Follicular unit transplantation
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is a hair restoration technique, also known as the strip procedure, where a patient's hair is transplanted in naturally occurring groups of 1 to 4 hairs, called follicular units. Follicular units also contain sebaceous (oil) glands, nerves, a small muscle, and occasional fine vellus hairs. In follicular unit transplantation, these small units allow the surgeon to safely transplant thousands of grafts in a single session, which maximizes the cosmetic impact of the procedure.
| Follicular unit transplantation | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Dermatology, plastic surgery |
| Uses | Restore hair in bald or thinning areas using naturally occurring follicular units |
| Complications | Linear donor-site scar; postoperative pain or discomfort; folliculitis; graft failure; temporary shock loss |
| Approach | Strip harvesting of donor tissue; microscopic dissection; transplantation of 1–4 hair follicular units |
| Types | Traditional strip FUT; variations in dissection/closure technique |
| Frequency | Historically common; less common since the rise of FUE |
| Outcomes | Improved density and natural hairline when performed by experienced teams |
FUT is considered an advance over older hair transplantation procedures that used larger grafts and often produced a pluggy, unnatural look. In a properly performed follicular unit transplant, the results will mimic the way hair grows in nature and will be undetectable as a hair transplant.
In recent history, FUT had been the most common procedure for hair restoration. As of 2017, the newer follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure has become the most common procedure.