STRIP and FUE Hair Transplant - Similarities and Differences

Hair transplantation is a growing procedure

Hair transplantation is a plastic surgery procedure that involves removing hair follicles from areas of the body that are not going bald (donor areas) and then implanting them into hairless areas (recipient areas). The procedure is completely safe. and there is no risk of rejection, since the procedure is autotransplantation - the donor and recipient of hair follicles is the same person. The natural effect after hair transplantation is achieved by transplanting entire groups of hair follicles, in which there are from one to four hairs - specialists in the field of hair restoration surgery specialize in this.

There are many reasons why patients decide to have a hair transplant. The most common is androgenic alopeciaboth in men and women, but very often it is used to treat alopecia caused by a condition of the scalp, as well as post-traumatic and post-traumatic alopecia. The hair transplant procedure is used less often to hide post-operative scarring or to fill in defects in the eyebrows, eyelashes, mustache, beard or pubic hair.

Complications after hair transplantation are very rare. Infection occurs sporadically, and small wounds that occur during the implantation of hair follicles heal very quickly without causing inflammation.

Hair transplant methods

In specialized clinics for aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery, there are two methods of hair transplantation. The old one, which is gradually being abandoned for aesthetic reasons, STRIP or FUT method (ang. Follicular Unit Transplantation). This method of hair transplantation consists in cutting out a fragment of skin with intact hair follicles from an alopecia-free area and then suturing the resulting wound with a cosmetic suture, resulting in a scar. For this reason, currently FUE method is performed more often (ang. Removal of follicular units). Thus, the surgeon removes the entire complex of hair follicles with a special tool without damaging the skin, and as a result, scars are not formed. Besides the aesthetic aspect of scarring, FUE is safer for the patient in several other ways. Firstly, it is performed under local anesthesia, while the STRIP procedure must be performed under general anesthesia due to the rather invasive nature of the procedure. Another very serious difference between the two methods is the recovery time after surgery. In the case of transplantation by the FUE method, microbes are formed that are invisible to the human eye, which heal very quickly on the skin. For this reason, already on the second day after transplantation, daily activities can be resumed, paying attention to the doctor's recommendations for caring for hygiene and sun exposure of sensitive scalp. In the case of the STRIP method, the patient has to wait a long time for a long, unsightly scar to heal.

Hair transplant with STRIP method

The STRIP hair transplant procedure begins with the collection of a section of hairy skin from the back of the head or the side of the head - the hair in this place is not affected by DHT, therefore it is resistant to androgenetic alopecia. The doctor, using a scalpel with one, two or three blades, cuts the patient's skin and removes it from the head strip or strips measuring 1-1,5 centimeters by 15-30 centimeters. Each scalpel incision is carefully planned to obtain a skin fragment with intact hair follicles. In the next step, the wound on the scalp is closed, and the doctor divides the area and removes hair ties containing one to four hairs from it. The next step is to prepare the recipient's skin for transplantation. To do this, microblades or needles of the appropriate size are used, with which the surgeon cuts the skin in places where the assemblies of hair follicles will be introduced. The density and shape of the hairline are determined in advanceat the level of consultation with the patient. The implantation of individual hairs into the prepared incisions is the last step in this hair transplant method. The duration of the procedure depends on the number of transplants performed. In the case of implantation of about a thousand hair ties into the recipient site, the procedure takes about 2-3 hours. In the case of more than two thousand hair transplant syndromes, the procedure can take more than 6 hours. It takes about three months for the recipient site to heal. and then new hair begins to grow at a normal rate. The full effect of the transplantation may not be noticed by the patient until six months after the procedure - do not worry about hair loss from the recipient site, because the transplanted structure is the hair follicle, not the hair. New hair will grow from the transplanted follicles.. Side effects of STRIP treatment include bruising and swelling of the donor site during the first week after the procedure. Stitches can be removed only after fourteen days, during which you need to carefully take care of the hygiene of the scalp and hair.

FUE hair transplant

After the introduction of local anesthesia, the surgeon proceeds to the FUE procedure using a specialized device with a diameter of 0,6-1,0 mm. Its main advantage is that it is very minimally invasive because no use of a scalpel and skin stitching. This minimizes the risk of bleeding, infection, and postoperative pain. First, hair follicle assemblies are removed from the donor site and each graft is examined under a microscope to make sure how many healthy, intact hairs are in the transplanted units. Only after the extraction is completed, local anesthesia of the recipient site and implantation of the collected hair groups is performed. Only intact hair follicles are implanted, which may affect their final number (the number of implanted units may be less than the number of collected follicles). The procedure takes approximately 5-8 hours. and during the procedure, up to three thousand hair follicles can be transplanted. The bandage that is applied to the patient's head after the end of the procedure can be removed the next day. Redness of the skin on the donor and recipient sites disappears within five days after the procedure. The main disadvantage of this method, especially when used in women, is the need to shave the hair at the donor siteregardless of the patient's gender and initial hair length. Also, this method is more popular because of its own safety and non-invasiveness.

An experienced surgeon guarantees a successful operation

Clinics of aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery usually focus on informing clients about the modern equipment of treatment rooms, and not about the procedure that the patient will undergo. However, before the procedure, it is worth finding out what it will be connected with and who will carry it out. Graft quality and durability they depend primarily on the ability of the operating surgeon and his team, and cannot be improved with the best instruments they use. For this reason, you should read reviews about the doctor and do not hesitate to ask about his experience and certifications. The best doctors in this field do not need automatic manipulators to extract hair follicles because they can do it better by hand. Due to this, they adjust the movement of the manual arm to changing graft harvesting conditions, such as changes in the direction and angle of hair growth, increased bleeding, or different skin tension. You should also pay attention to the interview conducted in the clinic - there are contraindications to hair transplantation. These include uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, alopecia areata, and inflammation of the scalp. Your doctor or a member of your team should be aware of these conditions before being referred for surgery.

natural effect

The hardest step in the entire hair transplant procedure is getting your new hairline to look natural. Since the patient is not able to notice this immediately after the procedure, but only after six months, when new hair begins to grow at a normal rate, it is necessary to use the services of an experienced doctor. A well-done hair transplant cannot be seen as the hair must flow naturally. This is the main and comprehensive goal of aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery.. Finally, remember that after having the procedure, you may find that your alopecia is progressing elsewhere and you will need to visit the clinic again. In the case of the FUE method, subsequent grafts from the recipient site can be taken no earlier than six months after the last treatment. In the case of the STRIP method, another scar must be taken into account when repeating the procedure. It is also possible to collect hair follicles from other hairy parts of the body, not just from the head.