What to Know Before Considering a Hair Transplant

There are various approaches to treating hair loss, such as hair transplantation, oral medication, injections intended to stimulate hair follicles, and medicated shampoos. Some people also use natural hair care methods, such as massaging the hair and scalp with coconut oil or olive oil.
Hair transplantation is one option for achieving a noticeable improvement in suitable candidates.    The two main techniques are FUE and FUT. How do these methods differ?  Let’s take a closer look.

FUE Hair Transplantation

FUE, or Follicular Unit Excision, involves using a small punch instrument to extract individual follicular units from the back of the scalp. Suitable grafts are then selected and transplanted into the desired area. This technique leaves small individual scars rather than a linear scar. The small wounds generally heal relatively quickly, and recovery is usually shorter.

FUT Hair Transplantation

FUT, or Follicular Unit Transplantation, involves selecting a donor area with healthy hair follicles and surgically removing a strip of scalp. The strip is then carefully dissected into individual follicular unit grafts for transplantation into the desired area. This method allows grafts to be prepared under direct visualization, which can help preserve the follicles during dissection. However, it leaves a linear scar that can usually be concealed by wearing the surrounding hair longer.

Steps of FUE Hair Transplantation

1. Punch Excision : Individual hair grafts are extracted one at a time using a small punch instrument.
2. Graft Preparation : Healthy grafts are selected and sorted into 3 categories according to the number of hairs in each follicular unit.
3. Graft Storage : The grafts are kept in a suitable preservation solution to maintain their condition before implantation.
4. Graft Implantation : The grafts are implanted into areas of baldness or other desired areas.

Steps of FUT Hair Transplantation

1. Strip Harvesting & Slivering : A strip of scalp containing hair follicles is removed and divided into smaller sections for graft preparation.
2. Graft Preparation : Healthy grafts are selected and sorted into 3 categories according to the number of hairs in each follicular unit.
3. Graft Storage : The grafts are kept in a suitable preservation solution to maintain their condition before implantation.
4. Graft Implantation : The grafts are implanted into areas of baldness or other desired areas.