If you’ve been considering getting a hair transplant it’s important to note that there are two basic procedure. In one, called follicular unit extraction (FUE), hair follicles are removed one at a time from the back of the scalp and transplanted one at a time to the recipient area. In the other procedure, called follicular unit transplant (FUT), donor hair follicles are removed by the surgeon in a strip of scalp from the back of the head and the remaining scalp is sutured back together. Technicians then divide the strip into single follicular units for transplant to the recipient area.

As you can imagine, there are advantages and disadvantages to each procedure. With follicular unit transplant (FUT) the procedure is faster and lower in cost. Because it is faster, more follicular units can be transplanted in one sitting. However, recovery time is slightly longer than the follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure because the sutures have to heal. There is also a small, linear scar that remains in the scalp after the sutures have been removed. However, this is not an issue for patients unless they wear closely cropped hair.

The major advantages of the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedure is that virtually no visible scar remains at the back of the head, so patients can wear short hair styles. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is often used to hide scars using transplanted follicles.

At DiStefano, our term for Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is the Individual Graft Technique. (IGT™). With this exclusive procedure, the physician uses customized, highly refined follicular unit extraction tools, coupled with microsurgical tools to create the recipient areas. The result is greater viability of the transplanted follicles for a better hair transplant.