Comparison of FUT and FUE: Two Common Hair Transplant Methods

Hair loss usually sounds like a nightmare to many people, especially young individuals. In many cultures, going bald is a major concern for people and is not usually very well taken. People suffering from hair loss resort to many remedies to promote their hair growth and look younger and more attractive.

While this concern is quite understandable, yet, going bald is not the end of the world. And luckily, there are still ways to make hair grow and fill the bald spots. 

Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure leading to natural hair growth in the bald area that can considerably address your concerns. However, you need to know different hair transplantation methods to be able to decide which method best suits you or if this is something you want. 

Like any other technology, hair transplantation has developed and evolved a lot to become more and more effective since its first invention in the 1950s.

In the 1990s, FUT, or follicular unit transplantation was introduced and brought a whole new level of hope to people suffering from baldness by planting one’s natural hair capable of regrowth and reviving the younger version of themselves. However, technological advances didn’t stop there and led to the invention of a new method called FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction).

Today, hair transplantation is usually offered in one of these two methods. While quite effective, each has its advantages and disadvantages and may be perfect for a group of candidates but not others. To get a better idea of these hair transplant procedures and decide which one is best for you, we’re going to review and compare them.

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)

As already said, FUT is the traditional method of hair transplantation and is still very common. It is helping many individuals with their hair loss concerns all around the world.

Also known as FUSS (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery), FUT involves transplanting the patient’s own hair to the bald spot which leads to natural hair growth in the affected area. The first step includes removing a linear strip of healthy and hair-bearing scalp from the back of the head that is not affected by the baldness and is called the donor area. The tissue strip is then processed to be separated into tiny pieces of tissue containing hair follicles which are called hair grafts and are ready to be planted in the recipient area. The hair grafts are then transplanted into the small holes made in the bald spot of the head which is called the recipient area. 

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

FUE is a more modern and advanced hair transplantation technique that came later but proved to be very popular and effective. Although much more time-consuming than FUT, FUE is almost as common as the traditional method.

FUE includes individual extraction and transplanting of the hair follicles which is why it is a longer procedure compared to FUT. Generally, FUE is performed in two steps; one concerns the extraction of the hair strands from a shaved part of the donor area through small circular incisions and another includes planting the extracted hairs into the holes made in the bald spot.

What is FIT?

The follicular isolation technique or FIT is very similar to  FUE in procedure considering they both involve one-by-one extraction of the hair strands. The only difference lies in the surgical instrument used for hair follicle extraction. Except for this small difference, they’re almost identical procedures and you can safely consider them the same. 

FUT vs. FUE

Both hair transplant techniques are widely used today and are in fierce competition. It is not an easy job to simply say which one is better. What determines one’s superiority over another method is mainly the candidate’s needs, conditions, and preferences. 

When it comes to surgical procedures, one of the important things that concern people is the scarring; how large and noticeable the scars will be. If scarring matters so much to you, FUT is probably not for you since it leaves a linear scar on the back of the head where the strip was cut out. You probably won’t like the scar appearance if you cut your hair short after the procedure. But in case you’re not so much concerned about the scars or are used to wearing rather long hair which covers your scar you can enjoy the benefits of an FUT procedure as it is a highly effective method considering the higher quality of the extracted hairs in this technique.

FUE surpasses FUT in terms of scarring as it almost leaves no scars. The procedure includes tiny dot-like incisions which will be very difficult to notice unless the head is fully shaved. Moreover, FUE comes with a much shorter recovery time and less pain according to the patients undergoing the procedure.

Still, to have a better comparison and decide which better matches your needs and goals, let’s thoroughly review the pros and cons of each method.

Also Read: How to Treat Hair Loss in Women

Pros and Cons of FUT

Like any treatment, FUT comes with some advantages and some limitations which can make it perfect for one patient but not for another.

