FUT and FUE combination - why does it supposedly provide more grafts than FUE only?

[Proportions]

I've heard about FUT and FUE combination transplants, never understood what is the advantage. You get a huge scar at the back of your head, which limits how much you can extract from your donor with FUE in the future, as the scar needs coverage to stay hidden.

Can anyone explain how that works?

If my donor allows 8k grafts with FUE without depleting it - how can an FUT + FUE combo transplant provide more grafts without cosmetic compromises?

[Chrisno]

Scalp laxity

[Proportions]

13 hours ago, Chrisno said:

Scalp laxity

Wouldn't an FUT ruin laxity even more than FUE due to taking out a strip of scalp?

[Gatsby]

If you have an FUT then you have not changed the integrity of your hair from a large area of the donor region. The donor area will be the same except for a section of strip and the number of grafts within it. With FUE you are decreasing the density as a whole over the donor region (the more grafts extracted the greater the density is affected). That's the advantage of FUT. However with FUE you will not be left with a linear scar in the scalp which may be obvious with buzz cuts, swimming, etc. The FUT scar may also stretch depending on genetics and closure technique of the strip removed. Now if you have an FUT you will then need less FUE grafts afterwards. The donor then should appear fuller than if you only had FUE instead. However as I stated in another thread I would be focusing on the surgeon you use more so than the technique. I would choose Dr Wong or Hattingen everyday of the week for FUT than some FUE hair mill in Turkey. Both in terms of results and donor management.

[Chrisno]

15 hours ago, Proportions said:

Wouldn't an FUT ruin laxity even more than FUE due to taking out a strip of scalp?

The whole point of FUT is to reduce laxity, as it removes a section of your scalp.

[Melvin- Admin]

Well, you’re taking every available graft. That said, with FUE+BHT you can essentially do the same thing and skip the linear scar.

[Proportions]

4 hours ago, Chrisno said:

The whole point of FUT is to reduce laxity, as it removes a section of your scalp.

Exactly. So again - what's the advantage of doing an FUT + FUE instead of just extracting more grafts with FUE?

[Proportions]

15 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Well, you’re taking every available graft. That said, with FUE+BHT you can essentially do the same thing and skip the linear scar.

I just can't wrap my head around the advantage of doing an FUT + FUE. If you do an FUT, you need decent coverage to hide the scar. Which means you have significantly reduced the amount of grafts you can extract with FUE without going too thin. It seems so counter-effective to me.

Why isn't it better to just choose FUE and deplete the donor a bit more for the same amount of grafts you'd get with FUT+FUE - without a scar you can get away with a lot more depletion without it raising any eyebrows???

[Proportions]

17 hours ago, Gatsby said:

If you have an FUT then you have not changed the integrity of your hair from a large area of the donor region. The donor area will be the same except for a section of strip and the number of grafts within it. With FUE you are decreasing the density as a whole over the donor region (the more grafts extracted the greater the density is affected). That's the advantage of FUT. However with FUE you will not be left with a linear scar in the scalp which may be obvious with buzz cuts, swimming, etc. The FUT scar may also stretch depending on genetics and closure technique of the strip removed. Now if you have an FUT you will then need less FUE grafts afterwards. The donor then should appear fuller than if you only had FUE instead. However as I stated in another thread I would be focusing on the surgeon you use more so than the technique. I would choose Dr Wong or Hattingen everyday of the week for FUT than some FUE hair mill in Turkey. Both in terms of results and donor management.

Thanks for explaining the differences between FUE and FUT, but the question was a bit different - about doing an FUE + FUT combo.

[Melvin- Admin]

Just now, Proportions said:

I just can't wrap my head around the advantage of doing an FUT + FUE. If you do an FUT, you need decent coverage to hide the scar. Which means you have significantly reduced the amount of grafts you can extract with FUE without going too thin. It seems so counter-effective to me.

Why isn't it better to just choose FUE and deplete the donor a bit more for the same amount of grafts you'd get with FUT+FUE - without a scar you can get away with a lot more depletion without it raising any eyebrows???

I agree with you, but your question is why you get more grafts, not which one is better. You can get more available grafts combining both FUT and FUE. But, it may not be the best solution. As you mentioned, a linear scar may be visible the more FUE you get. 

[Proportions]

6 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

I agree with you, but your question is why you get more grafts, not which one is better. You can get more available grafts combining both FUT and FUE. But, it may not be the best solution. As you mentioned, a linear scar may be visible the more FUE you get. 

The question essentially is - which option allows more grafts before the donor damage becomes visible.

• FUT+FUE
• FUE

 

I just cannot imagine the answer being FUT + FUE. Therefore it puzzles me why are people doing FUT + FUE at all.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Proportions

[Melvin- Admin]

12 minutes ago, Proportions said:

The question essentially is - which option allows more grafts before the donor damage becomes visible.

• FUT+FUE
• FUE

 

I just cannot imagine the answer being FUT + FUE. Therefore it puzzles me why are people doing FUT + FUE at all.

There is no one size fits all, for some, their scalp elasticity may be optima for FUT +FUE for others, they should stick with FUE. In general, you can get more grafts using both, but it may not be the best option for an individual. Procedures need to be tailored to an individual. So it depends on you.

[Proportions]

5 hours ago, Melvin- Admin said:

There is no one size fits all, for some, their scalp elasticity may be optima for FUT +FUE for others, they should stick with FUE. In general, you can get more grafts using both, but it may not be the best option for an individual. Procedures need to be tailored to an individual. So it depends on you.

Thank you, the answer I was looking for.