FUE vs. FUT: Understanding Different Types of Hair Restoration
Is hair loss preventing you from living life to the fullest? Perhaps early hair loss makes… Read On
Dilworth Facial Plastic Surgery
1819 Lyndhurst Ave.
Charlotte, NC 28203
Phone: (980) 949-6544
Monday–Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Hair Restoration (Hair Transplant)
Nearly one out of every five people in the United States experiences some form of hair loss in their lifetime. Hair loss often makes us look older than we are, causing some people to feel the need to wear hats or style their hair in ways that camouflage thinning and balding. You can restore your hairline and your confidence with FUE or FUT hair restoration, available in Charlotte, NC, at Dilworth Facial Plastic Surgery. We believe you should define your looks—not the other way around. We offer today’s best hair transplantation techniques to give patients from the Lake Norman area such as Cornelius, Huntersville, and Davidson; Lake Wylie communities including Tega Cay and India Hook; Belmont; Indian Trail; and other nearby cities the self-esteem boost that comes with having a full and thriving head of hair, no matter their age.
Hair Restoration
Before & After Photos
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Hair Restoration FUT
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Hair Restoration FUT
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Hair Restoration FUE
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Hair Restoration FUT
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Hair Restoration FUE
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Why Choose Us?
Both Dr. Andrea Garcia and Dr. Josh Surowitz are dual board-certified and fellowship-trained facial plastic surgeons. They share the same philosophies when it comes to patient care and work collaboratively as a team of two. You can feel at ease knowing you have double the skill and expertise present during your hair transplant procedure.
What Causes Hair Loss?
While hair loss often occurs during the aging process, in rarer cases, young men and women may develop early hair loss in their later teenage years or early 20s. Some people lose hair due to:
- Medical conditions, such as autoimmune diseases
- Stress-related disorders
- Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies
- Injury to the scalp, such as a burn
A healthy head of hair consists of up to 150,000 strands of hair and sheds about 100 hairs every day. Hair loss patients may notice that the rate of daily loss is accelerated and new hairs may not regrow from the follicles. Thinning usually becomes visually apparent once half or more of your volume is lost.
What Is Androgenic Alopecia?
Androgenic alopecia, or pattern baldness, is generally gender-specific due to hormonal imbalances in the sexes. Male pattern baldness tends to affect the hairline and crown, leading to a thinning or near-bald scalp, while women tend to retain their hairlines but will have associated thinning in the crown.
Understanding the Hair Growth Cycle
The hair growth cycle occurs in 4 phases:
- Anagen: Hair grows
- Catagen: Hair stops growing
- Exogen: Scalp releases the hair
- Telogen: Follicle rests until new hair growth begins
Factors that shorten the hair growth phase, such as medical conditions and lifestyle choices, cause hairs to grow in shorter and thinner in a process known as miniaturization. If this continues, the hairs can ultimately be lost.
A chemical of the body, DHT, can impact the hair follicle and prevent the normal cycle of hair production and growth. DHT is what testosterone converts to, and it can actually cause the hair follicle to decrease in size. The most prevalent forms of hair loss, which are male and female pattern baldness and alopecia, are at least partially attributed to DHT’s effect on the hair follicles.
Meet Our Surgeons
Dilworth Facial Plastic Surgery combines the expertise of two dual board-certified, fellowship-trained facial plastic surgeons for unparalleled patient care. Dr. Andrea Garcia and Dr. Josh Surowitz offer a unique collaborative approach to facial plastic surgery, working as a compassionate and highly trained duo to bring out the very best in you.
Credentials You Can Trust
What Are the Best Treatments for Hair Loss?
There are a number of solutions for hair loss, including topical medications like minoxidil, oral medications such as finasteride, and surgical hair transplant treatments to restore hair to the head.
As dual board-certified facial plastic surgeons, Dr. Garcia and Dr. Surowitz are passionate about hair restoration. During your consultation, they will review your unique individual needs and help tailor a hair restoration treatment plan best suited to deliver the results you desire. Choices for surgical restoration include the “strip” procedure, which makes use of follicular unit transplant (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE).
What Is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)?
Follicular unit extraction is a hair restoration procedure that uses a “punch” method to extract a single hair follicle from the scalp so it can be grafted to a location of hair loss or decreasing hair density. The vertical motion preserves the surrounding skin, ensuring the components of the follicle are not damaged during the transplant process.
What Is Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)?
