FUT
HAIR TRANSPLANTATION
Expert Follicular Unit Transplantation Specialists
How Does Follicular Unit Transplantation Work?
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), also known as strip harvesting, is a hair restoration technique where a patient’s hair is taken from the back of the head and transplanted where needed in naturally occurring groups of 1 to 3 hairs, called follicular units. A narrow strip of hair on the back of the head is trimmed to 2mm in hair length. Local anesthetic is then administered. A strip of hair is removed from the area just above the ears towards the back of the occipital protuberance (the bump at the back of the head). This is called the safe donor area because hair in this region will usually grow forever. When grafts are taken from this area during transplantation they will continue growing in their recipient sites for a lifetime. The two edges of the skin are then sutured together, often with a specialized trichophytic closure, that will minimize the scar appearance. The hair from above the suture is then combed down to conceal the suture line leaving no noticeable evidence of having just had a surgery on the back of the scalp. Ultimately there will be a fine, horizontal scar left on the back of the head that will be concealed as long as the hair is not shaved.
The strip is then carefully dissected into follicular units under microscopes by our experienced surgical technicians. This technique allows for the highest quality grafts with the lowest transection rates (accidental cutting of the hair follicle) of any currently available hair transplant methods.
Local anesthetic is again painlessly administered to the recipient area. Recipient sites are created specifically for the correct sizes of the follicular units. The grafts are then gently placed into the sites by our team of professionally trained surgical technicians. A natural look is created by placing the single hair follicular units on the hairline and 2-3 hair follicular units toward the back to add more density. Careful attention is made to the angle and direction of the transplanted hair and the overall shape of the hairline to ensure the most natural results, custom created for the individual aesthetic of each patient.
Strip Harvesting
Strip Slivering
Graft Dissection
Graft Insertion
GALLERY
Get Back Your Youthful Prime With Our Follicular Unit Transplantation
The surgery that is tried, tested, and true. Prime Hair Clinic has been performing this procedure for decades, ever since it was created, and have been honing our skills ever since. We are proud to have offered thousands of valued patients some of the most elegant transplant surgeries in the world. Ask around, chances are you know someone we have operated on, and may not have even realized that they had a transplant given how natural the results are.
Feel confident that you are receiving the only the highest quality grafts, extracted by our renowned doctors with the finest surgical touch, and prepared by Alberta’s most skilled team of technicians.
Gold Standard
Techniques
Trusted
Experience
Expert
Advice
Surgical & Non-Surgical Options
Happy Customers
A COMPARISON
FUT
FUE
Hair Length
There is no need to change your current appearance for surgery or post-surgery as long as your hair is more than 2cm in the donor area
Hair must be shaved to a length of 2mm over the entire donor area and often around entire scalp
Donor Area
There will be stitches at the back of the head which can be totally hidden by overlying hair
There will be thousands of small holes that will be visible for at least one week
Scar
A fine linear scar
Many small circular scars
Recovery Time
The transplanted/recipient area looks identical with both techniques
In 7-10 days, stitches are removed
The transplanted / recipient area looks identical with both techniques. No stitches to be removed
Graft Quality
With microscopic dissection, the transection rate is very low
With FUE whether done by hand or a robot, the transection rate is much higher
Resuming Activities
You should refrain from any strenuous activities for 4-5 days
You should refrain from any strenuous activities for 4-5 days
Grafts
Are microscopically trimmed leaving a protective sheath around follicles
Are extracted from the scalp and due to the nature of the technique may be stripped of a protective sheath, leaving them much more delicate
Your Questions Answered
From a scale of 1 to 10. You should feel about a 1 on the initial first injections of anesthetic during the procedure. Throughout the day the doctors will reinforce the anesthetic as needed to make the day as comfortable as possible. There will be more discomfort the night of surgery as the anesthetic eventually wears off. We will however, send you home with some pain medication to help with the pain. The morning after surgery most patients do not require any pain medication however you will notice some tightness and tenderness at the ends of the sutures. This will dissipate within the first week.
The procedure itself has many variables. We like to tell our patients to prepare for a full day. We provide lunch and snacks and as the day progresses we can keep you informed as to the estimated end time would be. A typical case would last from about 8am until 5pm.
For the first week of surgery you will have irritation, scabbing and some swelling. The sutures in the back of the head will be easily concealed by combing your hair down over them. If you are having surgery to add density to the crown and if you have some hair that is long you may be able to conceal the surgery even during your first week of healing. If you are creating or adding to a hairline then it will be noticeable for the first week.
You do not necessarily have to shave your head for FUT. Shaving the head does make it easier to see the area for making sites and also for planting of the grafts, however in many cases it is not crucial to the surgery itself to shave.
Experience The Prime Difference With Our FUT Services