FUT hair transplant harvesting by strip extraction in the donor supply is the meaning of “FUT”. 100% follicles are isolated under the microscope in order to get the thinest grafts possible and are transplanted into the recipient area. The FUT procedure gives totally natural results without having to shave or trim the hair for the operation, so you get to keep your hairstyle.
The strip harvesting is sometimes resulting in a fine thin scar, although 80% of our fut hair transplant operations end up with totally invisible scar thanks to trichophityc closure.
What is a follicular unit ?
The hair in every person’s scalp grows in tiny bundles called follicular units.
The follicular unit of the adult human scalp consists of 1-4 terminal (full thickness) hair follicles, however the most common form of follicular units are 1 and 2 hairs. In areas affected by genetic balding, the healthy terminal hairs are gradually replaced by hairs of smaller diameter and length called “miniaturized” hairs – the miniaturization process.
The follicular unit is seen on the surface of the scalp as a tiny group of hairs that appear to be growing together. They are best viewed under a microscope where they are seen as well-formed structures in the skin.
How to get a follicular unit by FUT hair transplant method ?
To get the optimal amount needed for the recipient area we always measure and count the “density” of follicular units per square cm with a microscopic camera before. This is always done when you meet a Hairmed staff. With a formula we can define the necessary length and width of the strip to provide the number of Follicular Units needed on the receiver area.
The grafts are removed by the surgical extraction of a strip from the back of the scalp. In order to remove Follicular Units from the back of the scalp without damaging them, the donor tissue is removed in one piece. This technique is called “Single Strip Harvesting“, and it is an essential component of follicular unit transplantation as it not only preserves the follicular units, but it prevents damage (transection) to the individual hair follicles. It differs dramatically from the mini-micrografting technique of using a multi-bladed knife that breaks up follicular units and causes unacceptable levels of transection of hair follicles.
Preparing the follicular units under the microscope
In the next step Follicular Units are divided under stereoscopic microscopes.
Many clinics also use simple magnification or just normal lighting to divide the grafts. We at Hairmed, garantee complete stereo-microscopic dissection in writing. Because we know the ilmportance of complete preservation and quality cutting of the grafts- and we know this can only be done using a trained staff with quality microscopes: “Good worker, with good tools, for a good work”.
It is scientifically prooven that single strip harvesting combined with stereo-microscopic dissection enables around 25% more intact hair follicles in each procedure. Then, why isn’t it widely performed in every hair clinic? The reason is that it is more time consuming, requires special skill and training, a larger staff than doctors or clinics generally have in their offices, and is finally more costly to perform.
Read our quality charter that ensures the quality of your cutting : Hairmed garentee
Closing of the donor area and resulting scar after a FUT hair transplant
With the new technological advances in donor closure, each operation performed by our doctors has a clear defined target : resulting scar should be invisible, so that even the hairdresser can’t find it.
In 80% of FUT hair transplant’s cases, the scars is simply not possible to spot. Before, the scar was a thin hairless line in the donor area and if you combed the hair in order to find it,you would find it! Even if it was 1mm thin. The trichophytic closure technique makes hair grow on the scar, and therefore there is no longer a hairless straight line across the donor area. You simply cannot find the scar !
A major advantage of follicular unit transplantation ( FUT hair transplant ), (besides preserving follicular units and maximizing growth) is the ability to use small recipient sites. Grafts comprised of individual follicular units are small because Follicular Units are themselves small, but also because the surrounding non-hair bearing tissue is removed under the microscope and doesn’t need to be transplanted. Follicular unit grafts can be inserted into tiny needle-sized sites in the recipient area, which heal in just a few days without leaving any marks.
When performed by a skilled surgical team, Follicular Unit Transplantation ( FUT hair transplant ) can provide totally natural looking hair transplants that make the full use of the patient’s donor supply to give the best possible cosmetic results in the fewest possible sessions. Read our chapter on density.
A frontal hairline entirely rebuild by fut hair transplant method. Could you tell that it was transplanted ?