Is FUT no longer considered a good option for a HT? Are most HTs FUE now?

[Hair038]

Hey all,

So I had my first HT in 2016. It was an FUT procedure and achieved approximately 4700 grafts. This could be my own personal bias, but it seemed to me that in 2016 FUT was 'better' than FUE for the following reasons:

1. It was cheaper (half the price of an FUE procedure for the same # of grafts)

2. You could get larger graft yields (3-5000 grafts in a single procedure (mega-session) as compared to only around a max of 2000 grafts for an FUE procedure)

3.  Generally, survival rate of grafts harvested was higher for FUT than for FUE

4. Over multiple procedures, a higher graft count could be achieved with FUT because each procedure affected a smaller donor area than FUE

 

I'm currently looking to have a second procedure done. In the initial research that I've done, it seems to me that FUT is out and FUE is the main procedure currently being performed in most clinics. I've noticed that clinics that used to promote FUT procedures are not even offering them anymore. Has FUE made advances in regards to some of the 'cons' that I've listed above? I know the big knock against FUT was that it left a visible linear scar. But as I understood it FUE creates scarring as well (albeit less noticeable than FUT). If I found a clinic that offered both procedures, would FUT be worth it for the reasons mentioned above?

[Melvin- Admin]

FUT is still a viable option, its efficient and gets good growth. It should be considered individually.

 

 

[Future Hair Doc]

It really depends on a patient's goals and personal preference. In general, you can do larger graft session with FUT. The graft survival with FUE has caught up with FUT as well. 

More research is coming out showing that to maximize lifetime grafts, it's best to do multiple rounds of FUT and then FUE. 

[TrialAcc]

3 hours ago, Hair038 said:

Hey all,

So I had my first HT in 2016. It was an FUT procedure and achieved approximately 4700 grafts. This could be my own personal bias, but it seemed to me that in 2016 FUT was 'better' than FUE for the following reasons:

1. It was cheaper (half the price of an FUE procedure for the same # of grafts)

2. You could get larger graft yields (3-5000 grafts in a single procedure (mega-session) as compared to only around a max of 2000 grafts for an FUE procedure)

3.  Generally, survival rate of grafts harvested was higher for FUT than for FUE

4. Over multiple procedures, a higher graft count could be achieved with FUT because each procedure affected a smaller donor area than FUE

 

I'm currently looking to have a second procedure done. In the initial research that I've done, it seems to me that FUT is out and FUE is the main procedure currently being performed in most clinics. I've noticed that clinics that used to promote FUT procedures are not even offering them anymore. Has FUE made advances in regards to some of the 'cons' that I've listed above? I know the big knock against FUT was that it left a visible linear scar. But as I understood it FUE creates scarring as well (albeit less noticeable than FUT). If I found a clinic that offered both procedures, would FUT be worth it for the reasons mentioned above?

Seems that everything you wrote is still true. Generally cheaper (especially in North America), larger yields and life-time graft counts, slightly higher survival rate. Also one thing that you didnt mention is that the hair from FUT is taken from the safest of areas on the head, the very middle of the donor zone where almost no one loses much hair. FUE can be taken from the entire donor region and if you're destined for a higher NW some of these hairs might still miniaturize once transplanted. 

I think FUE is a great option if you have less severe balding patterns (or at least have a good idea where you'll end up from family history) or if you're assessed to have a high quality donor region. Also for some, the large scar and a bit more intensive surgery is a deal breaker and there isn't anything wrong with that. The FUT scar is basically the only thing preventing me from taking the plunge myself. Worried to get FUE because I'm unsure of my final pattern and rather just shave my head then not be able to get complete results from HTs. 

[Hair038]

Thanks for the replies. I just wanted to make clear that my intention was not to say that one procedure is superior to the other. That was why I used quotation marks around the word "better" in my first post. But after reading the first post again I probably wasn't as clear about that as I wanted to be.

After digging a little deeper it does appear that FUT is still an option among some of the better clinics that I know of. I was just a little surprised to notice that it appears that some clinics are going exclusively with FUE. 

I happened upon Dr. Robert Bernstein's website out of New York and he does a really good job of summarizing the pros and cons of each procedure:

  https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/hair-transplant/fue/fue-vs-fut-comparison/