Types of Hair Replacement Surgery

STRIP

FUT – STRIP Procedure

Follicular Unit transplantation

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) also known as ‘strip’ is a procedure where hair is transplanted from the permanent zone, the area in the back and sides of the scalp where hair is more resistant to balding, to the bald or balding areas of the scalp. This is accomplished using naturally-occurring groups of 1, 2, 3, or 4 hairs, called follicular units. After the patient’s scalp is anesthetized, the doctor removes a strip of tissue from the donor area, an area within the permanent zone, and, once extracted, the donor strip is cut into many individual follicular units using microscopic dissection techniques. As these follicular unit grafts are being prepared, the doctor makes tiny holes in the scalp, called recipient sites, where the grafts are placed.

The final aesthetic result will be determined by the strategic placement of these grafts, this is a highly skilled task that can only be achieved from experienced transplant surgeons who not only have the skill to complete the process but who also have the aesthetic artistry to get a truly pleasing natural result. This is really where selecting a transplant surgeon comes down to the small details as it is the actual final result that is what you are looking for that counts.

Dissection of follicular units

Once the donor area strip has been harvested the strip is then taken to a specilaized team of staff who begin dissecting the strip into their individual units of 1,23, and 4 hair units. These are done under very high powered microscopes within the facility

Trichophytic closure

“Trichophytic” donor closure technique (“tricho”) provides improved camouflage of a linear donor scar in Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). Normally, in FUT, the surrounding hair easily covers the scar. For some patients with very short hairstyles, the resulting donor scar may be visible. With the trichophytic closure technique one of the wound edges is effectively trimmed to create a slight bevelled edge this allows the edges to overlap each other and the hair to grow directly through the donor scar. This can significantly improve the appearance of the donor area in patients who wear their hair very short.

FUE

Follicular Unit Extraction

A scar free technique for hair transplantation. The newest and most advanced method is called Follicular Unit Extraction or “FUE”.

FUE differs from strip in that there is no need to remove a strip of skin or use sutures. This procedure is performed by painlessly removing the hair roots directly from the back of the head and subsequently placing them into the thin and bald areas at the front and top of the head. To remove these hair roots, Dr. Feller invented and patented the Feller Punch, which is the only tool specifically designed for FUE in existence. This tool makes tiny incisions of 1mm or less to free the hair roots. After removal, the tiny holes that are left heal within a few hours and then virtually disappear. There is no visible scarring and suturing is unnecessary.

See further information here on FUT vs FUE : FUE vs FUT