FUT Hair Transplantation
Conveniently located to serve the areas of San Antonio, TX
Follicular Unit Transplantation, more commonly referred to as FUT, is the original method developed to harvest and transplant individual follicular units. This technique is what first allowed hair restoration surgeons to design and create natural-looking hair lines, as opposed to the 4 mm hair plugs that were used previously. The process of performing FUT involves surgically removing a strip of the scalp from the back of the head and then dissecting the strip under a microscope into individual follicular units that can then be transplanted into the areas of hair thinning or loss. (1) The strip is harvested from an area of the scalp where the hairs are resistant to DHT, the hormone that causes hair loss in male pattern baldness. (1)
At Premier Hair Restoration, we offer FUT hair transplantation in addition to the more widely used FUE procedure. Dr. Colin O’Dea was trained specifically in the FUT technique during his fellowship in hair restoration surgery, and although it is less common than FUE, it does offer certain benefits compared to the FUE harvest technique that makes it appropriate for certain patients, including those who have previously had FUT procedures and those with more severe hair loss patterns.
Contact us online or at (210) 642-2291 to schedule a consultation and to learn more about FUT and other hair loss treatments we offer. We are excited to help you achieve your hair restoration goals.
Contents
About FUT Hair Transplantation
FUT is the process of harvesting a strip of scalp from the donor area in the back of the head and dissecting it under the microscope into individual follicular units. During the strip harvest, Dr. O’Dea makes incisions at the same angle as the hair follicles to preserve them. (1) After removing the strip, he closes the incision with a deep set of sutures under minimal tension using a trichophytic closure. Closure under minimal tension helps keep the scar as narrow as possible. While FUT does create a linear scar and is less common than FUE at this point, performing FUT allows for harvesting more total grafts over a lifetime as opposed to FUE. (1) Additionally, for those who have had FUT previously, the original scar is removed during the procedure.
What are follicular units?
Follicular units are the grafts we place into areas of hair loss. They are made up of small clusters of hairs with shared blood vessels, nerves, glands, and muscles. (2) The number of hairs in a follicular unit ranges from one to four or more, with an average between 2.5 to 3 hair follicles per follicular unit. Because we graft follicular units and not individual hair follicles, if you get surgery with 2000 grafts, there will likely be somewhere between 5,000 to 6,000 hairs that are transplanted in total.
Benefits
The benefits of hair transplantation are numerous. Hair transplantation allows you to fill in areas of hair loss or thinning, as well as allowing you to build a new hairline if yours has receded. This is performed using your own hair, which will then grow for the remainder of your life. The transplanted hair can be cut and styled just like the rest of your hair. Most patients report feeling an increase in confidence, both personally and professionally, as well as feeling an increase in attractiveness after hair transplantation. Some of the advantages our patients experience include:
- Local anesthesia only; no need for deep sedation or general anesthesia
- Ability to harvest more grafts over a lifetime as compared to FUE
- Relatively short recovery period
- Minimal change to scar appearance for those who have had previous FUT
- Minimal shaving of the hair outside of the harvested strip, which is easily covered by longer hair from above
- The scar is easily covered as long as the surrounding hair is at least 1 cm long
Candidates
FUT has long been the primary harvest method for women seeking hair transplantation because it requires minimal shaving of the hair on the back and sides of your head, and the scar is easily covered by the hair above after the procedure. Women with female pattern hair loss (FPHL) as well as men with male pattern hair loss are excellent candidates for FUT. Men and women who have scarring from burns or trauma may also be candidates for FUT, depending on the location of the scarring. Both men and women with certain types of alopecia may be candidates if the underlying cause has been successfully treated.
Personal Consultation
Dr. O’Dea will provide a complimentary consultation to any person seeking to learn more about possible options for hair transplantation. This will include an evaluation of your hair loss pattern and history of hair loss, as well as a discussion of your family history of hair loss and your hair restoration goals to personalize a hair restoration plan for you individually. Schedule your consultation today by submitting our online contact form or call our San Antonio office directly at (210) 642-2291.
Planning and Preparation
An individualized and properly developed surgical plan is the most important aspect of a successful hair transplant. We at Premier Hair Restoration will consider your hair loss pattern, your family’s hair loss history, your age, your medical history, and your personal hair restoration goals to create a plan that is individually designed to give you the most natural results possible. A natural-appearing hair transplant is the ultimate goal. This includes incorporating undulations, curves, and minor imperfections into the hairline to help create the most natural appearance possible.
