Dr Rogers hair transplant complaints No. 1
FUE Technicians
Lately, there seems to be a fight going on, between those who oppose hair transplant technicians performing the extraction of FUE grafts and those who don’t. Let’s examine the pros and cons of each side, hopefully in a neutral and logical way.
Those who are against FUE hair transplant technicians, suggest that those technicians are inferior to a qualified doctor at performing the task. Many of the same people also suggest that using the FUE robot is acceptable however.
But this seems to be a flawed argument. There is no evidence to suggest that a medical qualification enables you to have better hand/eye coordination than someone not medical. And if so, then the robot must also be banned, since it isn’t qualified either.
Hair transplant goals
The goal is 100% perfectly intact grafts first and foremost. Because they’ll grow.
A second priority is having a very low transection rate i.e. damaging very few hairs that are left in the donor area, so that the remaining donor hair can still be used in the future.
Neither of these requirements depend on a medical degree but needs great skill and technique.
Lastly, over extraction must be avoided (see complaints made about many Turkish “Hair Mills” – later in the Dr Rogers complaints series). But even this can be taught and fundamentally, is down to the overseeing doctor to prevent this from happening. Indeed, if a doctor is happy to see this happening on their patient, he/she would be equally happy to cause it themselves if they are holding the punch. So blaming the technician is like shooting the messenger.
The additional theory is that using an FUE technician “allows” a doctor who is not educated and competent in hair transplantation, to perform hair transplant surgery. The so called “weekend hair transplanter.” But an intelligent, experienced and skilful FUE tech might help make the result better than if the unskilled doctor blunders about doing it themselves, unassisted. Modern hair transplantation is, after all, very much teamwork now.
The robot currently is not as good as a competent human at FUE, medically qualified or not. It doesn’t pass the three tests above but undoubtedly, the technology will improve and will become better than a human. As of now though, it isn’t and yet it still encourages those doctors with little experience or interest in hair transplantation, to add it to “their practice.”
So the logic of those against human FUE technicians but for the FUE robot seems perverse, yet this seems to be the position of the ISHRS even though many members don’t practice what they preach.
Using a competent FUE tech is no different from using an improved FUE robot – a tool to be used by the experienced hair transplant doctor to successfully transplant FUE hair grafts.
These opinions are based on discussions with doctors, hair techs and lay people. Undoubtedly, there are other viewpoints but what matters is a successful hair transplant.