FUE vs. FUT: What Type of Hair Transplant is Best for you?

8 June, 2021 | Hair Transplant | Author : Shveta Virmani

If this is your first time considering undergoing a hair transplant surgery, the first question that pops up in mind is, “Which type of hair transplant should I opt for?” Generally, this answer will be given by your consulting cosmetic surgeon after they are done assessing your physical health and checking the laxity and potential of your donor site.

Deciding between FUE and FUT hair transplant in India can surface a lot of questions. Starting from the procedure and techniques to the expected results and the allied costs, there are many things that one needs to be mindful of.

Here, we will be discussing everything you need to know about FUE and FUT hair transplant procedures and which one is the best option for you.

Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye:

Takeaway

1. FUE Hair Transplant

FUE hair transplant is a more modern type of restorative hair procedure with better safety and reduced risks and complications.

What is FUE Hair Transplant?

FUE hair transplant involves microscopic circular incisions or micro punching into the scalp to extract individual hair follicles from the donor site instead of making a notable incision on the back of the head. Instead of extracting the hair follicles from a selected patch from the donor site, FUE involves random extraction of the hair follicles from the donor area to prevent risks of visible thinning or reduced density.

FUE is further categorized into two types:

Manual FUE transplant – the procedure involves manual extraction of the hair follicles with hand-help medical equipment by the cosmetic surgeon.

Robotic FUE transplant – the procedure is mapped out by the surgeon, and the actual harvesting done by an ARTAS robot. Since it involves technology, the surgery is done with a lot more precision and has a higher success rate.

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Although Robotic FUE hair transplant is comparably expensive, it is becoming a lot more mainstream as opposed to manual FUE transplant.

Benefits of Robotic FUE Transplant

Robotic FUE hair transplant is a subset of micro FUE hair transplant wherein the procedure imposes lesser human intervention and higher success rates. If you are still on edge about this procedure, read through the benefits to persuade yourself further.

Enhanced graft quality – With hair transplantation, the primary objective is to select the healthiest hair follicle graft and then transplant the same for satisfactory results down the line. The ARTAS robot that conducts the harvesting procedure in Robotic FUE conducts a 3D analysis of each hair follicle before extracting the healthiest one for the transplantation.

Reduced risks of pain and complications – To say that a hair transplant procedure won’t inflict any pain is a lie. However, compared to manual FUE transplant, robotic FUE inflicts a lot less pain and ensures minimal discomfort.

Satisfactory results – Natural hairline, no scarring, and heightened density. These are the top three expectations after a hair transplant surgery, and a robotic FUE transplant makes all three possible. The ARTAS FUE method gives the patient a more natural-looking appearance following the surgery.

Quicker recovery – Since FUE transplant is a minimally invasive procedure with no required incisions and stitches, the recovery period is a lot less compared to other types of hair transplants. The patients are given the green signal to get back to their routine within 2-3 days.

Reduced scarring – Both manual FUE and FUT procedures involve risks of permanent scarring on the donor site, which is not the case with robotic FUE. Since the follicles are randomly harvested instead of being localized to a specific section, the density isn’t affected in the donor site.

Who are the Ideal Candidates for Robotic FUE transplants?

You might be considered ideal for the procedure if:

You are experiencing thinning or balding around the top of the scalp
You are experiencing male-pattern baldness with receding hairline
You have a good density of hair in the back of the scalp or the donor site
You have sufficient laxity in the scalp
You have undergone previous hair transplant surgery with visible scarring

Average Cost of FUE hair transplant

The average FUE hair transplant cost per graft generally starts from INR 30-80, depending on the involved procedure and the medical equipment. The overall cost of the treatment depends on the total number of grafts transplanted along with the accessory charges levied by the clinic and hair transplant surgeon.

Usually, the cost of hair transplant in Delhi, specifically FUE can start as low as INR 30,000 and can go as high as INR 2,00,000.

| Also Read: FUE Hair Transplant: Is it the best option? |

How Successful is a FUE Hair Transplant?

If the procedure is done under the guidance of an experienced surgeon and involves the latest medical advancements, seeing the FUE hair transplant before and after will show you that it has a success rate of 95-100%. The graft survival rate ranges between 90-95%. However, the overall results depend on the experience of the surgeon and the implied precision.

2. FUT Hair Transplant

Although an older type of hair transplant procedure, FUT is still practiced across multiple states in India because of its higher success rates and viability.

What is a FUT Hair Transplant?

Follicular Hair Transplant (FUT) is another minimally invasive hair restorative surgery. The surgeon cuts a strip or thin piece of tissue from the back of the scalp or the donor site to extract individual hair follicles using stereo-microscopic dissection.

Following the harvesting of the individual hair follicles or grafts, the incision is stitched back to prevent risks of infections and promote quicker recovery.

