FUE vs FUT Hair Transplant
Reef Hair performs a wide array of hair transplantation procedures, allowing you to select the one that best suits your hairline, goals, and budget. There are two basic types of hair transplantation: follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT).
Each of these has its advantages. We can help you decide which option is right for you based on your desired hairline, the number of follicles to be transplanted, and the thickness and location of your donor hair.
What Is the Difference Between FUE and FUT?
The main difference between FUE and FUT hair transplants is the number of hair follicles harvested and transplanted at the same time. There are also differences in ideal candidates for each procedure, as well as in cost, healing time, and length of surgery.
What Is FUE?
Follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedures involve harvesting individual follicles from a donor area on the scalp and transplanting them to a recipient area. The tiny circular incisions heal quickly, leaving virtually no visible scarring.
FUE surgeries can be done manually or with varying degrees of robotic assistance. Reef Hair offers both manual FUE, as well as device-assisted NeoGraft® and robotic-assisted ARTAS® FUE procedures. FUE procedures are performed with a local anesthetic, and transplants may be spread over more than one 2 – 4-hour session.
The NeoGraft® system uses a handheld device with pneumatic controls. Guided by your surgeon, it harvests individual hair follicles to be transplanted immediately into recipient areas of the scalp. Its “no touch” technology allows follicles to be transplanted quickly and cleanly, with no additional handling.
ARTAS® is a state-of-the-art robotic device that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to perform hair transplants with your doctor’s guidance. The ARTAS® system’s 3-D imaging software assists your surgeon in designing your new hairline to maximize donor follicles and create natural-looking results. It then analyzes and selects the best donor follicles based on their distribution, density, orientation, angle, and hair growth direction. Finally, its seven-axis robotic arm implants each graft in the ideal recipient location.
Advantages of FUE Hair Restoration
- Procedures can be performed with robotic or other technology-assisted devices
- Follicles may be harvested from areas other than the scalp (making it ideal for those with little or no donor hair on the scalp)
- Ideal for use on those with poor hair density
- Excellent option for those with a soft scalp
- Faster healing time than procedures that use strips of follicles
- Shorter post-surgical downtime
- Less discomfort than methods that have larger incisions
- Less scarring with no linear scar
What Is FUT?
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is when a small strip of hair follicles is removed from a donor area on your scalp and transplanted to an area of significant balding. FUT surgeries are performed manually with a local anesthetic. These procedures are typically done in a single session that takes between 4 – 8 hours.
Advantages of FUT Hair Restoration
- Shorter overall operation time (because follicles are transplanted in groups instead of individually)
- Allows transplantation of a large number of hair follicles at one time
- Provides maximum fullness and coverage for those with a balding crown
- High rate of follicle survival (because follicles are harvested from the back and sides of the scalp, where hairs are less likely to be subject to hormone-related hair loss)
- No additional scarring if the client elects to have subsequent procedures
- Generally less expensive.
