FUE vs FUT: Which provides more in terms of lifetime grafts?

Question

I'm fairly young, 25, and have a thinning crown and minor recession on my temples. Is there a consensus on which method provides more lifetime grafts? Since I'll be getting a transplant at a young age, I'd like to maximize graft count for following procedures.

Gary Linkov, MD · Answer

Hair loss has many causes, including stress, medications, autoimmune, genetic, trauma, etc. Medical treatments can work and options would include finasteride (propecia), minoxidil (rogaine), PRP (platelet rich plasma), laser light therapy, and vitamins. It is often uncertain which medical therapy will help which patient and so a combination of therapies is typically recommended to maximize benefit. A hair transplant is a surgical option and is appropriate for certain conditions and individuals. 
The goal of a hair transplant is to provide fuller coverage while preserving a natural appearance. An assessment takes into account such factors as the apparent thickness and curl of your donor hairs, the color contrast between your scalp and hair, your hair loss pattern, your age, and many other factors. The state of the art technique is FUE (follicular unit extraction), performed with a hybrid blunt punch that minimizes graft transection while allowing for the use of the smallest possible punches to minimize donor site scarring while maximizing regrowth.
In your situation, FUT does maximize the graft count but the trade off is a linear scar. 
Gary Linkov, MD
Hair Specialist
Manhattan

Arslan Musbeh, MD · Answer

I recommend the FUE always for my patient. The FUE provides more grafts than the FUT ( in terms of density). The FUT leaves a scar on the donor area. The healing will be longer with FUT. 
Both techniques provides life time grafts, since the grafts are harvested from the back side of the head ( donor area) which is genetically coded.
The harvesting phase with the FUE is performed by using a micro-punch (0.7 to 0.9 mm diameter depending on the quality of the hair) to take them directly from the back of the head. This technique thus makes possible to obtain several thousand micro grafts of 1 to 3 hairs which will then each be implanted in the Baldness area. 
The FUE advantages:
•             No suture so no scar
•             Painless
  
•             Definitive

Ilhan Serdaroglu, MD · Answer

Both technique provide lifetime grafts. What is the difference is mainly scar..There will be almost no scar or obvious marks nor at the donor area neither at transplantation site with FUE tech. But ıf you shave your hair with razor, you or others may only realize a tiny white dots on your skin when looked very closely..They are very tiny and invisible scars of punch insertions . Actually I have no complaint about those scars before… But you would have a long, 2-4 mm width pretty visible scar on back of your head in FUT technique (which I never use that follicular unit strip surgery technique any more) , because doctor has to cut your skin to harvest a strip of skin as a source of grafts and suture this skin gap to close .

Gaurang Krishna, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Both FUE and FUT (strip method) can yield good no of grafts  for implantation.  Choice between  FUT or FUE should be made on several factors ...The density and distribution of your donor area at the back of your scalp, how much hair you need to harvest for transplantation and how you like to cut your hair . Every case is unique and decision should be taken wisely after proper evaluation of Donor area and expectations.  If the grafts requirement is less then any technique can be opted after evaluating but if a person has to go for bigger surgery in a single session  then best is to go for hybrid of FUT and FUE for maximum grafts extraction.   because alone neither FUE or FUT can give maximum grafts

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

I generally tell my patients that if you have an advanced balding pattern or expect to have one, then the strip surgery is a better surgery for harvesting as FUE can produce a see-through donor area if too many grafts are harvested

FUE vs FUT: Which provides more in terms of lifetime grafts?

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