What are the advantages of FUE over strip harvesting method?

There seems to be a never-ending debate over the advantages of FUE over strip harvesting method. Before discussing the advantages of FUE method, let us have a brief – very brief in fact – introduction of both methods.

Strip harvesting method

Strip harvesting method is used to obtain large number of donor hair with ease. A strip like portion of scalp is surgically removed from the back of the head. This strip contains hair follicles, we need to plant in the balding area. Before planting, individual hair follicles are separated from the scalp using microscopes.

 

 

FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)

FUE (follicular unit extraction) method does not remove the skin from the donor area. Instead, it extracts individual hair follicles from the donor area. As you can imagine, extracting thousands of hair follicles one by one is a tedious job as compared to removal of a strip. This is the reason that this method needs a skilled surgeon, and costs more than strip removal method. But the question arises, why choose FUE when we can have a good transplant using strip removal method. Here are few exclusive benefits of the FUE method over strip harvesting.

Less invasive

Regaining lost hair is exciting, and most people have the courage to let the surgeon remove their skin for this purpose. But not everyone can muster up this courage. FUE is less invasive. In my personal opinion, very near to waxing your body.

Less scarring

Although FUE cannot be regarded as scarless, scars produced by this method are way smaller than strip removal method. It is an individual’s choice, how much scars he can bear.

Donor hair from any body part

There is a very real advantage of FUE method – its ability to harvest donor hair from any area of the body. For example, if you lack donor hair on your head, but have ample hair on your legs, this method can harvest hair from your legs and plant them right on your head.

Less downtime

Downtime is an issue for people with busy routines. Although, the growth of transplanted hairs takes the same amount of time, healing of the donor area takes considerably less in case of FUE. People get their transplant, cover their heads, and go to work right away.

Less bleeding

There is not much bleeding in strip removal either, but the bleeding in FUE is even lesser. In fact, there is negligible bleeding in FUE method.

Now that you know the advantages of FUE method, it is up to you and your surgeon to decide which method best suits you – strip removal or FUE.