Category: FUE

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Hair Loss InformationThe Woods Technique – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is the Woods technique a viable option to consider for hair transplantation?

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This technique is undocumented and has never been explained. This doctor has kept his process secret, including the yield and growth rate of the transplants. Woods has chosen to do his technique without any peer review and not publish it in recognized journals. By making his technique secret, he has succeeded in creating a mystique (a cult) that he has promoted on the internet to create hype.

I have had the opportunity to see a couple of his patients and the recipient sites are not as clean or as natural as ours (I believe he creates larger recipient site wounds). In addition, the scarring in the donor area is evident on his videos and on his patients. Doctors in Australia tell me of significant failures in his hands based upon patients that have come to them. Although bashing doctors is at times fashionable for competing doctors to try to gain a competitive edge, Woods has failed to fulfill his basic responsibilities with the Oath that doctors take when they are given their diploma to practice medicine and surgery. That failed responsibility (to share knowledge and educate patients and colleagues to improve the quality of medical care) increases my skepticism about his work. Creating secrecy does little more than to make a sect that confuses the public and people who may get sucked into marketing hype and then ask obvious questions, wanting to know facts. I have tried to find out what he does, if only for curiosity. For now, however, Woods chooses to do his thing under the cover of secrecy.

For more info on the New Hair Institute’s published FUE technique:

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Can Scars Be “Cured” with FUE? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Can scars be cured with FUEs?

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I do not like your use of the word ‘cured’. FUE (Follicular Unit Extractions) can be used to fill in scars found in the scalp, eyebrow or beard. The more that are placed and the closer they match the surrounding hair, the more they will cover a scar. Scars do have a different vasculature than normal skin, so at times we must reduce the densities of scars to get the best growth.

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Calculating Future Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I have two questions. Is there any standard rate at which MPB occurs or is it completely unpredictable? I am 27 and would like to be able to look out 5-10 years and calculate where my hairline will be. I have been on Propecia for 3 months and am waiting to start a Rogaine program, but I am shedding so much that I would like my scalp to stabilize before I start.

I am also considering a FUE HT through my hairline. I have thinning in the front of the hairline but it hasn’t recessed yet. I’ve read that a FUE HT causes the hairs around the implants to thin out. Is this true? Is there any way to impant FUs in this thinning patch to make it appear thicker?

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You have raised many issues here so I will try to separate them and address each of them.

Predicting hair loss is difficult. It is best done by looking to your family, finding the various forms of balding there and trying to identify one person that matches the timing of your hair los. Generally, those people who will become very bald, show their balding pattern well before the age of 30. You appear to be in the group where anything is possible, so look to your family patterns.

With regard to Propecia and Minoxidil, I like to start off with one drug (usually Propecia) and then after 8 months, add the second. In this way I get an idea of the value and effectiveness of both drugs and can separate them out. Propecia shows much of its impact in 8 months. Minoxidil, when it works, kicks in within 4 months.

With regard to Follicular Unit Extraction, when it is well done by those who really have a great deal of experience and expertise, it should not damage the surrounding hair. What often happens, is that when the experience is not there, the surrounding hair may be directly damaged in the transplantation process.

Putting in transplants to make hair appear more dense is done when there is reduced risk of damaging the thinning area. Good judgments are required here to be sure that the degree of miniaturization that is present does not reflect ‘active’ hair loss in one of its accelerated modes.

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Hair Loss InformationLimit on Donor Area – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had two hair transplant procedures approx 5-6 years ago. Obviously back then it was done by the strip surgery and not the new technique that seems fabulous. Being that I already have a scar from those sessions, is there any reason why I would go with the newer technique that limits scarring or does it matter at this point?

Also, does there come a point in time where you can no longer continue to take from your donor area for future procedures? Does the new technique allow one to continue having more procedures in the future where the strip would not have allow such an option?

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Once you had a strip procedure, it probably is good to continue that route. The FUE procedures you are referring to, do not allow you to make more hair. In fact, they may limit the available donor supply simply because the best area for donor hair is in the central area of the back of the head and FUE does not maximize this area for donor.

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Hair Loss InformationActivities After Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Can I go swimming after a hair transplant? Scuba? Marathon?

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I generally advise my patients differently depending upon what type of hair transplant they had. The recipient area usually heals within 4-10 days. If it is washed well, it will not scab and if there is not scabbing, then you can do any activity without losing your transplanted hair.

For those with the traditional strip method of harvesting, the donor area should not be stressed with exercises that strain the neck muscles for a period of at least 3 weeks. These people should not swim until around 2 days after their sutures come out. Prolonged soaking is not a good idea, so scuba is not something I would recommend in these people for a good 3 weeks. You can run a marathon 5-6 days after the hair transplant with this ‘strip’ approach, but not complete in Olympic weightlifting.

For those with Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE/FOX Procedure), other than the restrictions for the recipient area, you can do anything, including scuba, marathon and even Olympic weightlifting after 5 days.

