Surgical Therapies
Understanding Hair Transplant Methods
There are two major ways to perform hair transplant surgery today: linear-strip excision, also known as follicular unit transplant (FUT), and follicular unit excision (FUE). FUT is technically an incorrect term but since it has become so popular for the consumer, it is still used on this website to describe this method. Dr. Lam uses both methods depending on which would be more appropriate for you, and sometimes will combine both FUE and FUT in the same patient as needed.
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Determining the Right Hair Transplant Method: FUE vs. FUT
He believes that there is a spectrum of who would be a good candidate for one versus another, which is a complex algorithm that he will share with you during a consultation. For example, men who want to wear their hair very short, have more frontal hair loss, or have excellent donor in the nape of the neck are better candidates for FUE. Almost all women and also men with extensive baldness are better candidates for FUT. Then, there are patients who are eligible for both procedures. FUE allows harvesting in areas that FUT does not, like the beard and the nape of the neck. FUT stays much farther away from the crown where the risk is that harvested grafts using FUE near the expanding crown will lead to lost grafts and visible scars. Also, FUT does not require shaving the head, which is much more appropriate for all women and also for men who wear a longer hairstyle. There are many more subtle points that distinguish the two methods, which Dr. Lam can discuss with you to see which method would be better for you. With either method, Dr. Lam leaves very good scars behind that are typically very minimal whether with a linear incision in FUT or via punches in FUE.
