FUE vs. FUT: Understanding the Differences

When you were young, you may have had a full head of thick hair. But with age, you started to lose hair. Whether you have thinning hair or are completely bald, you have treatment options, including hair transplant.

Hair follicles form in the upper layer of your skin (the dermis) and contain hair roots and sebaceous glands, and each one grows a single hair. You have 5 million of these follicles on your body, about 100,00 of them on your scalp. 

Aside from hair growth, follicles also assist in retaining healthy skin and regulating body temperature through sweat.

Losing some hair happens all the time, but various forms of alopecia, or hair loss, can lead to substantial thinning or baldness. Hair transplants restore hair in bald areas of your head. Two types of transplants are follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT). 

Let’s examine the differences between the two processes and find out how Drs. Michael and Alister Meshkin, along with our Meshkin Medical team, can help you discover the choice that works for you.

What is a hair transplant?

To manage hair loss problems, we remove hair from one part of your body, typically the side or back of the head, where more active follicles are present, and transplant it to where it's needed. 

If you’re dealing with thinning hair, male pattern baldness, or lost hair from a scalp injury or burn, a transplant is a viable option. 

But we might recommend other options if you have keloid scars (thick, fibrous scars) post-injury or surgery, hair loss due to chemotherapy or other medication, or lack the donor hair necessary for this procedure.

Hair transplants: FUE vs. FUT

At Meshkin Medical, we offer a skin graft (FUT) or micrografts (FUE). Here’s how each process works:

FUT procedure

We start the skin graft procedure by cutting a several-inches-long strip of skin from the back of your head, then close the incision. Next, we take the strip, separate it into smaller sections and implant them into the bald areas of your head.

FUE procedure

The micrograft method involves removing individual hairs from areas of your head that are abundant with hair. Then we make tiny holes, where we transplant the hair. 

Some more differences

The FUT method has been around for much longer and produces a hair plug appearance as well as a linear scar. The FUE method gives your new hair a more even and natural appearance with no scarring.

With FUT, you should limit exercise for at least the first two weeks during recovery. But with FUE, you can return to your regular activity and work the day after your procedure.

Both methods can help you achieve a fuller head of hair, but to determine which method works best for you, contact us at Meshkin Medical today. We serve the Los Angeles area from our Glendale clinic, and Orange County, California, from our Newport Beach clinic.