Benefits of FUT

• You don’t need to shave down the donor part of your head to grade zero
• FUT is a better option for transplanting larger areas of hair
• Considering the strip of scalp is removed in one time, the procedure is significantly less time-consuming compared to FUE

Downsides of FUT

• While the modern techniques of sewing up the incisions have come a long way to minimize scar visibility, compared to FUE, FUT leaves a more visible scar in the place where the stip of the scalp has been removed.
• FUT has a longer recovery period which usually lasts 10 to 14 days.
• The post-procedure pain is reported to be more in patients undergoing FUT

Pros and Cons of FUE

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of FUE compared to the traditional hair transplant method.

Benefits of FUE

• FUE is almost a scarless procedure leaving no visible traces of the procedure after you’re healed
• You can choose to wear your hair short without having to worry about how the procedure’s traces look
• FUE has a short recovery which could be about 5-7 days
• FUE is reported to come with less post-procedure pain

Downsides of FUE

• FUE takes a much longer time as hair strands are isolated one by one
• It is more costly
• It may not be perfect for treating large areas of baldness

Also Read: Hair Transplant Recovery Guide

Who Is the Best Candidate for FUE?

You may be still wondering which method is best for you. While the hair transplantation industry somehow seems to be shifting toward FUE in recent years, In many cases it is difficult even for surgeons and specialists to choose one method over another. However, let’s look at the pros and cons from another angle. In other words, let’s see who can benefit the most from each method or who is the best candidate for each method. The following list makes up the best target audience for FUE.

Young People

While many middle-aged adults and elderlies may have made up their minds about what kind of hairstyle they would love to wear, this is not always the case for younger individuals. Instead, young people are much more into varieties and trying out different hairstyles. Accordingly, FUE which comes with unnoticeable scars gives them more freedom and confidence in choosing different sizes and styles of hair. This is why FUE is usually the more popular procedure among the youth. 

People with Limited Baldness

As smaller bald areas mean needing fewer hair grafts which can be perfectly addressed by FUE. Hair grafts are individually extracted in the FUE method and the number does not usually exceed 2000. 

People Who Prefer Short Hair

People who usually prefer wearing their hair short often find FUE a much better option considering the fact that its scarring is way more limited than FUT. So they can freely choose to maintain their short hairstyle. After all, aesthetic concerns also matter to people besides the effectiveness of the hair transplant result.

Those undergoing hair transplantation more than one time

People who have already undergone a cycle of FUT hair transplantation and are suffering from a visible linear scar on the back of their heads had better go for an FUE for their second round so that they won’t be left with even more scars.

Also Read: Hairline Lowering with Hair Transplant vs Scalp Advancement: Everything You Need to Know

Who Is the Best Candidate for FUT

Just like FUE, FUT could be a more beneficial option for certain people. After all, FUT has great potential for treating large baldness. Here are the best candidates for FUT.

People Who Prefer Long Hair

If your favorite hairstyle is a long one, you won’t have a problem with the FUT method as the scars could be simply hidden under the hair and nobody will notice them.

People Suffering from Large Baldness

Of course, FUT is a much more effective method for treating large patches of baldness since 4000 to 5000 hair grafts can be harvested and transplanted in a single session.

On the other hand, FUE comes with a limitation in the number of hair grafts since extracting grafts in this method takes a lot of time. Therefore, FUT can better help people who’ve lost a lot of hair and have large bald spots on their heads.

Also Read: Types of Hair: Identify your Hair Type and Learn How to Take Proper Care of it!

Last Word

FUT and FUE are two common hair transplant procedures with high popularity. While choosing a hair transplant method can be mainly based on patients’ preferences, not everyone has the freedom to choose between both options. After all, weighing out the pros and cons and discussing your conditions, needs, and expectations with your surgeon can help you prepare yourself for the best method.

We can take another quick look at each method to summarize the whole comparison. For this purpose, we can consider FUE as the preferred method for those who are more concerned with the aesthetic aspects of the procedure provided that their bald spot is not too large for this method. FUT, on the other hand, is considered the best option for those suffering from large baldness and the resulting quality is way more important than a scarring appearance to them.