FUT Hair Transplant in India

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), now known as the Linear Excision Method, is a surgical technique for hair transplantation where a strip of healthy hair follicles bearing scalp is removed from the donor area to be implanted into the balding parts of the scalp. During a FUT hair transplant, the 1mm strip of scalp taken for the purpose is slivered under a special microscopic device to extract individual follicular unit grafts for implantation. A single session of FUT can transplant more than 3,000 follicular grafts. The donor area, from which the strip was taken, is finally stitched to a Trichofiblic closure. This is why the FUT procedure is also best known as strip hair transplant surgery.

What is a Follicle or Follicular Unit?

A follicular unit is a natural unit of hair that grows from the scalp. A follicular unit usually consists of 1 to 4 strands of hair, along with other associated tissues such as sebaceous glands, nerves, and connective tissues. Instead of randomly transplanting individual hairs, contemporary hair transplant methods, such as FUT, involve the transplantation of these natural units of hair. This helps to:

Achieve more natural results
Ensure the correct hair density
Increase the chances of graft survival
Provide a natural-looking hairline

How does the FUT Hair Transplant Technique Work?

Human beings, in general, typically experience a small amount of hair loss in their lives. The average amount of hair loss often revolves around 50-100 strands per hair. However, where there is a disruption in the Anagen-Catagen-Telogen hair growth phase due to both internal and external factors, the amount of hair loss might rise to around 200 strands a day. That is when you must visit a specialized professional in the field and gauge the phase of hair loss in the Norwood-Hamilton scale to know the best treatment for the same.

At Saraswat Hospital, we take every patient through a series of blood and physical tests and also make them undergo a thorough Trichoscopy Analysis that can determine the course of action. FUT hair transplant works best when the patient is suffering from genetically induced hair loss – Androgenetic Alopecia. Through this process, ideally performed to cover a receding hairline caused by hair loss, healthy follicles replace the ones in the balding area to allow hair re-growth on the recipient site.

How is the FUT Hair Transplant Performed?

At Saraswat Hospital, the team of professionals who perform the FUT hair transplant in India is led by two of the most renowned ABHRS (American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery) certified surgeons, Dr Satya Kumar Saraswat and Dr Preeti Saraswat, both of whom have over 20+ years of experience in the field. A step-by-step guideline to the procedure would include:

First, drawing a rough idea of how the hairline is supposed to look like post-surgery. This would also involve marking the area of the extraction.
Trimming of the hair at the donor site to around 2 millimetres to access the strip better.
Administering local anaesthesia to the area before moving on with the procedure to numb the effects.
Cutting the strip of skin from the back of the head (the donor area).
Removing the individual intact hair follicles from the strip under a microscope and keeping them in a special salt holding solution at the ideal temperature to ensure they stay healthy and alive.
Suturing back the donor area in a Trichofiblic closure so that there is no problem in new hair growth from the place.
Inserting the recently extracted hair follicles to the pre-made incisions on the recipient site in the most natural way, keeping in mind the angle of hair growth and the required density of the patient.
Application of bandages and antibiotics to the scalp to ease the recovery process.

Since the FUT process leaves natural-looking permanent results for the patient, you will be able to see the results of the procedure in only a few months.

Who is Eligible for a FUT Hair Transplant?

Once, FUT was the first choice for hair transplants, but with the advancement of FUE, FUT is not recommended for all patients. The following patients are ideal candidates for FUT hair transplant:

1. People with advanced hair loss: FUT is most appropriate for patients who have extensive balding areas and require a large number of grafts in a single session.

2. Patients with a good donor area: Patients with a dense donor area at the back of the head are ideal candidates for FUT.

3. People comfortable with a linear scar: FUT is most appropriate for patients who normally wear medium to long hair, as the linear scar is less noticeable.

4. People looking for maximum graft count: FUT is most appropriate for people who require a large number of grafts in a single session.

5. Women: Women mostly do not consider FUT hair transplant because they do not want to trim the donor area.

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Advantages of FUT Hair Transplant

As a traditional method of performing hair transplant surgery that leaves natural results, FUT hair transplant in India has several advantages, such as:

Maximum hair growth
Ideal for preserving the donor site
Higher chance of graft survival
Time-saving and perfect for severe cases
More than 3000 grafts can be transplanted in one session
Ideal for those who have a larger balding area
Each session uses a large number of grafts which automatically reduces the number of incisions
A short time of operation if compared to other surgical hair transplant methods

What are the Disadvantages of FUT Hair Transplant?

Though FUT is a highly successful procedure, it also has some drawbacks:

1. Linear scar: It causes a linear scar on the donor site, which may be visible if the hair is cut very short.

2. Healing time: The healing time is much longer compared to FUE because it involves stitches, which are present on the back for 2 weeks.

3. Not ideal for people with short hairstyles: People who like to have buzz cuts or short hair may find the scar visible.

4. Loss of elasticity of the scalp: This method may cause the loss of elasticity of the scalp region with multiple procedures.

Side Effects of FUT Hair Transplant

There are no serious side effects of FUT hair transplant if the procedure is performed after a proper checkup of the scalp. It is very important that the doctor perform a proper checkup before the surgery, and the surgery should be performed by a qualified hair transplant surgeon. In such cases, there are no serious side effects of the surgery that can affect the patient, except for mild pain or swelling, which is common in all surgeries.

Hair transplant is a safe and effective cosmetic surgery. It helps in achieving permanent and natural-looking results with high density without any pain or risk. However, like all other surgeries, there can be a few minor side effects, such as mild pain, temporary swelling, or infection.

Restrictions of FUT Procedure

Requires a certifed plastic and cosmetic surgeon
Permanent linear scarring
Longer recovery period
It requires a skilled team
Less suitable for certain patients
The donor area must be healthy

How is the Cost of FUT Hair Transplant Calculated?

As with any other surgery performed at Saraswat Hospital, the final cost of FUT hair transplant in India is finalized based on factors such as:

We also offer medical tourism facilities for those patients who are visiting Saraswat Hospital in Agra, India, from any part of the world (or country, for that matter). Our well-trained and experienced patient coordinators take care of all aspects of the visit, and that includes all-encompassing services such as a tour of the area, accommodation, and all types of after-surgery requirements. You can book an online consultation with us or download our Saraswat Hospital Peek AI App to know how many grafts you require.

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