FUT Hair Transplant in Pompano Beach FL

What is FUT Hair Transplant?

It is one of two graft harvesting options for hair transplant surgery. FUT is a more efficient method to move large amounts of hair in one procedure. It also minimizes damage to the region, keeps the donor density the same, and allows for the possible need for future hair transplant procedures. It is the gold standard because it enables the surgeon to select the healthiest hairs. There is markedly less trauma to the follicle than FUE because all harvesting steps use high-power magnification.

For this method, a narrow strip is taken from the donor area, and all the hair to be transplanted is harvested at once. The strip is then reduced into sequentially smaller sizes down to the individual hair follicles to be transplanted under magnification using stereomicroscopes.

With the strip method, the hair is taken from only within the safe donor region, which is the area that is anticipated not to have progression of hair loss. It is also the mid portion of the safe donor zone that often contains the best quality hair for transplantation. FUE does not allow for complete access to this area, while the strip procedure does.

How is a FUT performed?

After the physician selects and marks the prime donor region, the area is shaved and prepped, local anesthesia is applied, and the physician excises the hair-bearing skin using a scalpel. After the narrow strip of hair-bearing skin is removed, the donor region is closed using sutures or surgical staples and hidden by the surrounding hair. This incision will heal and leave a fine scar that ranges from a razor-thin line up to 2 mm, depending on the individual physiologic healing process. Some hair transplant candidates are reluctant to undergo the strip procedure to avoid the telltale linear donor scar. However, this scar is thin and easily camouflaged by the surrounding hair. Additionally, transplanting a few FUE grafts in a final procedure or getting scalp micropigmentation can further minimize the scar’s appearance.

Graft quality with FUT

After the physician excises the strip, it is handed to technicians, who divide it into individual follicular units. High-quality grafts are possible because the technician uses high-powered magnifiers to dissect the strip to the individual follicular units. This method minimizes trauma to the follicles and allows for the right amount of support tissue, allowing them to survive and grow well. This more sophisticated method of graft harvesting allows our clinic to perform mega sessions with optimal growth and minimal damage to the follicles and the donor region. Compared to FUE, FUT is much gentler on the follicles, which is why this procedure has a graft survival rate of 95% or better. Even in the best hands, FUE causes much more trauma to the follicle during the extraction process and has a much lower growth rate than FUT.

How does FUT impact future procedures?

It is common for hair transplant patients to require repeat procedures in the future because hair loss is a progressive condition with varying degrees of severity. This fact is a crucial consideration because of the limited donor supply of hair follicles. The FUT procedure helps to preserve the donor area and the surrounding donor density because the region of follicular harvesting is well localized and limited to the narrow strip scar. This localized scarring allows surgical hair restoration candidates to successfully undergo repeat FUT procedures that will yield a larger number of higher-quality grafts compared to FUE.

Conclusion

Because every patient is not a candidate for each graft harvesting method, the ideal plan or combination of techniques will be best determined in consultation with your hair restoration specialist. To determine the best strategy, he will have to assess several factors, including your long-term hair restoration goals, current age, donor density, amount of hair that needs to be transplanted, hair and skin type, and how you plan to wear your hair.