Permanent hair loss doesn’t occur overnight. It happens over time, as follicles slow production of new hair growth until it stops entirely. You might say moving from that full head of hair you had as a child to balding is a journey.
So, too, is finding ways to treat hair loss. There are many products you can use that decelerate hair loss. But at some point, you may be exploring ways you can restore healthy hair where it no longer grows. That path will lead you to hair transplantation.
Hair transplants have come a long way. New surgical techniques, technology, and tools are giving people more choices than ever. The revolutionary follicular unit transplantation (FUT) procedure of the 1990s is still used today. But it’s being quickly supplanted by follicular unit extraction (FUE).
There are many reasons why FUE has emerged as the gold standard among hair transplants. Here are four you should consider on your hair restoration journey.
1. FUE Leaves No Large Scar
To fully understand the advantages of an FUE hair transplant, you need to know how the procedure is performed. Its edge is inherent in the surgery itself. That begins with not leaving a large, linear scar on the scalp.
With FUT, donor follicles are removed via a strip of tissue excised from an area on the scalp with healthy hair. Obviously, that will leave a scar. And if you want to wear your hair cropped, it will show.
With FUE, a micro-punch tool is used to extract tiny plugs of tissue throughout the donor area. While the punch will leave tiny scars on the scalp, they are scattered and virtually unnoticeable, even with short hair.
All things may be equal with FUT and FUE procedures implanting follicle-containing tissue into recipient areas. However, FUE doesn’t leave behind any significant trace of where that tissue came from.
2. Recovery Is Less Painful with FUE
The same procedural difference between FUE and FUT that leaves no scar, also makes recovery less painful. The FUT tissue strip removal requires the surgeon to stitch the skin back together. You’ll need to allow time for the incision to fully heal. In the meantime, the site will be tender and probably swollen.
The trauma with FUT is largely due to the lack of slack in scalp skin. For most people, the skin over the skull is stretched and taut. That makes it more challenging for the surgeon to suture the edges of the incision back together. You’ll feel the tightness while the wound heals, and you’ll need to avoid stretching that area.
You can expect some degree of postoperative pain and inflammation with either procedure. But because donor tissue removal is diffused during FUE, pain is not concentrated. You’ll be good as gold much more quickly.
3. There’s Less Risk of Infection with FUE
The difference in how donor follicles are harvested also affects the risk of postoperative infection. Because FUT is more invasive, that risk is increased. Lowering infection risk is just one more advantage of how FUE is performed.
Both FUE and FUT are performed with a local anesthetic to numb the scalp. That reduces the risk of complications you would face if the procedures required full anesthesia. However, the incision and sutures used with FUT come with risk of postoperative infection while FUE poses virtually none. Wound care is a concern after FUT.
Hair transplant surgeons often prescribe use of antibiotics for a few days after FUE or FUT procedures. There is some debate regarding the need or efficacy of the practice. But caring for the wound left by FUT demands much more attention until it heals.
4. FUE Isn’t Solely Reliant on Scalp Hair
Remember that FUT removes a strip of hair from an area of the scalp where hair is growing. Hair units are then separated from the strip of tissue and transplanted into recipient areas of the scalp. This method works well on men with healthy hair growth still occurring somewhere on the scalp. But what if your scalp doesn’t have growth sufficiently dense enough to harvest?
With FUE, the surgeon can occasionally remove follicular units from areas other than the scalp. This includes the beard, chest, back, thighs, and pubis. However, hairs are selected that most closely match the diameter, color, and texture of scalp hair.
Increasing the number of available harvestable grafts is not only desirable, but it’s necessary for some patients. For those with limited donor opportunities on the scalp, FUE is the procedure that can move elsewhere. And that allows some men to move forward with new hair growth.
Punch It Up a Notch
If you decide to take the hair transplantation route, be prepared to make an investment. The amount you pay depends largely on the number of grafts you need to achieve the look you want. Particularly with FUE, it also depends on the experience and skill of the surgeon and the tools used to perform it.
FUE may cost slightly more than FUT. But the advantages of FUE may outweigh the extra dollars you spend. After all, when it comes to your hair transplantation journey, you might as well go for the gold.
