Once a person determines they want to do something permanent about their hair loss, they will have various treatments to consider. A couple of options available worth mentioning and widely chosen on the market for hair restoration solutions are FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction/Excision) and FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant). Both procedures are very effective and accessible to patients.
For many people, a healthy head of hair provides feelings of vitality, energy, youthfulness, and a sense of identity. However, baldness and thinning hair is something that affects millions of men and women around the globe. Hair loss can be a concern no matter what age you are, with many people showing noticeable hairline recession or hair loss as early as their late teens and 20s.
Living with noticeable hair loss can be traumatic to young people, causing a loss of confidence and making them feel older than they are. Female hair loss is a problem that affects about 50% of women at some point in their lives and it is much tougher at times because society expects a woman to always have hair in comparison to men. Although it is not as traumatic for older people, it still affects their self-image.
Are you Choosing a Hair Transplant Procedure Between, FUE and FUT?
Hair loss can occur for a variety of reasons, but if you are in your 20s or older, and are worried about hair loss, you may be exploring ways to address the problem. We have all seen those hair loss and hair restoration commercials that target people who are insecure about their balding or thinning of hair. Some people try to deal with the problem with a scalp micropigmentation, hair loss solutions such as Rogaine, medications such as Propecia (Fin########), and other methods. Unfortunately, these solutions are not always effective or convenient. It can become overwhelming and frustrating to try and navigate through all the options that exist in the hair restoration industry.
There is definitely a lot of different information out there, which makes getting familiar with the accurate data a key factor towards achieving the best outcome. It is greatly advised to become an educated consumer and know the details about effective and permanent treatments such as FUE and FUT.
The great news is that as research and technology continue to grow and evolve, so does hair transplantation surgery. For those who struggle with hair loss, they feel their confidence and sense of self gradually diminish with each fallen hair.
The most common and effective solution is a FUT or FUE, which are proven surgical methods that have helped many people recover their confidence. Let’s explore the differences between the two, and help decide which treatment may be right for you.
FUE: Follicular Unit Extraction
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), also known as follicular transfer (FT), is one of the two primary methods for hair restoration solutions. FUE is a surgical technique that aims to remove a patient’s individual hair or follicular units (hair follicles) one at a time from the back of the scalp, which is known as the donor or harvesting site. This hair transplant procedure is minimally invasive, and after the hair is taken from the donor site it is transplanted into the areas that are experiencing bald patches also called recipient sites. This procedure creates a fuller looking head of hair with an improved visual impact in thinning or bald locations.
Patients who have a genetic hair loss condition called androgenetic alopecia also called male or female pattern baldness, are the best candidates for FUE hair transplantation procedure. Follicular Unit Extraction results in a more natural-looking hairline, with no linear scarring, which means that hair transplant scar revisions are not going to be necessary when receiving this type of procedure.
FUT: Follicular Unit Transplantation
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) involves removing a strip of tissue from the back of the head, where healthy hair follicles will be removed. The hair follicles are harvested from the strip of tissue before being individually transplanted to the recipient area. FUT allows for a high volume of grafts to be transplanted in a single session.
Some patients report higher levels of discomfort with FUT procedures compared to FUE due to the more invasive nature of the procedure, occurring in the area where the strip of tissue was removed for grafting. The FUT hair transplant method typically results in a very narrow linear scar in the back of the head, that will gradually start to fade with time, and may often be covered with the existing hair.
Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT)
While FUT is a bit quicker than FUE, Follicular Unit Extraction typically is more expensive and provides a more natural look. They both have their ups and downs, but they also will both result in a healthy-looking head of hair. After having a hair transplant, people have noted the hair transplantation procedure as an emotional and transformative experience, giving them more confidence to face life and achieve their goals.
During your initial consultation, your clinical team will determine which transplantation method is best for you based on multiple factors; how much hair loss you have, the size of the thinning area, and the quality & quantity of hair you have as a donor site for the balding areas.
What Are the Pros and Cons of the Two Hair Transplant Techniques?
Both methods, the FUT and FUE include their set of pros and cons. Although both methods provide great outcomes, the more modern and advanced technique is often seen as the Follicular Unit Excision. Both you and your surgeon have to discuss both types of procedures in detail to choose the one that best meets your needs and specifications. Each patient has unique characteristics that are considered in order to choose the appropriate procedure.
Below, we’ll cover some benefits that you and your physician will want to discuss during your initial consultation:
Benefits of FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction/Excision)
- No trace of a linear scar is caused by the surgery. The nice thing about FUE is that it does not leave the noticeable scar that FUT can leave behind. During this procedure, individual follicular units are obtained. It only creates a small scar that appears like a dot, which cannot be seen through growing hair. It is also referred to as hypopigmentation due to the minimal scarring appearing only as a small tonal difference in color. This is very beneficial to those people who will like to quickly get back to their normal activities that may require physical strain such as exercise.
- Ability to wear hair short without a noticeable scar. Because FUE leaves practically no scars, it is ideal for patients who like to wear their hair very short at the back of the head. This is the case for people that get the number one or number two haircut setting on the hair clippers. Oftentimes, a person may even clip their hair with a 0 and see no visible scarring.
- It is a great technique for relatively minor transplants. The FUE method is more appropriate for patients that are younger and don’t have much balding. It is ideal for those who only need a relatively small number of grafts in the hairline.
Benefits of FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation)
This technique is appropriate for people who need a large number of grafts. FUT provides the patient with a larger volume of hair restoration than FUE. Patients that are looking to achieve fuller results from their hair replacement surgery can take advantage of this method.
There will be a linear scar in the back of the head with the FUT technique, which can be covered up with medium length hair. In case the scar is too noticeable, it may be appropriate to perform a hair transplant scar revision.
Another key factor with FUT is that the surgery is completed in a lesser amount of time, which is approximately anywhere from 6-8 hours, give or take, according to the number of required grafts. On the other hand, FUE tends to be more laborious and take longer to complete due to the intricacies of removing each follicular unit one-by-one.
Both FUT and FUE procedures are virtually painless and require only a local anesthetic.
Contact you Hair Loss Specialist
To learn more about hair loss and what hair transplantation procedure is right for you, MAXIM Hair Restoration has locations in New York City, New Jersey, Long Island, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Texas, and the Northern Virginia Washington, DC area. International clinics include Manila and Cebu in the Philippines, Dubai (U.A.E.), and Istanbul, Turkey. Locations under development include Indiana, Chicago, Austin, San Antonio, Miami, Atlanta, Sarasota, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, Wroclaw, Poland and other markets. Contact MAXIM today for a consultation and start your journey to the hair you want to have.