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WHICH IS BETTER
WHICH IS BETTER
FUE OR FUT ?
FUE OR FUT ?
Although FUE and FUT are the 2 standard procedures in hair restoration currently, they both have different positive and negative consequences.
People, who are contemplating hair transplant as a remedy to their hair loss problems, often wonder which procedure is better than the other in terms of success rate, side effects, scar appearance, scalp comfort, and so on.
What is FUE hair transplant ?
What is FUE hair transplant ?
FUE, Follicular Unit Excision, is a graft harvesting method done with a special medical tool to extract individual hair follicles one by one from the donor area to be transplanted in another area such as scalp, eyebrow, mustache, or beard.
The extraction process creates tiny circular wounds, approximately 1 mm in diameter, at each donor site. These micro-wounds naturally form scabs, which usually fall off within 7 to 10 days as part of the body’s healing process.
There are no sutures to be removed. Once fully healed, the donor area will display small white dot scars—subtle and dispersed. Each scar is about 1 mm in size and circular in shape.
It’s important to note that the number of scars will equal or slightly exceed the number of grafts transplanted. For instance, if 2,000 grafts are needed, there will likely be at least 2,000 small extraction points. This is because some grafts may be unintentionally damaged during extraction, prompting the surgeon to retrieve additional follicles to achieve the desired result.
What is FUT hair transplant ?
What is FUT hair transplant ?
FUT, Follicular Unit Transplantation or strip surgery, is another surgical technique of harvesting hair grafts by cutting out a strip of hair on the donor area where the incision will be closed by stitches.
Each individual hair graft harvested is microscopically dissected into single hair follicles before being transplanted onto the recipient area.
The FUT method leaves a linear scar in the donor area. The appearance and size of the scar can vary depending on the surgeon's technique, but it is typically concealed by keeping the surrounding hair at least 2–3 cm long.
If you prefer a very short haircut or shaved style, FUE may be a better option, as it results in less visible scarring.
What are the similarities of
What are the similarities of
FUE and FUT ?
FUE and FUT ?
Currently both FUE and FUT are standard hair transplant procedures.
Both FUE and FUT are minor surgeries performed under local anesthesia; which means patients remain awake and typically experience little to no pain during the operation.
Both procedures create scars on the donor areas. FUE leaves multiple tiny circular scars that resemble small white dots scattered across the donor area. While FUT creates a single linear scar where the strip of scalp was removed and then sutured.
Both FUE and FUT are using the same grafting technique for transplanting the harvested hairs onto the bald area. Regardless of how the grafts are harvested.
What are the differences of
What are the differences of
FUE and FUT ?
FUE and FUT ?
To compare the FUE and FUT scars, these images of one of our patients who had both FUE and FUT procedures done simultaneously are used here for illustration purposes.
The main difference between FUT and FUE is the harvesting method. With FUE, individual hair follicles are singly removed with a special medical tool whereas in FUT, a strip of hair follicles is excised from the donor area.
FUT vs FUE
FUT vs FUE
Which Has a Higher Success Rate?
Which Has a Higher Success Rate?
One common question is: What’s the success rate of FUT vs FUE? Knowing the differences in graft survival, long-term results, and patient suitability helps you choose the right method.
FUT Hair Transplant Success Rate
FUT Hair Transplant Success Rate
FUT enables high graft yield in one session with minimal follicle damage, especially in expert hands.
✅ Hair transplant success rate (FUT): 90–95%
✅ Graft survival rate (FUT): 95–98%
✅ Ideal for: Patients needing maximum density, especially for advanced hair loss (Norwood 4–7)
✅ FUT is often recommended when a patient requires a large number of grafts for full coverage, particularly in one session, with excellent long-term results.
FUE Hair Transplant Success Rate
FUE Hair Transplant Success Rate
Because FUE uses blind extraction, graft survival may be slightly lower if not done precisely.
✅ Hair transplant success rate (FUE): 85–90%
✅ Graft survival rate (FUE): 85–95%
✅ Best for: Patients seeking minimal scarring, shorter hairstyles, and a quicker return to normal activities
✅ FUE is favored for its minimally invasive nature, but it may require multiple sessions to achieve the same density as FUT in large areas.
FUT vs FUE: Which Hair Transplant Is More Successful?
FUT vs FUE: Which Hair Transplant Is More Successful?
When comparing FUT vs FUE success rate, FUT generally has a slightly higher graft survival rate, especially in cases requiring dense packing or a high number of grafts. However, both methods are highly effective when performed by an experienced hair transplant surgeon.
Success also depends on:
Surgeon skill and technique
Donor hair quality
Post-operative care and patient compliance
Natural result
Natural result
With over 23 years of our experience in hair transplant surgery, We have consistently seen that FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) tends to produce more natural-looking results than FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)—especially when it comes to restoring the hairline and frontal scalp.
Here’s why that matters:
Human scalp hair grows in small natural groupings called follicular units (FUs)—each containing 1, 2, 3, or even 4 hairs. Everyone has a unique distribution of these graft types. Some people naturally have more single-hair grafts, while others have more 2- to 4-hair grafts (please look at the photos)
In the FUT procedure, we remove a thin strip of scalp tissue from the donor area and carefully dissect it under a microscope. This allows us to preserve and use all types of follicular units, maintaining the patient’s original proportions. The result? A hairline and density that closely mimic your natural pattern.
With FUE, however, many surgeons tend to selectively extract mostly 2-, 3-, or 4-hair grafts to make the outcome look thicker using fewer grafts. While this may increase density in the short term, it can disrupt the natural balance of hair types—especially in delicate areas like the hairline—making the results look less natural.
