Thick and natural-looking hair is the end goal for you and every hair transplant surgeon, especially for Dr. Armani. There are a variety of hair transplant procedures that can help you achieve a natural look and feel; each type has its strengths—and its limitations.
The two primary techniques used today are Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). The main difference lies in how the follicles are harvested. Read on to learn more about FUT & FUE and to help determine which procedure may be right for you.
FUT
One of the primary advantages of FUT over FUE is that FUT grafts are harvested from the highest-density portion of the donor zone. Because the follicular units are visible in the donor strip as they are removed, FUT grafts often have slightly higher structural integrity compared to FUE grafts, which are harvested “blindly” using small circular punches that follow hair direction beneath the skin.
FUT can also yield a higher total number of grafts in a single session—and over a lifetime—compared to FUE.
Another benefit: No need to shave the donor area.
With FUT, concerns about additional scarring in future procedures are lower because the previous linear scar is removed at each session. In contrast, with FUE, each harvested graft creates a tiny round scar, and these accumulate with every procedure.
FUE
With FUE, hair is extracted without a horizontal incision, meaning no linear scar is created. This is ideal for patients who may be at higher risk of noticeable donor scarring—such as younger, muscular, athletic patients, or individuals with a history of keloids or poor wound healing.
Relative discomfort following surgery can potentially be decreased.
Hairstyle can be worn much shorter in the back, usually without visible scarring.
Quicker medical recovery time, because there are no sutures that need to be removed—typically 12 to 14 days later—allowing the patient to return to their normal exercise routine a little bit quicker.
FUE procedures generally take longer and require more local anesthesia. This also contributes to FUE costing slightly more than FUT.
In both techniques, swelling of the forehead may occur for several days. For some patients, a combination of FUT and FUE may be ideal.
FUT vs FUE Comparison Chart
| | FUT | FUE |
| Donor Area & Scarring | Will leave a narrow linear scar on the back of the head. | Micro-circular scars that look like little dots and generally not very visible to the eye as long as the head is not completely shaved. |
| Survival Rate of Grafts | Extracted grafts are more robust and may survive better. | Extracted grafts may be thinner with a slightly lower survival rate. |
| Number of Grafts & Density | Up to 4,000 grafts harvested in one session. | Generally up to 2,500 grafts harvested in one session. |
| Healing | Slower recovery of the donor area. Swelling in transplantation area. No need to shave the donor area. Requires suture removal. | Faster recovery of the donor area. Swelling in transplantation area Requires the donor area to be shaved No suture removal. |
| Cost | | FUE is usually a bit more expensive than FUT. |
* Results may vary
If you have any questions or are thinking about a hair transplant procedure, contact Armani Medical today! There is no such thing as too many questions and we want you to come into your next consultation or procedure armed with as much knowledge as possible about hair transplantation in the Dallas/DFW metroplex.