Follicular unit extraction (FUE) generally has a quicker patient
recovery time and significantly lower post-operative discomfort than
follicular unit transplantation (FUT). FUE provides an alternative to
FUT when the scalp is too tight for a strip excision and enables a hair
transplant surgeon to harvest finer hair from the nape of the neck to be
used at the hairline or for eyebrows.
However, with FUE, the follicles are harvested from a much greater
area of the donor zone compared to FUT, estimated to be eight times
greater than that of traditional strip excision so requires patients to
have hairs trimmed in a much larger donor area.As a result, the hair in
the lower and upper parts of the donor area, where the grafts were taken
from, may thin and this can make the donor scars visible.
Follicles harvested from borderline areas of the donor region may not
be truly “permanent,” so that over time, the transplanted hair may be
lost. Maximum follicular unit graft yield is lower than with FUT and may
result in greater follicular transection (damage).
Due to the scarring and distortion of the donor scalp from FUE it
makes subsequent sessions more difficult, and grafts are more fragile
and subject to trauma during placing, since they often lack the
protective dermis and fat of microscopically dissected grafts,ultimately
which may result in poor growth. A problem of buried grafts can occur
during the blunt phase of the three-step technique when the graft is
pushed into fat and must be removed through a small incision. FUE can
also be more expensive and take longer to perform than FUT, so grafts
are usually out of the body longer, risking sub-optimal growth.