Risks and Side effects
Risks and Side effects
These are the 3 major cosmetic impacts to the subsequent hair transplantation(s) to be considered.
4.1 Scar Appearance
4.1 Scar Appearance
FUE procedure creates numerous tiny, circular (1 mm ), white dots dispersed on the donor area. With short hairstyles, they may be less visible.
Since the FUE procedure can be done in a smaller session than the FUT procedure, patients may need subsequent sessions. But the more grafts they need, the more of these white dots will appear on their scalps, the more visible they become.
To give you a clear picture, if one needs 2,000 grafts on the first session, that means one will have 2,000 of these white dots on the scalp. Then an additional 2,000 grafts are done on the second session, that means one will have another 2,000 white dots added to the existing scars from the previous session, for a total of 4,000 dot scars. Meanwhile the donor area will become thinner as a result. Over time, continued thinning in the donor area with the subsequent session may cause the FUE scars to become visible.
Compared to the dot scars, the FUT produces a linear scar that might be easier to notice on patients who wear very short hairstyles.
On the other hand, FUT method involves excising a strip of hair from the area where the existing scar was left from last procedure so it does not create an additional linear scar while there are plenty of surrounding hair can be reserved as future supplies if needed. Most FUT patients will always have only one scar no matter how many times they have the procedures done.
4.2 Donor Depletion
4.2 Donor Depletion
FUE can cause a rapid donor depletion on the donor site; on the contrary, FUT hardly creates this problem.
Due to the distribution of the FUE dot scars, the more grafts removed, the less density on the donor area becomes, the sooner the donor depletion sets in.
While the strip harvesting of FUT is confined in a small area of scalp and FUT won’t create any scars to the surrounding hair like FUE, the donor depletion issue does not usually happen under normal circumstances.
When donor depletion is the culprit for the subsequent session, the surgery outcome may not be as satisfactory as the previous one. The surgeon doing the subsequent session could be blamed for the poor result in this situation if the patient does not understand the underlying problem.
The surgeon should clearly explain this issue to the patient prior to the surgery and have them decide whether they want to move forward.
Transplanting beard hair to head
Hair from other parts of the body may be used as an alternative option to donor hair from the scalp but it can be very costly.
Moreover, it does not usually give the natural looking as hair on the scalp does due to the differences in characteristic and quality such as the texture, the flexibility, the curliness, and etc.
4.3 Permanent Result
4.3 Permanent Result
SAFE DONOR AREA or SDA as shown here is an area in the occipital and adjoining temporal zones in which hairs are permanent by nature. These are the only donor hairs on the scalp that can be harvested for hair transplantation in order to achieve the optimum outcome. Any hair outside the SDA is not permanent.
Unfortunately not all hair done with FUE procedure will grow permanently. Some of which are more likely to fall out eventually and will not regrow whereas hair done with FUT procedure literally stays at bay for life regardless of the patient's heredity or severity of baldness. It may shed from time to time like the rest of the hair; however, it will grow back and stay with you for good.
With FUE procedure, the surgeon can randomly extract only 30-35% of hair in the SDA for the procedure, the remainder is left to cover the scars; otherwise, they will be visible. That said, the surgeon have to extract the rest of the needed hair grafts from outside the SDA which is not permanent and will fall out eventually without growing back. This is one of the reasons that make FUE’s long-term success rate not as promising as FUT’s.
Video of the inaugural lecture of the 25th World Congress Prague 2017of ISHRS. Dr. Tykocinski explains the main differences between FUT and FUE techniques
FUE and FUT
FUE and FUT
Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons
FUT (Strip Method)
FUT (Strip Method)
✅ Pros
✅ Pros
Higher graft yield per session: Ideal for patients needing large number of grafts (2,500–4,000+ in one session).
No need to shave the donor area completely: Can keep surrounding hair longer to conceal the linear scar.
More efficient for high-density harvesting: Less transection of follicles when performed by experienced surgeons.
Better for multiple sessions: Leaves more intact donor area for future procedures.
❌ Cons
Linear scar: A thin line scar at the back of the scalp (although trichophytic closure can make it less visible).
Longer healing time: Sutures/staples may stay in place for 10–14 days.
Slightly more post-op discomfort: Due to the removal of a strip of scalp.
Not ideal for those who wear short hairstyles: The linear scar may be visible.
FUE (Punch Extraction Method)
FUE (Punch Extraction Method)
✅ Pros
No linear scar: Only small circular dot scars that are less noticeable, even with short haircuts.
Faster recovery time: No sutures; healing generally quicker and more comfortable.
Less invasive feel: More suitable for those concerned about scarring or long downtime.
Ideal for small sessions or touch-ups: Good for eyebrow, beard, or small area corrections.
❌ Cons
Lower graft yield per session: Especially for large-scale restoration (>2,500 grafts).
Requires full donor area shaving: Usually the back and sides of the head.
Risk of overharvesting: Can lead to visible thinning in the donor area if poorly done.
Technically demanding: Higher transection rate if done by inexperienced operators.
Recommendation
Recommendation
GO FOR FUE IF :
You plan, or have a profession— such as in military service or law enforcement— that requires you to wear short hairstyles.
You are not on a budget.
You have zero tolerance for pain.
You are o.k. with future hair depletion should you need a subsequent session. And you are also o.k. with the idea of using hairs from other parts of your body as an alternative donor hair to be transplanted on your scalp.
You are o.k. with losing some of your transplanted hairs, that are not permanent, for good.
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GO FOR FUT IF :
You do not always wear short hairstyles.
You are on a budget.
You can tolerate some pain.
You do want the hair transplant to stay with you for a lifetime.
You need a large mega session, 2,500-3,500 grafts, done all at once.
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Suggested readings
Suggested readings
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