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Why FUT Procedures are Still Valid in the Era of FUE

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Over the past few years, the hype behind FUE procedures has been nothing short of overwhelming. If you aren’t too caught up on the development of hair transplant technology, this procedure eliminates a key issue people have had with the traditional method: the scar. Yet an FUT hair transplant remains a powerful option for certain candidates

To give some context, this method, known as the FUT procedure, involves taking a strip of the scalp from the back of the head, dissecting the follicles from it, and placing those in the problem areas on the patient’s head, creating more hair density and fullness to help them look younger and gain back their confidence.

This, of course, can end up leaving a small scar in the back of the scalp, although novice performers of the procedure can end up leaving larger & uneven scars due to a general lack of training & inexperience with the procedure.

Even when it’s minimal, those who wear their hair short will end up with a slight visible mark along their head, and we can understand why they would want to avoid that fate. For them, the FUE procedure, which we offer at Modena’s Southern California & Nevada locations, is a game-changer.

Breaking it down to basics, the doctor performing this will use a small circular blade called a punch to create individual incisions around each hair follicle, extracting the follicles from the donor area by hand. From there, the doctor creates the recipient sites on the patient’s scalp where those will eventually be transplanted.

What’s essential in all this, however, is that a doctor performs the procedure, not their technicians. Furthermore, the doctor needs to be capable of performing the surgery with many different instruments and devices, as not one device is compatible with every patient.

The other determinant of their success is the quality and size of the instruments the surgeon uses during the procedure. FUE can be done with different size punches ranging from 0.7mm all the way to 1.5mm. When a small diameter punch is used, such as Dr. Yazdan’s 0.7 millimeter punch, they can precisely harvest follicles from the donor area with minimal trauma to the surrounding follicles. Furthermore, harvesting small grafts allows them to be placed closer in the hairline to create a more dense & natural-looking procedure, while allowing the patient to heal much quicker.

When a large punch is used, it creates too wide of a hole, increasing healing time in the donor zone, while the end result is a larger graft that requires a larger recipient site to be created. This can lead to unnatural results & a delayed healing process.

Regardless of the procedure you want done, Modena Hair Institute has offices in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and Las Vegas which specialize in both FUE and FUT procedures. Dr. Yazdan performs these transplants himself at all three practices, using the smallest punches and the most advanced technologies available. His surgical team and staff has been the same for past 7 years, and their teamwork has resulted in real results for countless patients.

It seems, then, that getting an FUE procedure done by a professional is the only way to get this procedure done! Why bother with the strip method at all?

Well, we wouldn’t be so hesitant to knock down the traditional way of doing things. For starters, the FUE method doesn’t necessarily work for everyone.

If you need more than 2,000 grafts, or even 3,000-4,000, your other option would be to opt for the strip procedure. With the FUT transplant procedure, the doctor is generally able to obtain a larger number of grafts, reducing the need for the patient to undergo a 2nd surgery.

For patients undergoing the FUT procedure, especially those who need a larger number of grafts, we recommend you wear your hair a little longer in the donor zone, that way the small scar would never be seen. Besides that, we imagine you’d prefer to have one surgery that offers the maximum results. We also generally recommend the FUT method for women seeking hair restoration, as the FUE method requires the back of the scalp to be shaved.

If you visit Modena Hair Institute, Dr. Yazdan will bring his years of experience as a physician & hair restoration surgeon to the table, and you can be confident that only the most precise hands & tools will be put to work on your hair.

Visit our website to learn more, and be sure to get in touch with us today to schedule your consultation!

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When is it time to start considering a hair transplant?

