2300 Grafts Using FUE Hair Transplant Method? (photo)

If you are questioning your consultation, this is not the best place to seek a second opinion.  2300 grafts may be great but what is your realistic goal or expectation.  What happens when you lose more hair.  Why are you choosing FUE over Strip.  I ask because you keep your hair long.  FUE may not be for everyone and not automatically the best surgery.I was an engineer working with Dr. Rassman in 1998 (before I became a doctor) . My work involved a concept of a robot which would use a special optical sighting system to align the hairs for an automated FUE. This work became U.S. Patent 6572625 that we licensed to the ARTAS robot. Similar technology from our U.S. Patents are used in the NeoGraft. I perform FUE in my practice with my hybrid FUE instruments, ARTAS, or even NeoGraft. My point is that I am very familiar with the FUE, ARTAS, NeoGraft, and all forms of harvesting hair follicles.However, the focus of surgery should be on RESULTS. Not how a doctor takes out the grafts. From a donor scarring perspective, YOUR HAIR IS LONG. If you are ever going to shave your head or cut your hair really short, you should probably get the FUE. That is it. If a "line scar" scares you, then get the FUE. Many doctors push FUE or Neograft or ARTAS claiming "no scar" or "minimally invasive". Many doctors dissuade patients from strip surgery asking "why would you want a big scar".Just remember a 4000 graft FUE scar is like having a collective open wound hole the size of a baseball on the back of the head. There is nothing minimally invasive about that. I also perform Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) and fix horrible FUE scars routinely. These is nothing "scarless" about FUE. I have performed surgery on Dr. Rassman and his family members using the strip technique. The linear scar on Dr. Rassman is a pencil thin line you probably will have a hard time finding. The point is, a strip surgery scar is not as terrible as the Internet makes it out to be. Both FUE and Strip surgeries has its place. Don't be caught up in marketing and doctors who try to sell you one type surgery.The focus should be on Results. A bad hair transplant result from FUE or Strip is like Herpes. You'll carry it with you for life.

I think 2300 grafts is a reasonable number to transplant.  Recommendations are typically based on an overall plan for the patient going forward, as well as, patient preference to method and financial considerations of the patient.   Every procedure has its good points and bad points.  Strip is still a viable option for you which would usually get your costs down.  Get a couple of opinions from surgeons who do both methods.  Good luck!

Many surgeons nowadays want to sell hair
transplant surgery without considering the long-term consequences of the
procedure and they also do not discuss the strategies for the management of
hair loss. Many transplant surgeons think of it as a continuous process where
they transplant hair but as the patient’s hair loss progresses, they do more
transplantation. Unfortunately, the donor area or the area at the back of the
neck which is genetically resistant to the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT),
are limited. When the person’s hair loss continuous despite taking finasteride,
they lose their native hair around the transplanted hair. Losing native hair around the transplanted
hair leads to a "pluggy" look. A surgeon must be very strategic in
using the donor hairs especially if there is only a few amount of hair
available for transplantation.In our practice, we do several things as part
of an initial evaluation. First, we want to know what age they started losing
hair. The reality is when people start losing hair when they're younger, it
tends to be a rapidly progressing process. Often in people who have male
pattern hair loss, they often don’t respond very well to medical treatments
such as minoxidil or finasteride. Finasteride goes by the trade name Propecia inhibits
the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). A common
myth is that men who are losing hair have too much testosterone, which isn't
true. Hair can be genetically susceptible to the effects of DHT. Sadly,
finasteride has long term side-effects.Fortunately, in our practice, we offer a
procedure called Hair Regeneration that uses a material called extracellular
matrix (ECM). ECM is derived from pig’s bladder which is used for wound
healing. It recruits adult stem cells called progenitor cells. Progenitor cells
are proven to be deficient in those suffering from male and female pattern hair
loss, are restored and they activate the process of hair growth. Hair
Regeneration uses ECM in combination with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in a
specific way customized to an individual’s pattern of hair loss. With the Hair
Regeneration treatment, we have been able to reverse thinning hair, stop male
and female pattern hair loss and even restore the cells and signals that appear
to be disrupted when a person has thinning hair. In addition, we are also able
to help patients who have alopecia areata and systemic lupus.However, there are limitations. We are not able
to restore hair that is lost, but there is a remarkable difference with people
with progressive thinning hair treated with Hair Regeneration. What I do is perform the Hair Regeneration
treatment, then observe them for a year to a year and half. After that, we can a hair transplant if the
patient needs more hair. The difference is that we can now be more strategic
with the use and placement of hair to get more coverage. I hope that was
helpful to you, and thank you for your question.