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FUT is a general term which means Follicular Unit Transplant. This term is commonly used to describe a technique whereby a strip of scalp is removed from the donor area of the scalp. Later, the wound is close using surgical staples or sutures. From that strip, follicular units are taken with dissection process.
FUT Method (Strip Extraction)
Donor hair is harvested by excising a narrow strip of scalp from the donor area in strip excision. The shape and the size of the strip is carefully planned by the surgeon to deliver the required quantity of grafts. The surgeon also makes the plan to ensure minimal or unnoticeable scar. With this method, high-powered microscope is used under a bright light and that allows the person to see exactly where the hair is growing under the skin. This results in a lower incidence of graft transection.
Sometimes patients are concerned that strip excision leaves a hair transplant scar where the strip was removed. However, if the scar is visible, it is easily obscured by the hair growth over that area making it unnoticeable for most patients. Moreover, some techniques like the trychophytic closure also allows the incision to heal tightly and with little to no noticeable scarring.
Graft Production
Grafts are processed under stereoscopic dissecting microscopes to prepare each unit for transplant. The integrity of these grafts remain undisturbed during the dissection is essential. The grafts are planted as units, which means that if a graft contains four hairs when it is extracted, all of them will remain together when it is planted.
Hair Transplants
The grafts are planted directly into the recipient area and the goal is to produce healthy, viable graft units for that area. Lateral slit technique is used to carefully place each graft unit and this technique allows the surgeon to reproduce the natural growth direction of your hair and to give you the most natural looking results. Both your restoration goals and the amount and density of donor hair available need to be considered when planning whether FUT is the most suitable for you.
