What is FUE?
FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction process involves harvesting a larger number of hair follicular units from the donor site as compared to FUT. This maximizes the total availability of grafts. Additionally, the surgeon will make cuts for individual follicular units separately to ensure that the scars after the surgery are minor and less noticeable. Next, transplantation of the extracted follicles takes place to the balding spots. The procedure can be long and at times, the surgeon could split it into multiple sessions.
What is FUT?
FUT or Follicular Unit Transplantation process involves extraction of the donor strip with the help of a scalpel from the donor site. This donor site would usually be an area on the back and sides of the scalp. After extracting the strip, the surgeon would split it into individual grafts, comparably smaller than the follicular units. Next, the specialist will transplant small groups of follicles or individual units to the recipient areas. The process would most likely leave a linear scar, the width of which is unpredictable prior to the surgery.
Advantages of FUE and FUT
As the major advantage of FUE, it does not leave a linear scar and comparatively heals faster.
- The process is ideal for those who aim to get back to strenuous activities quickly without much downtime.
- The procedure is also advisable in cases where there is an increased probability of a wide scar or strip excision is not possible.
- In majority cases, patients end up choosing FUE simply because they do not want to deal with a linear scar although they could conceal it easily with their hair.
Likewise, with FUT, the main advantage is that it can yield better result though not always. This procedure is mostly suitable when the patient’s primary concern is to achieve maximal fullness. The surgeon makes this possible due to the potential to harvest from a certain area of the donor spot and the precision of stereo-microscopic dissection.
The Implantation Process
When it comes to Hair Transplant procedure through FUT or FUE, the surgeon makes small incisions in the thinning areas as soon as the follicular grafts are ready. The surgeon would then begin to strategically place the grafts individually with precision depending on the number of hairs in each follicle. This step enhances the density and naturalness of the recipient area. Additionally, it also maximizes the coverage on the scalp, which is crucial for the re-creation of the hairline.
FUE vs FUT w.r.t Scars
The availability of grafts can vary from person to person but there is a limited extractable amount possible in both the procedures. Still, in FUE, the number of possible grafts is usually higher as compared to FUT.
Hence, for people who are not comfortable with some noticeable scarring, Follicular Unit Extraction would be a better choice. Here are more differences:
- The scars from the FUE procedure are rather small whereas the FUT scars are linear.
- There is less noticeable scarring with FUE, as the incisions are small and not visible at all.
- They are scattered throughout the scalp making it hard to notice.
Just opposite, FUT has certain demerits, for instance: - FUT scars are large-sized and localized, which makes them slightly more detectable.
- Multiple FUT follow-up procedures can increase the chances of wide scars.
- FUT can alter the direction of your hair growth. This change can occur after a single treatment process or post multiple procedures.
Besides, FUT also involves removing a wide area of skin that can make the quality of the hair to vary on both sides of the scar. For example, the hair would remain coarser above the scar as compared to the bottom. This contrast in coarse and fine hair, and alteration in the direction of hair growth would easily be visible, especially with a short haircut.
Choosing the best Hair Transplantation Method
At the end of the day, the decision would be yours depending on the insight your surgeon provides. The expert would help you by judging the classification of hair loss, the quantity, and quality of donor hair and the size of thinning spot. A technique most suitable for one patient might not suit the other and hence one needs to make an informed decision.
It is therefore wise to visit an experienced and efficiently trained surgeon in both the procedures and can provide you with an unbiased opinion for your betterment. This is where the experienced hair specialists at Darling Buds would prove fruitful to your cause.
No It does not!
If we consider the fact that we can harvest up to 40% of the donor scalp over 2-3 sessions using FUE technique, a strip area which would yield an average 2500 grafts will yield around 1200 FUE grafts over 2-3 FUE sessions. So there is an availability of 40% more grafts from the area of the strip as compared to if we were to harvest that area of the strip only over 2-3 sessions (N.B.-not the whole scalp)
A fact that is not known to many people is that the strip scar can actually increase the area of the crown by downward displacement as the skin stretches and moves down somewhat when it is stitched. This area of expansion of the crown may be as great as 40% the area of the strip. The additional grafts that we may have been able to harvest with FUT would be used in the long term to cover this area which has developed not genetically but iatrogenically.
So the increased number of grafts we got by the strip technique is countered by a similar increase in the area of baldness.
Therefore it is an illogical and fallacious presumption that we get more grafts from FUT.
It is false to assume that in FUT we are utilising the extra loose skin in the harvesting. The loose skin is there for a purpose. You need it for neck flexion.
After all you can not offer cosmesis at the cost of body function!