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The best way to prevent hair loss is to catch it as early as possible. With information widely available on the internet, we’re getting more patients coming to us earlier in their loss. This is great news – since there’s more options available to treat hair loss the sooner the symptoms are recognized.
If you’re one of the growing number of individuals who have caught their hair loss early, you may be wondering when the right time to consider a hair transplant is. The timing of hair transplantation depends on a variety of factors such as age, stage of hair loss, family history of hair loss, cause of hair loss, and so on.
Below, we break a few of the most common contributors to determining your candidacy for hair transplantation to help you figure out the best time to start investing in your hair.
Age
It is not uncommon for individuals to begin noticing signs of hair loss in their early 20s. For these patients, we begin with exploring what we call medical maintenance options. Examples include laser treatment, PRP therapy, prescription medications, and over-the-counter hair loss solutions which can help protect the current hair, ward of future loss, and even reverse hair loss if its recent. We go to these routes first because starting a patient on hair transplantation at such an early age can cause them to have to get multiple surgeries through out their life to maintain their desired look, costing them lots of money and jeopardizing the health of their donor area.
Stage of hair loss
If hair loss is in its beginning stages, it may not be time for a hair transplant just yet. Hair transplantation is most effective in those patients who are in more progressive stages of hair loss. Those in early stages have many options for hair restoration outside of hair transplantation.
Cause of hair loss
There are many causes of hair loss. While the most common is age and genetics, side effects of medications or diseases are pretty common as well. If it is suspected that a medication or disease may be causing your hair loss, it is best to explore this cause more. In some cases, simply changing medications or treating a disease can eliminate the hair loss.
So, when is the right time for surgery? To determine the best time for hair transplantation it is best to meet with an experienced hair restoration surgeon who can do a full analysis of your hair loss and explore all of your options with you. If you’d like to find out if you’re a candidate, give us a call today.

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I’m not happy with my hair transplant results. What are my options?

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We get many patients who come for consultations from other hair transplant offices seeking second or third opinions on their hair transplant results.
These individuals are often unhappy with their results and want to know what their options are for fixing their hair and restoring their happiness and confidence.
The first step in evaluating your hair transplant results, is to establish a timeline.
How long ago was the surgery?
Timeline plays a big role in hair transplant recovery and being able to determine the results.
The next step is to establish a history.
How many grafts were transplanted? Where are the donor and recipient zones? What were the goals of the hair transplant surgery?
This information is crucial to gauging what, if any goals were met.
Once you have this important information, you can begin discussing and exploring options.
If the surgery was botched, meaning you have undesirable results such as bad scarring, no graft survival, or increased hair loss, you may need another hair transplant surgery. While this isn’t something anyone wants to hear who just spent thousands of dollars on a hair transplant surgery, this may be what is required in order to fix your botched surgery and provide you with a satisfactory and acceptable appearance.
If it’s too soon to tell, you may need to hang tight and wait a few more months. Sometimes, after just a couple of months, individuals feel that they are not experiencing the growth they should be given the circumstances of their surgery. While this may be the case, hair growth cycles differ person to person, and it may be too soon to tell if your surgery was indeed botched or if your hair is just taking a little longer to grow.
If you are concerned about the results of your hair transplant surgery, and want to get a second or third opinion to explore your options, give us a call for a consultation.

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Do FUE hair transplant mega-sessions work?

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Recently there has been a trend in hair transplant centers offering FUE mega-sessions. FUE mega-sessions consist of offering 4,000+ grafts extracted and placed in one sitting.
This is much more than the typical 1,000-3,500 grafts that are usually extracted and placed in a typical FUE procedure.
Many individuals assume the more grafts extracted and placed, the better. But more does not always equal better, as is the case with FUE hair transplants.
With a higher number of grafts extracted in one sitting, the risks of shock loss, scarring, and low-graft survival rate increase. In another article, I break down how each of these risks is increased by an FUE mega-session.
Obviously, increased hair loss, scarring, and minimal graft survival are not desirable hair transplant results. The likelihood of good results with a mega-session just doesn’t outweigh the likelihood of bad results.
So how do we achieve high graft hair transplants for those patients who need it without doing a mega-session?
When a high number of grafts are needed to achieve the desired density and fullness the patient wants in their hair, it is often better to utilize multiple surgeries over time. This allows the scalp to heal and newly transplanted follicles to grow naturally and fully.
This in turn yields better results over time, as shock loss is reduced, scarring is minimal to non-existent, and graft survival rate is high.  You are much more likely to see the full results of a high graft FUE hair transplant if the surgery is split up.
Something else to keep in mind when evaluating FUE mega-sessions is the honesty and transparency that may be lacking in surgeons offering these procedures. I recently met with a patient who had a quote from a hair transplant surgeon for a 10,000 graft FUE mega-session. This graft count is clearly inflated. It is frankly not possible to extract 10,000 grafts in one sitting, let alone produce a successful hair transplant. This surgeon is banking on the lack of education in his potential patients.
Your best defense in avoiding scams and botched surgeries like these is to do your research.  Make sure your surgeon is a U.S. medical doctor, you’ve read reviews and evaluated before and after pictures, and they are certified by the ISHRS with many years of experience.
If you’d like to learn more about the FUE method of hair transplantation and get a graft and price quote for your specific hair needs, give us a call for a free consultation today.