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

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.
(Copyright © 2024 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)