A lot of people hear the term hair transplant and might have a general idea of what it entails but rarely will hear FUT or FUE Transplant and have any idea at all what both of these terms mean. This post is designed to explain both in detail while also helping you understand the difference between these two terms. Hopefully, you will be able to understand which one you might need if you were looking into potentially opting for a hair transplant. Let’s get into it.

FUT Hair Transplant

FUT is the abbreviation of Follicular Unit Transplant, which is also known as FUSS (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery) or “Strip Method”. FUT Hair Transplantation involves a thin strip of skin that contains hair being removed from the back of your head, which is why it is aptly known as the “Strip Method”. It is then divided into separate hair grafts, that typically each contains around 1 to 4 hairs or so. Using high-tech microscopes, these hair grafts are then placed carefully into tiny incisions that are made into the scalp, which are sealed with stitches after. 

Benefits:

• FUT Hair Transplants are optimal for patients that require larger numbers of hair grafts. FUT Hair Transplants usually provide a greater yield than FUE typically does. Consequently, this is an added benefit if your ultimate goal is to obtain hair fullness.

• Although a relatively minor benefit, your head does not need to be shaved if you go for an FUT transplant.
• You can expect to spend less time in surgery for an FUT Hair Transplant as they take around 4 to 12 hours or so, depending on the diameter of the recipient area as well as the amount of hair grafts needing to be transplanted. FUE can take up to 10 hours or more. It is not uncommon that sometimes a patient could be required to come back another day for surgery.

• FUT is often cheaper than an FUE hair transplantation procedure.

FUE Hair Transplant

FUE is short for Follicular Unit Extraction and is also known as Follicular Transfer or FT for short. FUE Hair Transplantation involves first shaving the back of your head. Then individual hairs are removed and placed into tiny incisions made into the scalp using microscopes. These incisions are then sealed with stitches afterwards. 

Benefits:

• With FUE there isn’t a linear scar. As FUE hair transplantation involves individual follicles being extracted, this only results in smaller dot-like scars that are barely noticeable to the naked eye. As this procedure is less invasive than FUT, it also makes it a good choice for those who wish to have a quicker recovery and return to normal activity levels.
• There is no need to grow your hair out. As FUE provides barely-visible scarring, it is ideal for patients that maintain a short hairstyle.
• FUE is better for patients that only require smaller transplants like children or patients with a smaller recipient area.

So what is the difference?

Ultimately, the main difference between both procedures is the way in which your hair is extracted. This will also mean the type of scarring you can get from each procedure will also differ. While both options have their own unique pros and cons, both treatment techniques are highly effective providing a solution for thinning or baldness. Both procedures are virtually pain-free and require only a local anaesthetic as opposed to a general one – meaning you won’t be asleep during the surgery. It is important to bear in mind that hair transplantation is better suited to those with the type of baldness that is permanent. 

When deciding on which option to advise you on, your surgeon will consider the size of the thinning area, the hair loss classification, amount of available donor hair as well as the quality of your donor hair. With that in mind, it is still ultimately your choice to choose out of the two. No one treatment option is right for everyone. 

If you have any questions or queries regarding both procedures or are potentially thinking about having a hair transplant, please get in touch today and we’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.