Alexanderr
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In this thread, I’ll be discussing the main differences between a FUT and an FUE hair transplant.
The main difference between FUT and FUE hair transplant is that in FUT, the surgeon removes a strip of donor skin which to extract individual follicular units to be transferred to the areas of hair loss, whereas in FUE individual follicular units are excised directly from the scalp.
FUT
In this procedure, a strip of hair-bearing skin is removed from the donor area of the scalp, which is usually the back of the head. Hence why it’s also known as the ‘strip’ surgery.
The long-term do or hair supply will be influenced by how to lose/lax the scalp skin is and by the density per square centimeter of donor scalp. In general, the FUT procedure gives access to more donor hair yield during a lifetime compared with FUE.
The strip is then placed under high-powered microscopes and the surgical team divides it into tiny grafts of individual follicular units comprised of one to four hairs. These grafts are placed in a chilled tissue storage solution until they are transplanted.
The donor area is stitched up and usually then covered by the surrounding hair. After between 10 and 14 days the stitches are removed and the donor area heals to form a linear scar. As you can see in the picture above.
FUE
In the FUE procedure, the donor area of the scalp is shaved and follicular unit grafts are excised individually, using a 0.8mm to 1mm ‘punch’.
The procedure can be carried out manually or using a motorized surgical tool.
Following the procedure, there will be a series of tiny dot scars on the scalp but these are so small, they’re barely noticeable. With multiple FUE procedures, more dot scars are accumulated and the hair in the donor area is gradually thinned out. This is why there is a limited amount of donor hair, which means that surgeons and patients must take care to ensure that there is adequate donor supply for a long term plan.
What are the pros and cons of the two hair transplant techniques?
Both procedures have their advantages and their disadvantages. Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) is often described as the more ‘advanced’ technique, although both CUT and FUE provide great results, and choosing the most suitable method depends on your particular needs and your characteristic.
Here are some factors to consider.
Advantages of FUE
The most obvious of them all - no linear scar. FUE has the benefit of avoiding linear scarring left by FUT. Since individual follicular units are taking, you’re only left with tiny dot scars that are barely noticeable to the naked eye. Making it an attractive option for those who care about the amount of visible scarring involved.
Another advantage is the ability to wear your hair short. Because of the minimal scarring FUE provides, it’s particularly suitable for people who like to keep their hair short (like me).
One more advantage is that it’s good for relatively small transplants - FUE may be suitable for younger guys or those who only require a small number of grafts in the hairline.
The disadvantages of FUE are:
Advantages of FUT
Its biggest advantage is that it’s great for people requiring a larger number of grafts. FUT typicality provides a higher yield of hair than FUE - an advantage if your goal is to achieve maximum fullness from the hair restoration.
There’s also no need to shave the entire head, with the FUT technique existing hair can be kept long and will be used to cover up the linear scar.
Shorter time in surgery and less downtime. The FUT process usually takes between 4 and 12 hours depending on the size of the recipient area and the number of grafts that need to be transplanted. This is significantly shorter than FUE, which can require extracting up to 2,000 grafts and might take 10 hours – or in some cases might need more than one day in surgery.
Lower cost, this one’s a big one as well. FUT is usually less expensive than the FUE procedure.
FUT has the following disadvantages:
Who is a good candidate for FUT?
What is the difference in results between FUE and FUT?
All hair transplants require technical skill – but they also require a degree of artistry. The surgeon must pay attention to the angle, density and positioning of grafts – and must also be sensitive to the patient’s looks, shape of face and skull and general appearance. This applies equally whatever the kind of procedure.
FUT vs FUE: TLDR
To summarize the benefits and shortcomings of both treatments, it would be safe to deduce that FUE is the method for those who are more concerned with aesthetic dimensions of a chosen procedure; it is also an optimal treatment for one who wishes to wear their hair short.
FUT, on the other hand, is the optimum procedure for those who deeply care about the quality of the results of their transplant and are not that much concerned with the outward appearance of their head after receiving the treatment.
Sources:
1. https://www.themaitlandclinic.com/difference-between-fue-fut-transplants/
2. https://ariamedtour.com/blogs/fue-vs-fut/
The main difference between FUT and FUE hair transplant is that in FUT, the surgeon removes a strip of donor skin which to extract individual follicular units to be transferred to the areas of hair loss, whereas in FUE individual follicular units are excised directly from the scalp.
FUT
In this procedure, a strip of hair-bearing skin is removed from the donor area of the scalp, which is usually the back of the head. Hence why it’s also known as the ‘strip’ surgery.
The long-term do or hair supply will be influenced by how to lose/lax the scalp skin is and by the density per square centimeter of donor scalp. In general, the FUT procedure gives access to more donor hair yield during a lifetime compared with FUE.
The strip is then placed under high-powered microscopes and the surgical team divides it into tiny grafts of individual follicular units comprised of one to four hairs. These grafts are placed in a chilled tissue storage solution until they are transplanted.
