Which procedure is more painful? Strip or FUE?

omarshari

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I was just wondering, because I've had strip procedures done (pretty uncomfortable during the extraction, feels like a butcher hacking away), but I've never done an FUE...

Also, for those who have done an FUE procedure, can you briefly describe what to expect during the surgery? Does the Doctor buzz all of your hair down or just the area where he is extracting? How many anesthetic needles are needed for FUE? Does the extraction of each graft take long?
 

s.a.f

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I'm no expert as I've only had strip but FUE seems to me far less traumatic on the scalp its a much less 'barbaric' form of surgery, yes only the area where extractions are taken from is shaved (and the recipient area obviously). But it does seem to take a long time hence why FUE procedures are limited to only 1000 grafts or so per day.
 
G

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omar,

I am wondering why you are now considering FUE if you already have a strip scar. Do you no longer have the scalp laxity for another strip? How many grafts will you need on this session?

Also, FUE in general terms is less invasive, meaning less traumatic in the donor zone, BUT larger FUE sessions can be as traumatic if not more than a strip excision because there is less surface area that is in fact traumatized with strip.

Strip specimens are excised and then the area sutured, while FUE grafts are extractions taken from various donor zones.
 

omarshari

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Thanks gill again for you're response..
Well the reason for such a small procedure is that i have had a strip procedure done in the past, and this is just to fill in a small gap where there is less density (either because the Doctor put in too few grafts the last time round or i had just lost the hairs from male pattern baldness) as compared to the others..
So, essentially, its just a revision job i suppose.. It has only been one year since I got the strip procedure..

I see your point about how it could be more traumatic when doing a large FUE session, but I'm only going to be doing about 100 grafts so I'm guessing it will not be traumatic.. Like I said earlier, I really didn't like the hacking sensation of the strip procedure and the pain that comes afterwards in the donor area that comes with the next 72 hrs during post op..
 
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Now I understand what you are doing and I agree that FUE would be your best approach for doing a touch-up. Just make sure the Doctor has proven FUE experience.
 

omarshari

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gill, but after reading KilluMiNaTi's experience with Dr. Martinik, I am really worried about the low yields from FUE grafts...
I'm still going back and forth whether to strip or FUE..
I did talk to the Doctor, but all he said was he only does FUE on exceptional circumstances.. He is mainly a strip man, but like I said, over 20 yrs experience..

so I don't know what to do..
 
G

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Stick to strip if thats what they are most experienced in. If you find a Dr that specialises in FUE then go for that it all depends on how many grafts you want to get also.

Damo
 

omarshari

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yeh i'll suck it up and take the hack job huh? no pain no gain..
the low yields for fue is getting to me..
 
G

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Omarshari,

I am not suggesting that you do strip for such a small procedure. In fact, I would wait until more work was needed.

If you still do want the 100 grafts, stick with FUE but find a proven FUE Doctor to do it. 100 grafts is not worth having a strip, IMO.
 

omarshari

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Hmm... thanx gill (yet again!)...

I would like to get this revision done, I think it would look much more even and natural if I did.. Right now its like theres one area of denseness and a small area where the denseness suddenly disappears.. And plus I think I would feel much better about the hair transplants I've done if it was complete. I guess thats the whole point to getting hair transplants done in the first place...

Thats the thing tho, the Doctor I've comitted to doesn't seem to give me much confidence when it comes to FUE.. He says its doable and he has the instruments to do them, BUT he says he ONLY uses it for special circumstances, since he prefers strip.. So I sense that he hasn't had that much practice with FUE's...

I understand your reservations for strip procedure for such a small amount of work, but I guess if I do strip, I would get the maximum result as opposed to FUE which is more or less a gamble..
 

Fuz

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omarshari said:
I was just wondering, because I've had strip procedures done (pretty uncomfortable during the extraction, feels like a butcher hacking away), but I've never done an FUE...

Also, for those who have done an FUE procedure, can you briefly describe what to expect during the surgery? Does the Doctor buzz all of your hair down or just the area where he is extracting? How many anesthetic needles are needed for FUE? Does the extraction of each graft take long?

Will buz cut, depending on # of grafts. i had 500 grafts and trimmed an area of 5 cm high by 10 -12 cm wide. Needles - heaps. Not sure of the #, but the bin had a depth of at least 10cm! Extraction is the quicker, from singles to quads (folicles).
 

s.a.f

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Any surgery for 100grafts is crazy IMO, 100 grafts is barely anything to show anyway. Dr Feller does what he calls a lunchtime or postage stamp session, its kinda a trial FUE procedure and even that is over 200grafts.
 
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Omarshari,

I understand my friend, but only make such a commitment to a physician if it serves the best interest in your patient care. Now I can't speak for your doctor, but I think in so many words, he is clearly telling you he is inexperienced with FUE, AND NOT THE BEST CHOICE for you. Remember, hair transplant docs in general do not like admitting that they are not that patient's best choice for their particuliar siutation or case. It's like saying, "I am not competent to do that", so and so is better at FUE. When he said he has the instrumentation to do it, that's no guarantee of a good result and yield, and again, I think in so many words, he's telling you that.

Now my real concern for you Omar is the diffused thinning you are noticing in the temporal lobe areas. You describe it as a lower density of coverage, not necessarily recession. And if that's true, you run the risk of shocking out the natural diffused hair that is there in place right now. Trust me, you'll be chasing those areas with more surgery. It's hard to say though. A very small FUE session can enhance the area because there are not as many incisions done which ultimately causes the trauma which promotes and incurs shockloss to the neighboring weak hairs.

For me, it's still too small of a session to get in the chair. Some Toppik could beef up the density, and most people would never know what you are doing. You will need to mist over the Toppik with spray to hold the fibers in place.

Then, eventually you will lose the hair in those weaker frontal areas, and there will be nothing for the Toppik fibers to cling to. That's when you know you are ready to put more grafts up front. See what I mean?
 

omarshari

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gill,

I definitely agree with you on the inexperience/incompetence of this Doctor and FUE procedures, however its impossible that absolutely no grafts will grow right? I mean, even the most inexperienced Doctor (in FUE) would at least get half of the grafts to produce growth I think...?

Well, I guess its not the fact that I can use concealers effectively, but I think it would be a waste not to do revision since my initial hair transplant was done to restore my left hairline in the first place.. The fact that I have a small area which is still sparse makes my hair transplant look useless.. I might as well not had the hair transplant at all in the first place..

So, basically the reasoning here is: "ok, I got my hair transplants.. yet I still need to use concealers... The whole point of the hair transplant in part was to eliminate the need to use concealers... I have done a hair transplant, yet I'm still in the same position that I am before I got it done because of this small area..."
 

omarshari

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so, ive made my decision.. after much thought, i'm going to do 100 fue with the doctor i have described at the end of the week as a revision from my previous procedure.. i hope im doing the right thing and the surgery produces at least decent yields..
 

CCS

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I would not base a hair transplant decision on pain level. But strip procedures require great care not to stretch the scar for 6 months. That is 6 months you have to keep your head back most of the time, and definitly not tilt your chin down. 6 months lost at the gym, though you can workout if you are careful.
 
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It all depends on exisiting scalp laxity which varies between patients. It also depends in the closing technique. In some cases, scars stretch simply because the work is sloppy or careless. :roll:
 
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