When a patient is planning to get a hair transplant, one of the biggest decisions that he has to make is about the type of hair transplant. Generally, there are two types of hair transplant procedures. These include the Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

What is FUT?

There is a big difference between both of these methods. In FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation), doctors remove a thin strip of tissue from the sides and back of the scalp. This donor area provides the follicular units that are removed through microscopic dissection. After that, the edges of the wound are closed. This leaves a fine scar.

It is important to know that hair transplant may not give you straight and frizz-free hair. For that, you will need alternative treatments based on a recommendation from your doctor.

What is FUE?

In the case of Follicular Unit Extraction, a different procedure is used. In FUE, small circular incisions are made over a larger area in the donor zone. As a result of this, small white scars are left in the donor area.

Nowadays, FUE is far more popular as compared to Follicular Unit Transplantation. This is primarily because they provide better results and smaller scars. However, both of these methods may have advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of both FUT and FUE

Generally, the biggest advantage of FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) is that it provides the highest hair yield. In case a person wants a great fullness in his head, then FUT should be considered. This is because the stereo-microscopic dissection gives doctors the ability to harvest a greater number of hairs from the donor zone.

In comparison, the biggest advantage of FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) is that it does not leave a fine scar on the head. Furthermore, the healing time is also faster in the case of FUE. In case a person wants to keep very short hair and also wants to return to their daily life activities as quickly as possible, FUE should be considered.

In case there is a risk of a scalp laxity (looseness) with a risk of widened scar, doctors will recommend FUE. This is because in such cases, there will be no room for strip excision. Usually, people choose FUE because they do not want a linear donor scar on their head. However, if there are no complications, the donor scar can easily be covered with long hair.

In case you compare the graft quality in both of these procedures, FUT typically results in a higher quality. This is because careful stereo-microscopic dissection of the donor area allows greater precision and accuracy (especially if the clinical assistants are highly trained) in the process.

Can a person have both FUE and FUT?

Yes, it is possible for a person can have both FUT and FUE. Firstly, FUT is used to increase the yield of hair in the initial process. Then in the later sessions, the scalp gets too tight for more FUT procedures. Sometimes, it also gets widened. After that, the surgeon may choose to shift to FUE in order to harvest the hair and implanting them in the wide scar.

In case a surgeon performs the FUE method first, the yield may not be as high. As a result of this, the patient may want to shift to FUT for the remaining part of their surgery.

Ending note

Regardless of the type of hair transplant treatment you choose, it is very important to get it done by a skilled surgeon. First of all, only choose from the best hair transplant centers from among all your options. In this regard, you may read reviews on the internet. Secondly, always talk about the expectations with your doctor beforehand in order to maximize the results that you want.