Pros and Cons of FUE Transplants

There are two main kinds of hair transplant procedures that patients can undergo from a hair transplant surgeon. The procedures are FUT, Follicular Unit Transplant, and FUE, Follicular Unit Extraction. Depending on your specific situation, your hair transplant doctor may not recommend FUE and may instead recommend an FUT procedure. But what else should you know about the differences as well as the pros and cons of both procedures?

FUE Hair

Advantages of FUE Transplants

There are many advantages worth nothing for FUE procedures. These include:

• Faster Healing Time – The donor area made by small holes created through the FUE; heal in a shorter window of time compared to an FUT transplant.
• No Linear Scar in Donor Area: The degree to which this depends on the individual. Those who have a history of keloids and/or thickened or stretched scars will find this to be a more favorable option than FUT. Individuals who wear their hair short will also find that the scar is more visible with FUT than FUE procedures.
• Less Discomfort Following Procedure: FUE procedures result in virtually no pain or discomfort afterward.
• Preferred for Patients with Greater Risk of Donor Scarring: This includes younger and muscular/athletic patients as well as those with very tight or loose scalps, or patients with a history of keloid scarring or poor healing.
• Strenuous Exercise and Active Lifestyle Allowed Immediately After: Following an FUT procedure, the doctor will generally advise the patient to completely cease or severely limit exercise due to the fact that it may increase the size of the donor scar. Because the small holes created during the FUE procedure do not widen and heal quickly, there is no risk of this occurring.
• May Be Used for Harvesting Non-Scalp Hair: Beard or body hair transplants can be done with FUE procedures.
• Finer Hair May Be Harvested: An example is from the nape of the neck, such as for use in the eyebrows or hairline.
• Can Correct Scarring From FUT Procedure: Some FUE procedures are follow-ups to FUT procedures to cover up scarring if it occurs.
• Can Be Performed if the Scalp is Too Tight for FUT Procedure: This often occurs when a patient has undergone multiple FUT procedures. This leaves them unable to perform another FUT procedure and may instead choose an FUE procedure.

Disadvantages of FUE Transplants

While the advantages inspire many individuals to choose FUE, the disadvantages may outweigh the advantages for some individuals. Your hair transplant doctor can help you decide. Some disadvantages include:

• More Expensive: FUE procedures are more expensive. This is because they take more time to perform for a hair transplant surgeon. Additionally, they require more expensive machinery if you go to clinics that use robots. However, Best Hair Transplant does NOT utilize robots. Instead, we use a specially-trained staff and surgeon.
• FUT Has a Stronger Graft Quality: There is a greater rate of follicular transection (graft damage) for FUE procedures. Sometimes the grafts are lower density and are more fragile.
• Subsequent FUE Procedures Cause Additional Scarring and minimize donor density: Regardless of how many FUT procedures you perform, you will only ever have one scar whereas FUE procedures increase scarring each time.
• Shaving is Necessary for Large Transplant Sessions: It may take some time for the donor hair to grow in and camouflage this effect.
• Maximum Follicular Unit Graft Yield can be lower than with FUT: fewer grafts may mean less of an improvement than with FUT in some situations. Subsequent FUE sessions are also more difficult due to the scarring and distortion of the donor scalp.
• Sub-Optimal Growth May Occur: This is due to the increased amount of time FUE grafts are outside of the body.
• More Than One Session is Often Needed: This is due to the fact that the extraction process is slower than strip harvesting. FUE procedures generally take place over one or two days and longer for more extensive work.
• Both FUE and FUT Procedures May Eventually Reveal Scarring: Long term, eventually scarring may begin to slightly appear. If the punches are too large, small round dots for FUE, a line strip for FUT.

The best way to decide between an FUE and an FUT procedure is to consult with your hair transplant doctor for your options. Best Hair Transplant offers free in-office & virtual consultations and is happy to speak with you today!

Choose Best Hair Transplant

Best Hair Transplant is number one in hair transplant procedures and hair restoring technology such as Laser Cap Me. We provide the best quality hair transplant and, in virtually all cases, we’re the best priced. For a free consultation regarding your options, contact us today at: 213-403-0455.