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Hair Loss InformationFUE Doctor Recommendation – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I started my research on the fue procedure about six months ago and have come accross an organization known as DHI. My cousin had an fue transplant from them last year and recommended their work, their website is full of info and they have numerous locations. BUT, until I stumbled upon your website, I didnt know half the things I know now, for example the fact that a Doctor is best trained to perform such procedures and that one should look for endorcements from pioneers in the field. While browsing their section on what doctors say about their procedures, I found that your name was listed. PLEASE could you tell me if DHI is a good choice for my procedure, as after studying your credentials I graetly value your opinion. If I dont go with DHI, your organization will be next on my list. I thank you for your time in advance and will greatly appreciate your proffessional advice.
Thank you.

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With regard to FUE, the field is still new and most of what I read/hear is through the advertising of particular doctors who promote FUE. From an insider point of view, I suspect some doctors who promote their skills in this area are not able to do a competent job at FUE, but I am not willing to name them because of possible slander issues and my lack of good solid information. This site is not put together to police the profession, but to give good advice to people like you on questions covering the entire range of subjects with regard to hair care. In searching out a doctor, you should always meet patients that they have done to be assured of the skills of that doctor. You would want to get good vibes on that doctor.

A while ago, I got a list of 500 patient references (source was a doctor who I knew was terrible and unethical). I picked up the phone and called the first 20 references that the doctor listed. Every one of the references (all had surgery with that medical group) told me horror story after horror story. I then realized that by publishing such a list, that particular doctor knew that few patients would make the effort to actually call these people and that the list of 500 references was enough to produce the credentials he wanted. This shows that when you do your research, you MUST follow the threads until you have clarity on the inquisition. This is a buyer’s market and as a buyer, please beware.

For information on FUE, please see:

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Minimum Amount for FUE Surgery – Balding Blog

Assuming that I am a candidate for FUE procedure, will the institute perform a surgery of as little as 100 grafts on the side of my head(temple region). I want to try it out first before committing for bigger session. /money is no object ,with in reason. Thanks for the quick reply of my previous question (Resuming Physical Activities After Surgery).

Performing a session of 100 FUE grafts is not a problem. I will assume that the area that you want to try will stand alone if you decide, for any reason, not to do more?




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Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Hair Loss InformationIs There a Scar-Free Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a hindu. I have to shave my head at various religious cerimonies. is there a way where I can get a scar free hair implantation? Having a scar is out of question

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Anyone who has a cut or break on the skin develops a scar. The proper question is, “Can the scar be seen in a routine social situation?” There is a surgery (developed and published by me in 2001) called Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE for short — otherwise known as the FOX™ Procedure. With this procedure, individual follicular units of one, two or three hairs are removed with a 1mm punch. That leaves a scar measuring 1mm and a series of these are produced proportional to the number of such grafts that are removed. These scars close by ‘secondary intention’ which means that the skin from the sides of the wound, grow to the center as the center fills from below. The resultant scar can be seen in close-up detail on the FOX Megasession page at newhair.com. Near the bottom of that page, there are photos of scars shown at different levels of magnification and with the hair clipped and shaved.

For further information on FUE / FOX Procedure, please see our FOX Procedure page.

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Hair Loss InformationRealistic Scar Revision with FUE – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had 3 FUT sessions from a respected doctor, about 2/3 of the donor scar turned out acceptable but 1/3 is widened enough to be annoying — I can’t keep my hair any shorter than 7/8 of an inch without visibility, and even then it’s visible when the hair is wet. In a recent follow-up visit, the same doctor said 150-200 grafts in 1 FUE session will take care of the scar. Does that sound realistic?

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FUE is one way to address scars. Depending upon your hair type, one or more sessions may be required to get the needed fullness to conceil a scar. It would be difficult for me to judge how many sessions it might take without examining you, but hopefully you have selected a good doctor who knows what he is doing.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Restoration Questions – FUE – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This writer indicated that he was based in Dallas, TX, but was currently in Iraq…

I guess I started losing my hair about 4-5 years ago. I am 29 years old now and it shows now in the crown area. My hair is pretty thick everywhere else except for that spot where it seems that the hairs that I do have aren’t growing as fast and feel weird to the touch. If I were elegable for FOX and got the procedure done is it my decision how many graphs I would need or want if I wanted it extra thick like it used to be? Also, what are the chances that the hair would just fall out in another few years after the procedure and is there something that can be done to ensure that that doesn’t happen? I will be home in September for a month,..can I get information on cost and location closest to me? Thank you

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I am a former Vietnam vet, so I appreciate your Iraq experience and feel it deep in my core. First off, thank you for writing. The number of grafts is something that needs to be discussed during the consult. I would need to examine the balding area, and based on the density needed to give you the look that you want, I can determine the approximate number of grafts need. If you are a candidate for the FOX procedure, we can discuss the fee at the time of your consult. The grafts used come from the permanent zone of your scalp. These grafts are genetically programmed not to fall out, unlike the hairs in your balding area.

Our closest office to Dallas, is in Los Angeles — I’ll bet that you would enjoy a vacation in Southern California after being in Iraq. If you would like to schedule a consult appointment for September call 1-800-639-4247, or if you would like to email photos, send them to the address on my Contact page and I can email you back with my recommendations. Be sure to provide enough views (front, top and sides) including frontal views with your eyebrows lifted as high as you can lift them on your own. I need such views to determine the normal location for your hairline. As an Iraq vet, I will give you special pricing if surgery is appropriate and you elect to have surgery.