1. Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT):
In this type of transplant, a strip of scalp is surgically taken from the back of the head, and the donor is stitched back. The strip is then dissected into individual grafts which are implanted into the desired area (recipient site) to achieve natural looking hair growth.
2. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE):
In this method of transplant, individual grafts are taken by cutting out holes in the scalp with the help of small special instruments. This process is comparatively more time-consuming but less painless, once the numbing injections are given.
A single session can take up to four hours or more. Once the procedure is complete, the stitches will be removed 10 days after the surgery
It may require up to three or four sessions to achieve the full head of hair. Sessions are done over several months, so that after each transplant, the head is fully healed.
FUT and FUE, both the techniques have their own advantages and it completely depends on the individual factors for selection of the suitable method.
FUT Hair Transplant
One of the most favorable advantages of Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) technique is that it yields the highest amount of hair. If a patient’s primary goal is to achieve maximum fullness from the hair restoration, FUT should be a method.
FUE Hair Transplant
The advantages of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) includes: it doesn’t leave a linear donor scar and a faster healing time. When the patient’s primary goal is to be able to wear their hair very short or return quickly to physical activities and a normal schedule, FUE is an ideal option. FUE is also suggested when there is an increased risk of a widened scar or when scalp looseness does not permit a strip excision. Most patients simply choose FUE to avoid the linear donor scar, even though it can be easily covered by their hair.
How about going for FUT and FUE both?
Yes, one can opt for FUT and FUE, at the same time. In this, FUT is used first to maximize the yield of the initial procedure, and then in subsequent sessions, the scalp may become too tight to perform the further FUT procedure or the donor scar may become wider than anticipated. In such cases, the surgeon may prefer switching to the FUE technique for next sessions. For the FUE, the follicular units are harvested and then implanted into the widened scar, to camouflage it.
In the vice versa case, if FUE is performed first and the yield is lower than the acceptable level, then patients may consider switching to FUT either for the remainder of that procedure or in subsequent surgeries.
Also read: STAY CLEAN STAY HEALTHY
Some Factors to be considered
- Scars
FUE is always a better choice for those who do not want noticeable scars. FUE scars are comparatively small and round, while FUT scars will be long and linear.
In FUE, small scars are scattered throughout the scalp, making them less noticeable. While scars from FUT are bigger and localized, which makes them more noticeable.
Multiple FUT procedures can increase the probability of a wide and noticeable scar as the procedures thins the donor area over time. Available grafts vary depending on patients but there is a finite amount in both FUT and FUE. However, the total number of possible grafts from FUE is more because there is no need to hide a wide scar hair. FUT has a major disadvantage as it can alter hair growth direction. This change in the direction of hair growth can occur after a single or multiple FUT sessions. In a FUT session, a wide area of skin is removed as the quality of the hair on each side of the scar can vary. Typically, the hair above the scar have coarse texture in comparison to the hair on the bottom side of the scar.
- Time and Cost Compare, FUE and FUE
The cost of FUE will be always much higher than FUT as most FUE variants require a lot of time. In FUE procedure, the surgeons will extract and transplant follicles graft-by-graft. The best hair transplant clinics in Turkey offer excellent treatment with affordable packages for both FUT and FUE methods.
- Difference between Recovery Time of FUT and FUE
FUT often leads to significant scabs and major soreness at the incision site. Healing during the first few days to a week might be rough and FUT recipients usually enlist help for normal activities. Also, the FUT patients are advised to limit their physical activity for the first month to prevent development of complications at the incision site. On the other hand, recovery with FUE is comparatively painless and patients rarely need to see surgeon post-operatively. However, the patients must keep in mind to care for the donor areas, stay vertical during the initial few days, and limit the physical activities for the first week of recovery.