Strip Harvesting Follicular Unit Transplantation Versus Follicular Unit Excision: Comparing the Number of Hairs and the Ratio of Hairs to Follicular Unit

Luciana Takata Pontes; Antonio Ruston; Aparecida Machado de Moraes

doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000004230

Strip Harvesting Follicular Unit Transplantation Versus Follicular Unit Excision: Comparing the Number of Hairs and the Ratio of Hairs to Follicular Unit

Dermatol Surg. 2024 May 15. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000004230. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Luciana Takata Pontes^{1

2}, Antonio Ruston², Aparecida Machado de Moraes¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Discipline of Dermatology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
² Clínica Ruston, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

PMID: 38748590
DOI: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000004230

Abstract

Background: There are 2 extraction techniques for follicular units (FUs) in hair transplantation: strip harvesting follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit excision (FUE). Currently, no extant studies have demonstrated that one technique is superior in extraction and donor area optimization for a dense result.

Objective: This study compares the FUT and FUE techniques by evaluating the percentage of FUs with 3 or more hairs and the hairs-to-follicular-unit ratio in patients who underwent both procedures at different times.

Materials and methods: The medical records of patients who underwent at least 1 FUT procedure and at least 1 FUE procedure (with this being the second surgical procedure) were reviewed. The surgeries were performed in the same clinic with the same surgeon and surgical team.

Results: There was a higher percentage of FUs with 3 or more hairs and a higher hairs-to-follicular-unit ratio with the FUE technique than with the FUT technique.

Conclusion: In FUE, surgeons tend to choose better-looking FUs with thick, plentiful hairs. Even with these results, it is impossible to declare one procedure superior because the correct indication considers multiple factors.