Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure that involves removing of hair follicles from one part of the body, called the donor site, to a bald or balding part of the body known as the 'recipient site'. The technique is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness or male pattern hair loss in which the hair follicles which are genetically resistant to balding, mostly present at the back of the scalp, are transplanted to the scalp where there is baldness.
Donor hair can be harvested in two different ways: Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT).
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
With Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE harvesting, individual follicular units containing 1 to 4 hairs are removed under local anesthesia, using tiny punches, 0.6mm and 1.0mm in diameter.The doctor then uses micro blades or fine needles to puncture the sites for receiving the grafts in a predetermined density and pattern to obtain a realistic hair pattern. The individual grafts are then put in place towards the end of the procedure.
FUE usually takes place in a single long session or in multiple small sessions. The FUE procedure is more time-consuming than the FUT method. An FUE surgery time varies according to the doctor’s experience, speed of harvesting and patient characteristics.
FUE gives natural results if performed well. The advantage of FUE over FUT is that FUE harvesting negates the need for large areas of scalp tissue to be harvested. As a result, there is no linear incision on the back of the head and it doesn’t leave a linear scar. Because only individual hair follicles are removed, small, punctuate scars remain which are virtually non visible. As there are no surgical sutures, recovery takes place in less than 7 days.
Disadvantages include increased surgical times and higher cost to the patient.
It is challenging for new surgeons because the procedure is physically demanding and the learning curve to acquire the skills necessary is lengthy and tough.
Some Doctors note that FUE can lead to a lower ratio of successfully transplanted follicles as compared to strip harvesting.
Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT)
Follicular unit transplant (FUT) is the traditional hair transplant method which involves extracting a linear strip of hair bearing skin from the back or the side of the scalp. The strip is then dissected to separate individual grafts. However, because of better cosmetic results, lesser scarring and lesser downtime, FUT has been replaced by the FUE method in the modern era.