Follicular unit transplant (FUT) and Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) are both procedures at a skilled surgeon’s disposal for hair restoration surgery. The preference about when to call upon which method is based upon the mutual discretion of the patient and physician.
The variation in the techniques used to harvest donor grafts between the two methods can make one or the other ideal for certain individual cases, depending on the patient’s restoration needs and expectations. Because many patients can benefit from both FUT and FUE, it is in their best interests to have the option for either procedure available to them.
FUT vs. FUE
FUT and FUE are both used to treat hair loss and thinning hair in patients suffering from male pattern baldness, female pattern hair loss, or alopecia. The main difference is that FUT takes a strip of transplanted hair and transfers it to the affected area(s). FUE harvests individual hair follicles using a punch technique. In both types of hair transplant surgery, the transplanted hairs will encourage new hair growth to restore a full head of healthy hair.
Both FUT And FUE May be Necessary
There are restoration cases in which both procedures are useful in the exact same patient. For example, FUT may first be used to maximize a donor yield of donor hair to its limitations, but after several strip sessions, the scalp may become too tight to continue to extract donor hair grafts via FUT, or the donor scar may become wider than desired.
In the event of any of the aforementioned cases, the physician can switch to FUE to obtain additional grafts. Additionally, FUE may be used to camouflage the scar of the previous FUT procedures.
Surgeons Who Practice Both FUE And FUT Are Usually More Experienced in Hair Restoration
It is easier for a practice to adopt and train a clinical staff by only performing a single hair transplant technique. FUE procedures require a smaller staff than FUT, particularly if a practice relies upon a robot for graft extraction. Because of the ability to implement staffing cuts, robotic graft extraction serves as a cost-saving measure that has attracted many doctors new to the field who have chosen to focus exclusively on FUE.
It takes greater patience and dedication to the craft of hair restoration to methodically hire and train a staff that can competently perform FUT. It remains in the patient’s best interests to be under the medical supervision of a physician whose practice has the skill, tools, and experience to perform both FUE and FUT. Dr. Gabel does not rely on robotic follicular unit transplantation and he is a leading expert in both types of surgical hair restoration techniques.
The Importance of a Physician’s Judgment
Additionally, a physician whose team is performing FUE with prior FUT experience will be more apt for stereo-microscopic graft dissection and examination. FUT makes that particular skill set nearly second nature to clinic technicians, who may be called upon to trim and even occasionally subdivide individual hair follicles for use in aesthetically delicate areas such as the hairline, eyebrows, and temples.
If a physician is unable to offer both FUE and FUT, then they may not be able to provide the procedure that is actually in a given patient’s best interests for every case, and in some instances may be actively offering one that isn’t in a particular patient’s best interests.
An ethical approach to hair restoration demands that a physician provide the techniques that will best suit every patient on a case-by-case basis, and not force a patient to compromise to accommodate the limitations of a physician’s practice.
Contact the Gabel Center
To learn more about hair loss, the latest medications, and the latest techniques in hair transplantation and hair replacement surgery, contact Dr. Gabel’s Hair Transplant Oregon office. Our team at the Gabel Center looks forward to your visit and discussing these matters with you in greater detail.
