FUT or FUE - Which hair transplant is right for you?

Baldness and thinning of hair are common conditions faced by both men and women today. Once upon a time, it was an age related condition but today, hair loss is triggered by a number of factors. These include stress, pollution, an unhealthy diet and excessive colouring and other such chemical procedures. The good news is that hair transplants allow us to cover up bald spots and thicken thin hair.

Hair transplant is a surgical procedure through which hair follicles from one part of the head are transferred to other parts of the head. Hair transplant surgeries can be categorized as

1. Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS)
2. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Follicular Unit Strip Surgery involves the removal of a strip of skin with hair from the back of the head and then dividing this to create a number of small grafts. Each graft must have a few hair follicles on it. On the other hand, Follicular Unit Extraction involves plucking individual hair follicles from one part of the head that has thick hair growth and using these to create grafts. In most cases, the back of the head is the preferred location to take the grafts from. This is because the hair growth here is usually the thickest and this part of the head is naturally resistant to balding. Once the grafts are ready, a surgeon will make tiny incisions on the areas where they are to be transplanted. The grafts will then be individually placed in each of these slits. Finally, the entire area is bandaged.

Both Follicular Unit Strip Surgery and Follicular Unit Extraction have their own unique advantages...

Follicular Unit Strip Surgery:

1. It requires fewer sittings
2. Large bald areas can be targeted
3. It has a lower rate of the graft getting cut while being removed

Follicular Unit Extraction:

1. It does not involve the removal of skin
2. Thus there are stitches required
3. There is no scarring
4. Quick recovery time, a patient can return to work the next day

To perform a hair transplant surgery, the patient must be at least 25 years old. They must also not have been diagnosed with any heart conditions, hypertension or chronic diabetes. A hair transplant can also not cure hair fall. Hence, if your baldness or thinning hair is triggered by incessant hair fall or if you suffer from a psychological disorder that makes you pull out your hair, a hair transplant will not help. Lastly, you must have enough hair follicles on your head to have a hair transplant surgery. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!