Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) differs from follicular unit extraction (FUE) in the method used to harvest the grafts. In FUT, otherwise known as the strip method, a 1.5 to 2 cm strip of the scalp from the occipital area is removed and the edges of the wound sutured back. The strip thus harvested is then dissected into individual grafts under magnifiers. These grafts are then implanted using any of the implantation methods.

The major disadvantage of FUT is that it produces a linear scar on the back of the scalp and that it requires more stringent aseptic precautions and a sterile OT set up to perform the surgery. However with the advent of newer techniques in wound closure and better post-operative care, the scar can be minimised to a large extent.

Advanced cases (grade 6 & 7) of androgenic alopecia (AGA), however may demand FUT over FUE to produce the adequate results. This is due to the fact that the number of grafts that can be harvested by FUE is limited. In such cases combination of FUE with FUT gives the best results. Moreover as the grafts obtained by FUT contain more interstitial tissue, their survival rates are also considered slightly better than FUE.

Therefore, contrary to common belief that FUT is an outdated procedure, judicial use of it either alone or in combination with FUE can deliver the optimum results.