Dr Knudsen and I recently returned from attending the 6th AAHRS meeting in Beijing. One of the fascinating take home points from the meeting for me was the explosion in popularity for hair restoration surgery in recent years, especially in China. Even more astounding was the rise in popularity of FUE surgery. Four years ago in China there was approximately a 50:50 split in terms of surgery performed by FUT vs FUE. In 2018, almost 90% of all hair restoration procedures in China are performed with the FUE technique. This is across the board with men and women too. It does beg the question, ‘Is FUT surgery being phased out?’ If that is so, why is that the case? Is the FUE technique far superior than strip surgery?
At the Knudsen Clinic we perform both FUT and FUE surgeries and from experience I have found that it isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The outcome with regards to the recipient area should be the same with both FUE and FUT. The only difference is how the grafts are harvested in the first place. Both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice of technique should be based specifically on the needs of the patient and the appropriateness of that technique to the patient; certainly not solely based on the skill set of the surgeon.
It is important when you are deciding to have a hair transplant that you are making an informed decision. Make sure that you know all the pros and cons of each technique and what the future implications if these are.
Dr Vikram Jayaprakash