Â
Follicular
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is a hair restoration method in which hair follicles are transplanted in groups of one to four hair follicles. The follicular unit extraction (FUE) involves extraction of a single hair follicle but FUT involves extractions of few hair follicles in groups called follicular units. Follicular units also contain sebaceous glands, nerves, a small muscle, and occasional vellus hairs, which are fine in texture. In Follicular Unit Transplantation these small units enable the surgeon to plant a large number of follicles on the bald patch in a single session. In FUE each follicles is planted separately but in FUT one plantation means an addition of up to four hairs in one go. This reduces the manual work involved and it also maximizes the cosmetic impact of the procedure. FUT allows a natural look since after plantation the hair start to grow in such a way that there is no room for detection that it is a transplanted area. The previous hair transplant procedures were more tedious and often the results were not as natural looking as FUT. This is because the previous methods involved planting a larger number of follicles and this often left a very bulgy look. However, the follicular transplant such as FUE and FUT involves the plantation of only a few hairs, which look much more natural and grow soon. During the procedure, the patient’s scalp is anesthetized and the surgeon removes a strip of tissue from the donor site and once extracted, the donor strip is cut into many individual follicular units using microscopic dissection techniques. As these follicular unit grafts are prepared, the surgeon makes tiny holes in the scalp where plantation will occur. This area is also called the recipient site. The arrangement and positioning of the follicular units is aesthetically done in order to ensure a quality hair transplant. This is why the arrangement must be decided on a case-by-case basis, which means that each individual’s hair arrangement must be decided after observing his or her hair loss. The cause of hair loss and whether it will again cause hir to fall is a significant study that determines the arrangement of follicular units. It is not an easy procedure therefore the selected surgeon must be skilled and experienced. Only at the hands of a surgeon with experience will an FUT procedure show excellent results. FUT and FUE are different in a way that the hair is extracted or removed from the donor site, which is an area of good hair growth usually at the back of the head. In FUT the hair is removed in a single, thin strip and then dissected into individual follicular units using microscopes. In FUE, the follicular units are removed directly from the back and sides of the scalp using a robotic device, or sharp instruments that do not leave a mark. The extraction of follicles in FUT is done manually and therefore need dissection.