July 27, 2007, Newsletter Issue #10: Hair Transplantation: Hair Transplantation: FUE vs. FUT

Tip of the Week

Bernstein Medical Tip: Hair transplants have improved greatly over the years with the development of Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and when considering a hair transplant you should be aware of all the procedures that are being offered by an individual physician or hair transplant clinic. Remember every doctor who performs hair transplantation has his own preferences and methodology. You should ask any hair transplant physician what his suggestions are but also, which procedures he performs and for how long.

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) involves a single, thin strip taken from the back of the scalp. This strip is then dissected utilizing the technique of stereo-microscopic dissection. This is where the individual follicles are taken for the hair transplant. After closure with either sutures or staples, there is often a thin, linear scar at the back of the scalp. This scar is not visible through the hair. A drawback of this type of hair transplantation is that should you decide to shave your head in the future, or keep your hair cut very short, the scar may be visible.

In Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), a small punch-like instrument is used. This instrument cuts through the top layer of the dermis leaving a small circular incision. The donor hairs are extracted via this punch for use in the hair transplantation. The incisions left behind are small and do not require closures. This method is ideal for scar revisions, for smaller touch-up procedures, but does not have the utility of obtaining large numbers of intact follicular units at one time. Therefore, it is a more time consuming and costly hair transplant procedure that does not always generate the best result.

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