By Nubello Hair Transplant & Cosmetic Surgery Center , Dermatology

Hair transplantation is a procedure that uses surgery to move hair from one location in the body to another location. The part from which the hair follicles are taken is known as ‘donor site’ and the location where it is transplanted to is called the ‘recipient site’. Patients who undergo hair transplants often come across the terms FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) and FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant). The primary differences between the two techniques related to the longevity and how the follicles are extracted.

FUT-

The procedure for FUT involves the removal of a small strip of tissue from the rear part of the head. The donor hair follicles are extracted from this strip. A skilled clinical team harvests the hair follicles from the strip after which they are transplanted to the recipient region individually.

FUT is given more preference than FUE because the physician can use the entire scalp strip to deliver results in accordance with the expectations of the patient. FUT enables the transplantation of maximum number of grafts in a single sitting. However, this procedure, as reported by patients, causes immense amount of pain and discomfort including swelling in the operated area. Hence, it would require prescribed pain medications.

FUE-

Follicular Unit Extraction is a procedure which involves the singular extraction of each hair follicle without removal of any strip of tissue. Random removal of hair follicles takes place which causes minimum and unnoticeable changes in the donor area. This is the major difference between FUE and FUT. Fewer amounts of hair are transplanted as the follicles are removed one at a time which makes it beneficial for the removal of lesser hair when compared to the traditional FUT procedure. There are no stitches or scarring involved, thus making FUE procedures efficient in terms of healing time and also, there is no significant amount of post-procedure discomfort.