FUE vs FUT
The quote below illustrates the way that thinking can sometimes be a slave to “fashion” and political correctness. Dr Rogers first started performing FUE in 2003, possibly only one out of probably ten doctors in the whole world, who had started FUE. Within a year, Dr Rogers had recognised that not all patients were good candidates for FUE, that FUE limited the number of grafts that could be removed by that method and that combining the two procedures would in fact liberate the most grafts of all. The point being that it isn’t FUE vs FUT but they are complementary to each other – at different stages of the hair transplant journey, it may be most appropriate to use one method, not the other but change the method later.
Unfortunately, Dr Rogers’s views were not popular on hair forums that were slanted towards the latest “miracle” technique. However, over time, people are now moving on from blinkered views, as can be seen by the newsletter below (courtesy of HairTransplantNetwork). The irony is, that due to the greater skill required for the surgeon to perform FUT (strip) hair transplant surgery, that there is now a shortage of those doctors because many of the “new” hair transplant doctors, have only ever learned the FUE method. Even then, they may have delegated the FUE to a robot (Artas) or hair technician.
Indeed, expect hair surgeons who have a demonstrable record of excellent strip scar results, scar repair and 20 years experience (such as Dr Rogers) to be in great demand with concomittent rise in prices very soon.
Which Procedure (FUT or FUE) Produces More Hair Available for Transplanting?
Many topics on our hair restoration forum reflect a competition between two of the most popular and effective methods of hair transplant surgery. This includes follicular unit hair transplantation, commonly referred to as strip surgery and follicular unit extraction or FUE. Both methods of surgical hair restoration include harvesting follicular units (hair groupings of 1 to 4 hairs as they grow naturally in the scalp) and transplanting them into tiny incisions made by a surgeon in the balding (recipient) area. The difference between them is the harvesting/extraction method.
During an FUE procedure, a surgeon will use a device/tool that includes some kind of punch in order to score the skin and dig down to the hair root. The hair follicle is then separated from scalp leaving some surrounding tissue intact and removed. Meanwhile, strip surgery includes harvesting a linear strip of tissue that contains thousands of follicular units with a single scalpel. The strip is then slivered into smaller pieces and further dissected under microscopes in order to create perfect follicular unit grafts for transplanting. Each harvesting method comes with its own list of benefits and limitations.
Physicians and patients alike debate these methods and which one is superior. However, there is a better way. Men and women with advanced balding would benefit most by utilizing both procedures. By starting with strip until no more donor hair is available and finishing with FUE, a physician can harvest and transplant more hair than either harvesting method alone. Thus, instead of debating which one is superior, why not utilize both methods in order to maximize the amount of hair available for transplanting.
At the end of the day, patients who utilize both outstanding procedures will possess a natural looking, denser head of hair, more so than either procedure / extraction method can produce alone.
To discuss both FUE and strip surgery and why they work well in conjunction with one another, visit the discussion topic “Benefits of Combining FUT and FUE“.
Read Dr Rogers thoughts on FUE vs FUT here: