Old Friend or New Ally: A Comparison of Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Excision Methods in Hair Transplantation

The document from March 2020 compares Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Excision (FUE), two prevalent hair transplantation techniques, without providing a definitive conclusion on the superiority of either method. FUT is characterized by the removal of a scalp strip and subsequent dissection into individual follicular units, resulting in a linear scar, while FUE involves the excision of individual follicular units, leading to less visible scars and is preferred by patients who wish to avoid a linear scar and have specific aesthetic needs or lifestyle considerations. The document emphasizes that the choice between FUT and FUE should be based on various factors including patient eligibility, scarring patterns, recovery time, graft quality, donor hair depletion, and the physical demands on the surgeon. FUE is noted to be labor-intensive and potentially straining for the surgeon, but motorization has helped reduce this strain. FUT, while placing fewer physical demands on the surgeon, offers more limited restorative options. The document does not provide the number of people involved in any studies, thus the strength of the evidence cannot be determined based on participant numbers.