Hair Restoration, Hair Transplant, Hair Loss Treatment Clinic

Combining FUE and Strip Harvesting

Robert H. True, MD, MPH

Combination FUE / FUT Procedure Advantages

At the 2009 ISHRS annual meeting in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dr. Robert H. True presented the idea of conducting strip follicular unit transplantation (FUT) with follicular unit extraction (FUE) during the same procedure. The idea of using FUT and FUE simultaneously is not new, but this presentation looked at its pros and cons closely.

The reasoning behind this concept is to assure a higher graft count in one session than can normally be done with just strip FUT. The procedure can be done on almost any patient type but can benefit three specific patient types most:

1. Patients with a tight or inelastic scalp
2. Patients with extensive scarring in donor area due to previous HT procedure
3. Patients with viable temple and occipital donor hair

Most patients are appreciative of their hair transplant surgeon’s ability to increase the amount of hair that can be transplanted in one session. This is especially important in the patients who have tight donor wound or the ones with significant scarring on the back from prior surgeries. This is especially noted by patients with extensive hair loss or that are lacking in laxity. By combining the two procedures, the hair graft count can be increased by 500 or up to 1000 additional hair grafts.

The recommended means of application for this procedure is as follows:

• FUE grafts should be harvested immediately above and below the donor incision
  
  • It may also be harvested from a 1-2cm shaved area just above the donor strip line
    
• FUE grafts can also be harvested from the temple and lower occipital regions as stated above
  
  • The nape area should not be harvested if applied for a younger patient
    

The important aspect of this study is that using blended FUE / FUT procedure in over 50 patients, there have been no complications or impairment in healing and scarring.