should i go for FUEor ACell+PRP FUE surgery or follicular unit extraction
transplants are very popular around the world FUE surgery grew in popularity partly because
of the backlash against the visible scars of patients associated with FUTor strip surgery
due to in large part our success with TrichoStem Hair rRgeneration system
consumers have more options besides surgery to treat hair loss so how do you make a
decision on whether to have fue surgery or a non-surgical treatment such as ACell+PRP
as both a hair transplant surgeon and the inventor of the TrichoStem Hair Regeneration system
I'll discuss how I help my patients make the best choice for their individual situation
I'm Dr Amiya Prasad I'm a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic
and reconstructive surgeon I've been in practice in New York City and Long Island for over 25 years
as I stated earlier I've been performing hair transplant surgery for a large part of my career
based on the wound healing technology we used to help patients
after hair transplant surgery I developed the TrichoStem Hair Regeneration system
which since 2011 has been a highly successful standalone non-surgical hair loss solution
for men and women who have come to us from around the world
the world of hair loss treatment can be described in a way as a bit of a free-for-all there are
limited barriers to entry for anyone who wants to offer non-surgical or surgical hair loss treatment
it's well known that many medical retailers are offering non-surgical hair treatments like
PRP alone or ACell+PRP and these people have no previous hair restoration experience
the practice of hair transplant surgery also requires no standardization through
any formal residency or Fellowship training this means that many practitioners are putting
their own financial interests ahead of the best interest of the patient this notwithstanding I
think it's important to understand some of the details of how I came to developing a
non-surgical hair loss solution in the context of my having done hair transplant surgery for
decades as mentioned earlier TrichoStem hair regeneration treatment evolved after I was using
extracellular matrix by ACell on the scalp to better improve graft survival as well as improve
the healing of the donor area I was surprised to see that about a year after surgery that
native hair that wasn't transplanted increased in density and grew in thicker upon making this
observation I decided to see if I could create a system to help people have better scalp coverage
with their existing hair without surgery after working for several years and overcoming numerous
obstacles i succeeded in creating a way to customize hair loss treatments specific to
a classification system I developed and help men and women of all ages who suffer from hair loss
people came from around the world and we became so successful that I built a freestanding center
called TrichoStem Hair Regeneration Center in Tyson's Corner Vienna in Virginia now this was not
exactly welcomed by hair transplant surgeons and at the other end of the spectrum we inspired
companies to create generic PRP and ACell+PRP treatments both of which require multiple visits
per year with nobly or long-term plan in addition to helping men and women with genetic pattern
hair loss we have also been able to help people who have had previous hair transplant surgery
we actually help a lot of people who have had FUE surgery improve
their graft survival and results by treating them soon after they undergo their surgery
in addition we've learned that in spite of the assumption that hair grafts can quote last forever
that even hair transplants don't continue to grow as well as they once did as you grow older
I've helped many people who have had hair transplants done
in the decades past get more coverage from those hair transplants after our treatment
regardless of technique hair transplant surgery is limited by the number of hairs available from the
donor area and the limited density that can be achieved with surgery surgical hair transplant
is essentially limited to no more than 20 hairs per square centimeter natural hair density is much
higher and can be over 100 hairs per square centimeter this means that even if hair is
thinning your natural hair density is greater than any hair transplant could possibly achieve
now it's no secret that FUE surgery is fraught with problems with outcomes such as very low graft
survival particularly in comparison to FUT surgery another significant issue that is generally not
discussed by hair transplant sales people is that during the course of a hair transplant operation
a lot of your existing hair can be damaged and lost permanently this is referred to in
the industry as collateral loss so if you undergo hair transplantation in areas where
hair is present but thinning you can actually end up looking worse than you did before surgery
so if thinning hair can be saved and thickened non-surgical treatments can potentially achieve
better density and overall scalp coverage than an extensive hair transplant
TrichoStem Hair Regeneration works by thickening thinning hair and stimulating the growth of
dormant hair follicles that are still viable so in the right candidate our TrichoStem
Hair Regeneration treatment can achieve more scalp coverage than even two hair transplant
surgical procedures now does this mean that there's no point to hair transplant surgery no
if you were smooth bald in the front of your scalp
then a hair transplant will allow you to have hair where hair is no longer present
ultimately it's important to think strategically about how to best manage your hair loss for
years I've seen patients who impulsively or desperately underwent hair transplant surgery
and later regretted their decision particularly as their hair loss progressed and they underwent
additional transplantation which always failed to keep up with their ongoing loss
the take-home message here is that hair loss needs to be managed and a long-term view should be taken
before you undergo any procedure with this in mind I provide my patients with a
treatment plan TrichoStem Hair Regeneration is a customized formulation system based on your
age gender age of onset of hair loss degree of hair loss and other treatments as well as
the medications you're currently on having put our ACell+PRP treatment on the map since 2011
other treatments have sprouted up claiming to have ACell and PRP and have proliferated tremendously
protocols typically consist of only one or two treatments with the second treatment being done
15 to 24 months after the first the generic ACell+PRP treatments require multiple treatments
in the first year and with an ongoing maintenance treatment for as long as you're willing to pay
they kind of hook you with a supposedly low cost and then keep charging you for every treatment
simply said this just adds up my approach with TrichoStem Hair Regeneration is that the cost
is for a comprehensive treatment plan including the typical one to two injections during the two
years you're being taken care of with us you have regular follow-ups every three to six months in
our offices or virtually as needed in order for us to monitor your response to our treatment plan
this is why we're so accountable to our patients in my experience most people who seek
consultation for hair transplant surgery are not bald but rather are experiencing hair thinning
typically they seek professional care after they've reached a certain threshold of hair loss
and are very motivated to take action objectively it makes sense to try and maximize scalp coverage
with your own hair that's already present before undergoing surgery to place hair where none exists
most people I consult with see the logic of this strategy and undergo TrichoStem Hair Regeneration
first before pursuing hair transplant surgery TrichoStem Hair Regeneration patients will
typically get much better coverage with their existing hair being regenerated
in comparison to undergoing FUE surgery so when considering a hair loss treatment it's
important to take the most strategic approach to maximize your scalp coverage for the longest time
the success of our TrichoStem Hair Regeneration system is evidence that a non-surgical treatment
can have significant advantages in both cost effectiveness and longevity
in comparison to FUE or any other hair transplant surgery and of course the right candidates
I hope you found this information helpful thank you for your question
you