Is FUE as Reliable as a Strip Procedure (FUT)?
This insightful information was posted on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Alan Feller of Great Neck, NY who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.
In my opinion, based on regular FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) experience since the introduction of FUE to the western hemisphere, I can say with confidence that FUE is simply not as reliable as strip (Follicular Unit Transplant) with respect to consistent yields. I have discussed this reality with several other FUE hair transplant doctors whom I admire and respect and their conclusions are the same.
The easiest way to settle the issue is to ask each hair restoration doctor who claims that their procedure is equal to (or better than) strip to demonstrate their surgery on YouTube and then compare it to procedures by those physicians, like me, who don’t make such claims. If the viewer can discern any significant difference in the amount of traction, compression, and torsion strain on the follicular unit graft during extraction then perhaps the case may be made. For now, no doctor claiming to produce equal hair growth yields will demonstrate to the public how they perform their hair transplant procedures which implies a “secret ingredient” which is never actually claimed but always implied.
It’s the old FUE hype story, plain and simple.
There are, of course, some success stories, particularly in the hands of the most experienced follicular unit extraction practitioners, but there simply are not enough results to compare to strip surgery. This is because there are not nearly enough dedicated FUE doctors and also due to the surge in technology and capability of strip surgeons.
Dr. Alan Feller
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David – aka TakingThePlunge
Assistant Publisher and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
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