There are two primary ways to remove donor hairs, including:
FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation): FUT involves removing a strip of hair, typically from the head’s back. The strip is processed under a microscope, and the hairs are divided into follicular units and stored until they are ready to be planted. The advantage of follicular unit transplant is that the procedure is generally faster than its alternative FUE and may deliver a more significant number of donor hairs from the head’s back. Also, it is possible to leave the hairs’ shaft longer if needed for specific procedures such as eyebrow hair transplantation. The disadvantages of FUT are that it leaves a linear scar, which is noticeable if the head is ever shaved, and the follicular unit transplant is not a good harvesting option in other parts of the scalp and body areas.
FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction): FUE is the modern approach to hair transplantation. It involves removing individual follicular units, which exist as families of 1-4 hairs. Using various instruments described below, each follicular unit to be harvested is punched out using a punch size of 0.8mm-1mm on average. The tiny holes created to seal up and leave behind small circular scars that are barely perceptible even if the scalp is shaved. Attention is paid not to overharvest, leaving enough hairs in between the punched grafts. The main advantage of FUE is avoiding a linear scar as well as a more comfortable recovery with less pain and no sutures to remove. Also, the technique can be applied to the sides of the head and other body sites such as the neck and chest in some individuals. The disadvantage of FUE is the time and labor required to remove the grafts carefully.