FUT is predominantly one of the most popular hair transplants done to cover a receding hairline caused by male pattern baldness.

Advantages of FUT hair transplant

FUT hair transplant has many misconceptions and myths surrounding it, despite how proficient and effective the surgery is. If your surgeon suggests undergoing FUT depending on your hair loss type and your physical health, it is best advised that you follow their instructions, and here’s why.

Enhanced follicle survival

If you are one of those patients who have limited hair availability in the donor area, FUT is a more viable option for you. Since FUT is involved in retaining the protective tissue with the graft, the hair follicles have a higher survival rate, ensuring higher success rates.

Seamless recovery

Although FUT does involve making an incision in the back of the scalp, the FUT hair transplant recovery time is quite manageable, contrary to the myths. It does take longer to recover compared to an FUE hair transplant, but the recovery is linear without further complications. The patient can generally get back to their routine within a week or two.

Natural appearance

Despite the minimal scarring on the donor site, FUT hair transplant leaves a very natural-looking appearance following the hair regrowth. The natural results almost make it undetectable that you have undergone cosmetic surgery, which is pretty amazing.

Candidates for FUT Hair Transplant

You might consider undergoing a FUT hair transplant if:

You want a natural-looking hairline with undetectable hair density and regrowth
You have limited hair follicles in the donor area
You are above the age of 25
You are experiencing Norwood pattern hair loss
You have a limited budget to spare on the surgery

Average Cost of FUT hair Transplant

The cost of a FUT hair transplant in India generally starts from INR 30-40 per graft. If your doctor suggests that you need 1000 grafts for the transplant, the average cost for the core transplant will amount to INR 30,000 to INR 40,000.

However, the package also includes other accessory charges that can add up and extend the overall cost of the FUT hair transplant treatment between INR 80,000 to INR 1,00,000.

How Successful is a FUT Hair Transplant?

The FUT hair transplant results are pretty satisfactory, provided an experienced surgeon does them with years of expertise in this field. The success rates of this surgery skirt between 95-98%, which is further dependent on the survival rate of the extracted hair follicles.

3. Which Hair Transplant Method is the Best?

While FUE hair transplant effectiveness has a better reputation as a superior restorative surgery, only you and your cosmetic surgeon can decide which method is the best option.

Depending on your expectations and goals, the surgeon will suggest which procedure is ideal for you to achieve the desired hair density and coverage and an overall natural look. Consult and discuss the FUE and FUT hair transplant before and after to get a good idea of things before you proceed along with the transplant.

4. FUE vs. FUT – Which is More Successful?

Before we wrap up the article, it is crucial that we do a quick rundown and comparison of the two procedures and which one would be an ideal fit for your needs.

For a better comparative analysis, we have broken them down into subsets:

Scarring

FUT has a higher degree of scarring as opposed to FUE since it involves making an incision in the back of the scalp. FUE involves micro punching, which reduces the risks of permanent or visible scarring on the scalp.

Graft quality

Both FUE and FUT offer a higher follicle survival rate. In FUE, the grafts are individually extracted and transplanted, offering a higher success rate. For FUT, the extracted grafts retain the protective tissue lining that contributes to robust and higher quality grafts.

Donor source

FUT is often suggested in patients who have limited availability of hair follicles in the donor site. So, if you are working with less available donor sites, FUT is a favorable option for you. However, if you don’t want to strip down all the available hair follicles from the donor site, FUE is a good choice. The procedure picks hair follicles in a randomized manner, retaining the hair density.

Recovery

The recovery period of FUT is slightly longer as compared to FUE hair transplant. The hair transplant timeline for FUT takes between 10-12 days for initial recovery. However, a patient undergoing an FUE method hair transplant can get back to their routine life within 2-3 days.

Additionally, the complete recovery period for the FUT hair transplant takes between 4-10 months for the patient to start noticing hair regrowth from the transplanted site.

For an FUE hair transplant, the overall recovery time is between 6-9 months.

Quality and Number of Grafts

When comparing the quality and the overall number of grafts required for FUE and FUT hair transplant, both the procedures generally require around 1000-2000 grafts, depending on the availability of the healthy hair follicles in the donor site. As for the quality of the grafts, the FUE procedure extracts more and better-quality hair follicles, especially with the robotic FUE transplants.

Takeaway

Understanding the pattern of your hair loss and assessing your health during the initial consultation with your cosmetic surgeon is what makes the difference. It is crucial that you discuss your expectations, goals, and insights to get a transparent outlook. Also, if you are confused between the types of hair transplants and are unable to decide which one would be an ideal choice for you, this video from Medlinks should serve as a comprehensive guide.

At Medlinks, we strive to provide our clients with optimal satisfaction with hair transplant surgeries, involving minimal pain and discomfort.