FUT Hair Transplant
Ultra-refined follicular unit hair transplants (FUTs) remove hair in a strip from the back of the scalp and relocate these follicles into other areas of the scalp. Also referred to as the strip-harvest method, the FUT procedure produces natural-looking results with transplanted hairs that are closer together.
During an FUT hair transplant surgery, hair is removed from the back of the scalp in a single strip. Microscopic dissection then allows the individual follicular units – usually in groups of one to four hairs and including sebaceous glands, nerves, a small muscle, and occasional fine vellus hairs – to be removed intact from this strip without being damaged. Each follicular unit is transplanted as a whole, ensuring optimal hair growth.
The FUT harvesting method allows follicular units to be separated with precision under a microscope, reducing the likelihood of graft transection – the inadvertent cutting in two during excision – and increases the rate of graft survival when transplanted.
Advances in Hair Transplant Surgery
Early hair transplant surgeries of the mid- to late-20th century involved transplanting 4mm grafts, or “hair plugs.” The introduction of the more aesthetically pleasing FUT procedure has enabled surgeons to distribute donor hair across larger areas of the scalp, virtually eliminating the “doll hair” look of hair plugs.
Today’s strip-harvest technology involves using “skinny” grafts and making smaller incisions with ultra-refined tools that allow a hair transplant surgeon to place follicular unit grafts even closer together, thus minimizing the number of hair transplant procedures a patient may require.
Because the FUT strip-harvest method produces a linear scar across the back of the scalp, Dr. Robert Niedbalski at Northwest Hair Restoration has improved upon the procedure by adding ACell & PRP therapy to the margins of the donor area during surgery, enhancing healing and reducing scarring. The result is a nearly undetectable scar, similar to a crease in the palm of your hand.
Contact Northwest Hair Restoration today and find out which type of hair transplant procedure is right for you. Call us at (253) 572-2949 or use our convenient online form to request a consultation.