For more than a decade, hair transplant has become a significant choice by many who
are going through hair loss problems. There was a time when hair transplantation was an elite
option, but the advancement in technology and modern techniques has opened the gates of
the clinic to anyone with a hair loss problem.
For patients who are considering a hair transplant, deciding between the available methods can pose a bit of confusion. The most
common methods available for hair transplantation are follicular unit extraction (FUE) and
follicular unit transplant (FUT). Among the two methods, follicular unit extraction is
suggested by many experts and also offers efficient results. This post establishes the
difference between FUE and FUT and also explains why FUE is considered the best, so look
for best hair transplant hospital in Turkey.
Hair transplant types
The hair transplant used regularly is of two main types: follicular unit transplantation and
follicular unit extraction.
Follicular Unit extraction
In the follicular unit extraction method, the hair follicle units are harvested individually from
the scalp. As the hair follicles are collected randomly from the donor, the area of thinning on
the donor site is less noticeable.
The follicular unit extraction method replaced the classic
follicular unit transplant in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The FUE has become highly
popular compared to FUT as it doesn’t lead to the hair plug look where the skin sections
don’t match the area surrounding it. The best part is FUE won’t result in significant scars as
in FUT.
Who is the right candidate?
A person with thinning or balding of hair and with a lot of donor sites is the right person for
FUE. If the patient doesn’t have healthy and thick hair transplant, then they are not
perfect for the procedure.
The principle of FUE
Human hair growth follows three stages. A person’s age or their normal routine gets altered,
the number of hair growth cycles reduces. At some point in the life cycle, there won’t be any
follicles left to continue the hair growth cycle. When a large portion of hair follicles is in the
death phase, hair fall is high while hair growth reduces significantly.
The time at which this
happens will differ from person to person. For men, the final phase would start at the age of
20 while in women it takes a bit longer. FUE is a method employed for hair reconstruction.
The old or dead follicles are replaced by new and healthy follicles from the donor site that
will grow and restore hair.
FUE Procedure
● The surgeon shaves the hair in the region from where follicles are to be taken.
● The surgeon removes healthy hair follicles using a micro-punch tool from the skin or
scalp
● Then, the surgeons will make tiny incisions with a needle or a sharp tool in the site of
hair follicle insertion
● The follicles are then inserted into the incision
● The area of surgery will be cleaned and bandaged.
Follicular unit extraction has more success rate compared to the traditional follicular unit
transplant.
The graft survival rates of this procedure are 90 percent while the success rate may reach 100
percent with the latest robotic FUE technique.
Side effects and risks
Another fact that adds to the popularity of FUE is the side effects associated with the
procedure are very few and mostly rare. On observing any of the following signs it is better to
consult the doctor without any delay
infection symptoms
drainage or crust at the site of surgery
pain or swelling around the site of surgery
follicle swelling (folliculitis)
bleeding from the surgery site
numbness or tingling around the site of surgery
the foreign appearance of the transplanted air
persistent balding or thinning even after the transplant
What to expect after FUR hair transplant?
Recovery from FUE doesn’t take much time. The patient might experience some discomfort
for about 3 days. Here are some aftercare tips that a doctor might give:
Don’t wash the hair or shower for at least 3 days post-op.
Opt for gentle, unscented shampoos at least for a few weeks once you start showering
Take a few days off from work and speed up the healing process
Don’t comb or brush the new hair for at least 3 weeks.
Why FUE hair transplant is considered best?
Though FUT was introduced first as a solution for hair loss, the recovery of wounds took a
very long and led to dissatisfaction among the patients. FUT is not ideal for hairline fixing
surgeries or uneven hair loss conditions. Since hair follicles were in a strip from in the FUT
procedure and the patient doesn’t have a symmetrical head, the cosmetic surgeon was unable
to make a precise transplant at the recipient site.
In FUE, on the other hand, each follicle can be extracted one by one, which offered the
cosmetic surgeon to choose the best donor follicles which is versatile. A small FUE graft
contains 2-3 hair follicles. FUE harvests about 2000-4000 grafts or 5000-10000 hair follicles.
Though the procedure takes a long time, the results were amazing as the surgeon can insert
the harvested follicles in a non-continuous manner and follow the shape of the recipient site.
The best part is it doesn’t leave many scars as FUT.
Bottom line
Who wouldn’t love a scar-less hair transplantation procedure such as FUE? Almost no one,
right? That is why FUE has become the most popular procedure.
