Harley Street HT Clinics
Valued member
The difference between FUE and FUT is the harvesting and management of the donor area. FUE leaves behind hundreds to thousands of white dot scarring, small circular areas of hypopigmentation, proficiency in the technique, skin characteristics and healing playing a role in how visible they are. Whereas FUT leaves a linear scar, experienced surgeons can reduce the appearance of line with the closure technique allowing hair to grow through the line helping to camouflage it better, commonly known as a trichophytic closure.
The FUE donor is significantly wider than the FUT donor, as it uses the entire back and sides of the head to randomly remove hair follicles with a cylindrical punch instrument. FUT donor is localised traditionally to an area called the occipital, around the back and sides of the head. The area is generally the richest area of donor hair density to harvest from. Valid concerns with each technique are the level of scarring, and how much hair can safely be removed over one or multiple procedures, while maintaining an acceptable aesthetic look to the donor.
Ideally, FUE will use as much of the donor width and height as possible to minimise the drop in hair density. This also reduces the risk of over harvesting, leaving areas of significantly lower hair density compared to the surrounding hair. Spreading the extraction will also help long term donor hair management when further procedures are required. It will also potentially allow for more hair to safely be removed over time. Especially if the graft numbers are capped per procedure, reducing the risk of a lower yield due to so many open wounds and can impact the quality of the healing process.
FUT donor management is measured by the length and width of the strip being removed, with the measurement largely dictated by skin characteristics and the number of grafts wanting to be harvested, although the two do not always complement each other. The strip can extend from one side of the head to the other, the wider the strip can make it more demanding to close, therefore the doctor must have a strong understanding and experience of wound closure, suture or staple techniques, and skin characteristics to avoid stretch back of the scar line. A second FUT procedure can remove the first scar line, so still only leaving the one linear scar after two sessions.
FUT donor management can be affected by the skin laxity when determining the width of the strip, too tight or loose can cause a less than perfect closure and increase the risk of the scar stretching. While FUE skin laxity is much less of an issue, general skin and hair characteristics will impact the success of the procedure. The depth, angle and orientation the hair exits the scalp, the tightness of the curl of the hair can impact the transection rate. Transection is when the hair follicles are damaged and cannot be used, as a result, impact on the quality of the donor area.
While FUE, Follicular Unit extraction has been by far the go-to hair transplant technique for years now. Both FUE and FUT surgical procedures have benefits and disadvantages and the best treatment plan depends on the individual case. Some hair characteristics will favour one technique above the other, some may want to minimise the change to their hair to undergo the procedure, for instance an individual not wanting to shave their hair. FUE healing is faster and generally less complicated. Dr. Aziz Elgindi, lead doctor at Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics, effectively combines the techniques to treat high hair loss patterns, or complicated repair procedures to maximise the graft numbers. Good donor management is vital to the short- and long-term success of the hair restoration.
The FUE donor is significantly wider than the FUT donor, as it uses the entire back and sides of the head to randomly remove hair follicles with a cylindrical punch instrument. FUT donor is localised traditionally to an area called the occipital, around the back and sides of the head. The area is generally the richest area of donor hair density to harvest from. Valid concerns with each technique are the level of scarring, and how much hair can safely be removed over one or multiple procedures, while maintaining an acceptable aesthetic look to the donor.
Ideally, FUE will use as much of the donor width and height as possible to minimise the drop in hair density. This also reduces the risk of over harvesting, leaving areas of significantly lower hair density compared to the surrounding hair. Spreading the extraction will also help long term donor hair management when further procedures are required. It will also potentially allow for more hair to safely be removed over time. Especially if the graft numbers are capped per procedure, reducing the risk of a lower yield due to so many open wounds and can impact the quality of the healing process.
FUT donor management is measured by the length and width of the strip being removed, with the measurement largely dictated by skin characteristics and the number of grafts wanting to be harvested, although the two do not always complement each other. The strip can extend from one side of the head to the other, the wider the strip can make it more demanding to close, therefore the doctor must have a strong understanding and experience of wound closure, suture or staple techniques, and skin characteristics to avoid stretch back of the scar line. A second FUT procedure can remove the first scar line, so still only leaving the one linear scar after two sessions.
FUT donor management can be affected by the skin laxity when determining the width of the strip, too tight or loose can cause a less than perfect closure and increase the risk of the scar stretching. While FUE skin laxity is much less of an issue, general skin and hair characteristics will impact the success of the procedure. The depth, angle and orientation the hair exits the scalp, the tightness of the curl of the hair can impact the transection rate. Transection is when the hair follicles are damaged and cannot be used, as a result, impact on the quality of the donor area.
While FUE, Follicular Unit extraction has been by far the go-to hair transplant technique for years now. Both FUE and FUT surgical procedures have benefits and disadvantages and the best treatment plan depends on the individual case. Some hair characteristics will favour one technique above the other, some may want to minimise the change to their hair to undergo the procedure, for instance an individual not wanting to shave their hair. FUE healing is faster and generally less complicated. Dr. Aziz Elgindi, lead doctor at Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics, effectively combines the techniques to treat high hair loss patterns, or complicated repair procedures to maximise the graft numbers. Good donor management is vital to the short- and long-term success of the hair restoration.