Minimal preparation is required for most hair transplantation surgery. We will send prescriptions to your pharmacy before the procedure for you to pick up. You will need to take a first dose of medication the night before in preparation and then continue with medications for several days after the surgery. For those with significant medical problems or who take medications that may interfere with surgery, more preparation and planning will be needed. Several oral medications are given on the day of surgery to help with the procedure and with the healing process.
Procedure
Hair restoration surgery has five main phases. The first phase is the planning phase where you and Dr. O’Dea jointly design a hairline that fits you personally and that you are happy with, as well as creating a plan for the distribution of grafts in areas of hair loss. Following the design, our team will administer local anesthesia to the donor area to allow for the strip harvest. The hair follicles from the donor area will maintain their resistance to DHT, which allows them to be transplanted into areas of hair loss, where they will then continue to grow permanently. (2) After the strip of the scalp is harvested, the scalp is closed using a technique called trichophytic closure, which helps minimize the width of the scar. Trichophytic closure is a technique where the top layer of the skin is removed from either one or both edges of an incision before it is closed. This allows hair follicles underneath to grow back closer to the edges of the scar that forms, allowing the scar to be more easily hidden by the surrounding hair. A trichophytic closure is a standard part of the FUT procedure.
Following the strip harvest, you will receive local anesthesia on your scalp. The fourth phase of the surgery is the creation of recipient sites using a small 1 mm to 1.3 mm scalpel. This phase implements the design that was created at the beginning of the procedure. Together with the design phase, these are the two most important aspects of hair restoration surgery. The final phase of the procedure is the placement of the grafts into the individual recipient sites.
Recovery
The recovery period after FUT is relatively short compared to other types of surgery. The surgical incision from the strip harvest will heal enough to have the sutures removed after ten days. In the recipient area, the grafts can be accidentally pulled out of place for the first few days, so we recommend spending the first two to three days resting in a reclined position. Beyond the three- to four-day mark, the grafts are much more difficult to accidentally pull out, so this is no longer an issue. The grafts will form a crust over the first several days, which will then fall off around seven to ten days after surgery. Most patients report only mild to moderate pain after surgery that is easily treated with Tylenol, ibuprofen, or a mild prescription pain medication such as tramadol.
Results
Results from follicular unit transplantation become increasingly apparent over time as hair regrows naturally. Many patients begin to notice visible improvements between three to six months after the procedure, with optimal results becoming evident between six to twelve months. Scarring is minimal, thanks to the careful techniques employed, allowing a smoother transition to a fuller head of hair while retaining natural hairstyles.
Experiencing renewed confidence and satisfaction in one’s appearance is commonly reported by patients following successful hair restoration.
Cost of FUT in San Antonio
The price per graft for FUT surgery can vary depending on certain factors. At Premier Hair Restoration, we value patient education and transparency. To obtain an accurate cost for your FUT procedure, schedule your personal consultation.
You can contact our office by filling out our online form or by giving us a call at (210) 642-2291.
FAQ
Is FUT surgery appropriate for women?
Yes! FUT is often the preferred method of hair transplantation in female patients due to the minimal shaving of the hair in the donor area and the ease with which the shaved area in the donor area is covered by longer hair.
How many grafts are transplanted in one procedure?
Dr. O’Dea prefers to do a maximum of 2,500 to 3,000 grafts per procedure. Performing procedures with larger numbers of grafts risks causing a decrease in graft survival due to the increased disruption of the blood supply. For female patients, Dr. O’Dea often prefers to limit cases to 1,200 to 1,500 grafts as this decreases the risk of developing telogen effluvium, or shock loss, which is a temporary thinning of the hair due to physical stress.
Is it possible to do more than one hair transplant?
Yes! We recommend waiting at least one year before getting another hair transplant as it may take this amount of time to see the full effect of the transplant. The hair that was originally in the area of hair loss may continue to thin with age, so many people receive more than one hair transplant as their natural hair loss progresses. The continued hair loss does not include the transplanted hairs. These are permanent.
How many grafts can be transplanted throughout one’s life?
Using the FUT procedure, somewhere in the range of 7,000 to 9,000, grafts can be transplanted throughout one’s life before the hair in the donor area begins to thin to the degree that it no longer adequately covers the donor scar. FUT allows for more grafts throughout a lifetime than FUE.
References
- Rousso D, Presti P. Follicular Unit Transplantation. Facial Plastic Surgery. 2008;24(04):381-388. doi:https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0028-1102902
- Zito PM, Raggio BS. Hair Transplantation. PubMed. Published 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547740/
