Having visible scars from a hair transplantation surgery is one of the primary concerns potential patients have. Many men are weary to have the procedure done as they may have a fuller head of hair again in one place but now they have a visible scar in another which they will be self-conscious of after the procedure. Isn’t the entire purpose of the procedure to improve a man’s self-confidence?
Fortunately, the FUE procedure is the preferred method which leaves little to no visible scarring from harvesting the donor’s hairs. As previously mentioned, the FUE procedure removes individual hairs from the scalp leaving an extremely tiny puncture mark that should heal in a matter of a few days after scabbing over. If done correctly, there is usually no visible scarring associated with an FUE procedure.
Compared to FUE, the FUT procedure will leave a linear visible scar from the area where the line of the scalp was removed. As mentioned above, the surgeon will actually remove a line of scalp from the donor area which they will then pull hairs from to transplant. This makes many men hesitant to go through with a FUT procedure as they are aware that while they may have a fuller head of hair on the top of their scalp they’ll have to live with a visible scar line on the back of their scalp for the rest of their life. A person who wishes to have a hair transplant procedure but is hesitant to live with a visible scar line on the back of their head should not go through with a FUT procedure as there is no way to avoid this type of scarring.
The way donor hairs are harvested and scarring associated with the procedures are the two primary ways in which the two differ. The list below also provides some other differences between an FUE and FUT procedure.
• The time needed for the procedure also varies between the two. Because an FUE requires the surgeon to individually remove each donor’s hair it will take a significant amount more time. The average time it takes for an FUE procedure is 10 – 12 hours whereas a FUT procedure is only 5 – 8 hours.
• Prior to the procedure the surgeon will inform the patient how long they have to let their hair grow in order to harvest hairs from the donor site(s). FUT requires a person to let their hair grow to a “medium” length whereas the FUE procedure only requires the person to have a “short” hair length.
• The FUT procedure is much more invasive as it requires the surgeon to actually remove a line of scalp from the patient’s head leading to a longer recovery time compared to a person who had the FUE procedure. The recovery time for someone who has the FUT procedure can be 10 – 14 days whereas a person who had the FUE procedure will likely only be 3 – 4 days.
• There is a low risk of potential bleeding and nerve damage from the FUT procedure as again, a piece of the scalp is actually removed from the head. However, because no piece of scalp is actually removed during an FUE procedure there is no risk of bleeding or nerve damage associated with it.
If you trust everything you read online, you will be confused! But if your ultimate goal is to find a surgeon who can get you actual results, come for a free consultation. We care, and we do everything the way we do anything, with precision and with the utmost care.
