strip harvesting and vice versa. Sadly, many of the claims of “superiority” of the newer technique seem more related to marketing and self-promotion rather than a clear scientific evaluation.

Read the full text — Comparison between Strip Harvesting and Follicular Unit Extraction: A Fair and Balanced View

The article discuss the donor area, scarring, graft survival, technical skills required, costs, complications, and much more. It’s a very complete guide to hair restoration techniques, so I wanted to bring attention to it here!


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Restoration Robotics Still Looking for Participants? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I just found this ad online. They are still looking for participants for Restoration Robotics’ automated transplants.

See ad

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RobotYep, the ad is requesting participants for a paid research study in Colorado.

I have just had a personal viewing of the Restoration Robotics technology in my office last week and it is quite impressive. The robot only cores the grafts, then the doctor pulls them out by hand. They have not solved the placing problem for the inexperienced doctor that still plagues the industry.

Please note that the image at the right is not of the Restoration Robotics hair transplantation technology, but just imagine if it were…

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Filling in FUE Scars with Body Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctors!

I have a question about FUE and scarring. It seems that you use the same instruments to make both the donor excision as well as the recipient sites. Yet the recipient sites show no scarring. Where the small donor area punch marks are simply left open (and a scar forms from the skin healing over the small hole) I am guessing the fatty tissue keeps any perceptable marks from forming on the transplanted ares.

So, if you wanted to take it a step further, couldn’t you perform a body hair transplant on someone to fill in the FUE scars? Even if the body hair is not as cosmetically effective wouldn’t the “fatty tissue” from the BHT leave the donor area with no small white holes? Is my logic twisted?

A crazy hair question for the only people capable of answering it. Thanks for your time!

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The recipient sites are not made with punches like those used for follicular unit extraction (FUE). They’re two different tools. We generally create slits for recipient sites with needles or tiny scalpel blades.

The white dot scar is the result of skin being removed along with the graft in the FUE technique, and it really would not be reasonable to fill these tiny holes with body hair to eliminate all scalp scarring. The ‘bulk’ of a body hair may be finer than the ‘bulk’ of your head hair. Body hair usually grows in single-hair follicular units while scalp hair usually has more than one hair in a follicular unit, making for even less ‘total bulk’ of the transplanted grafts. That is why it is important to be assessed for these many variables and their meaning to you.

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Transplanting Neck Hair into a Strip Scar? (with Video) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctors. I’m a big fan of your work and this site. Thank you for what you do!!

I just saw this video by Dr Umar using beard hair taken with the FUE technique as the donor into the line scar from the strip technique. I know how you feel about body hair transplants and I agree that the results from using body hair on front/top of the scalp generally look unimpressive, but what about using body hair densely packed into the strip scar? Even if the hairs never get too long or have a different growth cycle, its just being used in the scar.

I have a scar and it doesn’t bother me, but if I have the option to essentially eliminate the appearance of the line I might consider something like this. I wanted to get your thoughts about using body hair for this and whether one could use hair from another part of the body for the same thing (why not chest hair for example). Check it out:

YouTube video

Thanks again

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While I do have reservations about using body hair transplants, my biggest problem is when they’re used in the frontal hairline or top of the scalp. That being said, the use of beard hair to transplant into a linear scalp scar (from a hair transplant) is reasonable. The beard hair has a thicker hair shaft than most scalp hair and it would work well to fill in the scar.

I have used it on a limited basis, particularly when a plastic surgeon supplies me the beard skin after a facelift. The few cases I have done (one with FUE) have worked nicely.

As I mentioned in a past post, I cannot give an endorsement of Dr. Umar because I have not reviewed his work beyond what I’ve seen in YouTube videos. The video is impressive, though it is a bit long, so for those that don’t want to watch the whole thing just skip to about 2:30 to see how the linear scars disappeared.