The donor area is stitched up and usually then covered by the surrounding hair. After between 10 and 14 days the stitches are removed and the donor area heals to form a linear scar. As you can see in the picture above.
FUE
In the FUE procedure, the donor area of the scalp is shaved and follicular unit grafts are excised individually, using a 0.8mm to 1mm ‘punch’.
The procedure can be carried out manually or using a motorized surgical tool.
Following the procedure, there will be a series of tiny dot scars on the scalp but these are so small, they’re barely noticeable. With multiple FUE procedures, more dot scars are accumulated and the hair in the donor area is gradually thinned out. This is why there is a limited amount of donor hair, which means that surgeons and patients must take care to ensure that there is adequate donor supply for a long term plan.
What are the pros and cons of the two hair transplant techniques?
Both procedures have their advantages and their disadvantages. Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) is often described as the more ‘advanced’ technique, although both CUT and FUE provide great results, and choosing the most suitable method depends on your particular needs and your characteristic.
Here are some factors to consider.
Advantages of FUE
The most obvious of them all - no linear scar. FUE has the benefit of avoiding linear scarring left by FUT. Since individual follicular units are taking, you’re only left with tiny dot scars that are barely noticeable to the naked eye. Making it an attractive option for those who care about the amount of visible scarring involved.
Another advantage is the ability to wear your hair short. Because of the minimal scarring FUE provides, it’s particularly suitable for people who like to keep their hair short (like me).
One more advantage is that it’s good for relatively small transplants - FUE may be suitable for younger guys or those who only require a small number of grafts in the hairline.
The disadvantages of FUE are:
- The time-consuming process of extracting grafts
- Higher price
Advantages of FUT
Its biggest advantage is that it’s great for people requiring a larger number of grafts. FUT typicality provides a higher yield of hair than FUE - an advantage if your goal is to achieve maximum fullness from the hair restoration.
There’s also no need to shave the entire head, with the FUT technique existing hair can be kept long and will be used to cover up the linear scar.
Shorter time in surgery and less downtime. The FUT process usually takes between 4 and 12 hours depending on the size of the recipient area and the number of grafts that need to be transplanted. This is significantly shorter than FUE, which can require extracting up to 2,000 grafts and might take 10 hours – or in some cases might need more than one day in surgery.
Lower cost, this one’s a big one as well. FUT is usually less expensive than the FUE procedure.
FUT has the following disadvantages:
- A linear scar will remain visible in the donor area and you have to wear long hair to hide it (modern techniques for sewing up the cut has reduced the visibility of the left scar)
- The recovery period is longer (10-14 days)
Who is a good candidate for FUE?
- The youth: Younger individuals, especially those in their twenties constitute the ideal community to whom FUE is usually prescribed. The reason seems to have something to do with the fact that younger people tend to change their mind more often about their hairstyle. Less obvious scarring on the scalp seems to play an important role in pushing this age group towards the aforementioned treatment. As can obviously be deduced, fewer scars means a definite boost in the individual’s self-confidence and that apparently has turned FUE into the more popular treatment among younger people.
- People with small baldness: As the number of grafts needed for patients with small patches of baldness is limited, FUE is the best option, in which as many as 2000 grafts are harvested individually from the donor area and planted into the bald areas.
- People with short hair: Since FUE leaves little scars on the head, people who prefer short hair feel more confident when it comes to choosing between the methods of hair transplant. After all, in addition to receiving desirable results, people care about their appearance as well.
- Those who have already had a previous procedure: In case a patient has already had one round of hair transplant, most probably an FUT which has left them with considerable scars around their scalp, he will be advised to undergo the other kind as a second round of transplant.
Who is a good candidate for FUT?
- People with long hair: People who aren’t into short hair and always wear their hair long are good candidates for FUT as the scar left on the head in this method can be concealed under the hair.
- People with large baldness: People who have lost a lot of hairs and need to receive a large number of grafts are best candidates for FUT, in which some 4000 to 5000 grafts can be transplanted in a single procedure. For these patients, FUE is not as much effective as FUT because the number of grafts that can be harvested in one session is limited because of the time-consuming process
What is the difference in results between FUE and FUT?
All hair transplants require technical skill – but they also require a degree of artistry. The surgeon must pay attention to the angle, density and positioning of grafts – and must also be sensitive to the patient’s looks, shape of face and skull and general appearance. This applies equally whatever the kind of procedure.
FUT vs FUE: TLDR
To summarize the benefits and shortcomings of both treatments, it would be safe to deduce that FUE is the method for those who are more concerned with aesthetic dimensions of a chosen procedure; it is also an optimal treatment for one who wishes to wear their hair short.
FUT, on the other hand, is the optimum procedure for those who deeply care about the quality of the results of their transplant and are not that much concerned with the outward appearance of their head after receiving the treatment.
Sources:
1. https://www.themaitlandclinic.com/difference-between-fue-fut-transplants/
2. https://ariamedtour.com/blogs/fue-vs-fut/
