What’s the Difference Between FUT and FUE Hair Transplants?

A hair transplant, otherwise known as hair implantation or hair restoration, is a type of surgery that is performed to restore hair by transplanting new follicles into an area with no hair or with thinning hair. The procedure is done in the comfort of the doctor’s office, beginning with the scalp being anesthetized with an injectable medication such as lidocaine, no matter which method of hair restoration is being performed.

There are two methods used in hair transplantation, namely: Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS) or Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). The patient and the size of the area to be treated will determine the number of grafts, which typically ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 grafts.

FUT Hair Transplants

The FUT method, sometimes called the strip method, involves harvesting follicles from areas at the sides and back of the scalp. The hair follicles are harvested by the doctor from a small strip of tissue from which the donor hair follicles will be extracted. This is mostly from an area with strong hair, so that the chances of the hair follicles surviving the transplantation are higher.

You, the patient, will be anesthetized and follicles are moved to the thinning or balding area where the doctor makes tiny holes in the scalp. The follicular unit grafts are then carefully and individually transplanted.

When carrying out FUT hair transplants, the donor strip is extracted from the middle area of the permanent zone. The follicular units have to be carefully isolated with their protective tissue still intact, using a dissecting stereomicroscope to result in high-quality grafts.

Advantages

The FUT method is an ideal choice for patients who are experiencing advanced hair loss, since it lets the doctor make use of the scalp area, ensuring the accuracy of stereomicroscopic dissection and follicle harvesting to produce results that meet your expectations.

FUT also allows for the transplantation of a large number of follicles within one session and lets you achieve the maximum fullness of hair.

Scarring

The FUT procedure results in a very narrow linear scar on the back of the head, which can be typically around 1mm or less in diameter. The small size of the scar, which fades and disappears over time, allows it to be easily hidden by most short haircut styles.

FUE Hair Transplants

The FUE method is a more advanced procedure of hair transplantation compared to other previous methods and FUT. First, the doctor removes hair follicles from the donor area using a specialized extraction instrument, which is a major difference between FUE and FUT transplants.

The doctor then punctures the scalp area receiving the follicles using a microsurgical needle. The follicles are inserted at a specific density and angle in the recipient area and the result is a resemblance to a natural hair pattern.

Since only the upper part of the hair follicle can be seen, there is a bit of a risk when cutting the follicular units during the harvesting and the doctor can only make an estimation of the direction of the hair follicles under the scalp surface. However, unlike the FUT procedure, there is a slight chance that the follicles might be damaged or stripped of their protective layer when carrying out the FUE procedure.

In FUE, the follicles are harvested from a larger donor area to get a large number of grafts, meaning that chances are that the patient might lose some follicles to balding over time. Harvesting of follicles when using the FUE procedure results in one to five follicles per given donor area.

Pain Levels

The FUE procedure heals faster than FUT and is more comfortable, as well, reducing the pain and discomfort levels. After the procedure, you will either feel no pain at all, or a sunburnt feeling or pain which will only last for a few days.

Advantages

The main advantage of the FUE procedure is that no stitches are involved, resulting in only a series of tiny ‘micro scars’ and no major scars left to heal. It is a great option if you want to return to work immediately or wear short hair.

Scarring

Although there are no linear scars that are evident left after undergoing the FUE procedure, most patients are usually left with tiny puncture marks of around 1mm or less. The marks heal by themselves over the next few days after scrubbing, although the scrubbing shouldn’t be intense to avoid puncturing the treated area. In addition, the healing process can take around three to seven days.

Conclusion

Hair transplantation procedures are offered under outpatient services, although you are able to seek medical advice about the sessions. Both FUT and FUE are great and effective hair transplant procedures that can be done on the same person, though they have different clinical indications.

FUT can be performed first if you’re looking at maximizing the results of initial hair transplant procedures. However, in the upcoming sessions, the doctor might not be able to perform FUT procedures because of a tight scalp. When that happens, you are able to revert to FUE.

In cases where FUE was performed first and yielded no satisfying results or yielded no results completely, decide to switch to FUT during the remainder of the current procedure or in later procedures.

It is very important that you choose an expert when going for a hair transplant as well as the best procedure for removing the hair follicle. A large needle can result in damage to the surrounding skin and visible scars, so get service and care from professionals who have knowledge and experience in both procedures.