Hair loss is a common problem that can be distressing to men and women alike. Androgenetic alopecia, a common form of hair loss in both and women, is estimated to affect 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States. So if you are experiencing hair loss, know that you are not alone. Moreover, Shapiro Medical Group has your back. Our clinic in Minneapolis offers a variety of hair restoration treatments that help our patients regain natural hairlines, as well as thicker heads of hair. These include FUE (or follicular unit excision, also known as follicular unit extraction) and FUT (or Follicular Unit Transplantation). With these, we help our patients restore their hairline and their confidence.

How FUE and FUT Work

During Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedures, each graft is harvested individually with a small micro punch. It makes a small circular incision in the skin around the upper part of the follicular unit, which is extracted from the scalp leaving a tiny hole. This process is repeated until the surgeon has enough grafts to complete the procedure. After the grafts are harvested the rest of the procedure (recipient site creation and placing) is essentially the same for both techniques.

The main advantage of FUE is that it is much less invasive than the FUT method and avoids sutures as well as linear scarring. Hair loss is minimized because there is no tension on the scalp, so patients do not experience significant discomfort, prolonged swelling, or permanent scalp numbness. There is also minimal manipulation of the hair follicles so graft survival is maximized.

On the other hand, FUT or Follicular Unit Transplantation for hair restoration has been the gold standard of hair transplantation for 25 years. It is the most reliable technique to achieve naturalness and maximum density in the recipient area.

In this procedure, hair is removed from the donor area in a single strip and divided into grafts under a high-powered microscope. These grafts are placed in tiny micro-incisions created in a pattern and distribution that mimic natural hair growth.

This strip method of harvesting makes FUT operations faster than FUE. Most of the time, the linear scar left by the strip incision is very fine and not visible, even when the hair as short as 1 cm in length. Many patients choose this technique because of its long track record of consistently producing a high number of grafts with excellent survivability. 

Wrap Up

All in all, both FUE and FUT can produce excellent results. In some patients who may require a higher number of grafts to achieve their goals, a combination of both FUT & FUE techniques are used to get more grafts than either technique can achieve alone.

Hair transplants can provide an effective and long-lasting solution to the debilitating effects of hair loss. Interested in a procedure? Schedule your consultation with us today. Shapiro Medical Group meets the needs of patients in and around Minneapolis, including Saint Paul, Lakeville, St. Cloud and the surrounding areas.