A follicular unit transplant is a surgical procedure where a strip of skin containing a healthy hair supply is removed from the scalp, and the hairs are prepared and transferred to areas of thinning. Compared to other surgical hair restoration methods, the biggest benefit of undergoing FUT is that several hairs can be placed at a time, and the results offer natural-looking improvement. A larger amount of hair is available during FUT surgery, and your doctors may be able to transplant more hairs that are of higher quality during the procedure.
What our clients have to say
An awesome experience!!
Both of the physicians are knowledgeable and very friendly. I would definitely refer a friend!
5 star review
- B. Ellerby
How Does Hair Restoration Work?
With FUE, hair follicle units of 1 to 4 hairs are removed using a specialized system that delicately cores around each hair unit. FUT, also known as the “strip” procedure, gets its name from the fact that a single linear strip of hair-bearing scalp is removed from the back and/or sides of your head.
In both methods, hair follicles are transplanted to the areas of loss. Dr. Garcia and Dr. Surowitz make small incisions in the scalp and implant the grafts one by one in a natural pattern. This is a meticulous process, so great care should be taken in selecting a hair transplant surgeon you trust to work with knowledge, experience, and an artistic eye.
Each graft will contain 1 to 4 hairs, surrounded by healthy tissue that allows the graft to remain viable. The total amount harvested will be based on the size of the areas that require restoration. Up to 5,000 grafts can be transplanted in a single session using the “strip” procedure, whereas it is closer to 2,000 with FUE.
With FUE, there are no sutures to remove and no linear scar in the donor area. People who want to wear their hair shorter tend to prefer this method, as there is no need to cover any linear scar.
Both approaches are performed in the comfort of our office under local anesthesia. At the start of the hair transplant procedure, your surgeon will examine your scalp and, with your input, will mark a new hairline for a visual reference. The total number of hair follicles harvested will depend on your specific treatment plan.
What Is Recovery Like After Hair Restoration?
Dr. Garcia and Dr. Surowitz close the “strip” donor site using the most modern surgical techniques to create as minimal a scar as possible on the back of the head. The sutures used in strip excision hair restoration will be removed after 14 days. During that recuperation time, you should avoid strenuous activity.
Several days of recovery time will be required following an FUE session. In general, you may shower without restriction after 4 to 5 days and resume daily activities in about a week. Your surgeons will give you detailed instructions regarding post-procedure care.
When Will I See Results After Hair Restoration?
In the weeks after your surgery, you will notice the transplanted hair shafts beginning to fall out. This is a natural part of the process. New growth will be visible within 3 to 4 months after the session, reaching a significant length in about 6 months. It may take anywhere from 9 months to a year for the ultimate desired results to develop.
The Benefits of Combining FUE With FUT for Hair Restoration
FUE can be performed alongside FUT to tailor the treatment plan to your specific needs. Depending on your remaining viable hair, combining both forms of hair transplant could be the best solution for your case.
FUE may also be paired with PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections or topical application, LLLT (low-level laser therapy) for hair growth, or medications to address the cause of the hair loss.
Hair Restoration FAQ
Does hair restoration treatment really work?
Yes. Tiny hair follicle grafts are carefully harvested and meticulously transplanted to balding or thinning areas of the scalp. The hair falls out of the transplanted follicles in about 2 weeks and generally begins to grow again in about 4 to 6 months.
Is hair loss harder to treat in women?
In women, hair loss is often related to hormones, stress, or medications and may be treated directly. When hair loss is due to female pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia), patients usually have hair thinning over both the top and sides of the head without fully bald spots. Regardless of the reason for hair loss, we have effective treatment options for our female patients.
How long will my results last?
Donor follicles are harvested from areas of the scalp that are not prone to balding, so results are permanent.
Is the treatment painful?
The scalp is numbed with local anesthesia during the surgery, so there is little if any discomfort. After surgery, patients typically experience mild to moderate discomfort that fades in a day or two.
Request Your Consultation
If you would like to meet with our Charlotte hair restoration specialists to discuss what is possible for you, please request your consultation or call (980) 949-6544.
A Reputation Built on Results
I can’t say enough about Dr. Garcia and Dr. Surowitz. They were kind, compassionate, extremely talented...
The surgeons and staff are awesome! I recently had the facial forehead flap surgery and was very nervous...
I searched months for the perfect doctor to remove xanthelasma lesions from both my eyelids. I saw 3...
For me, a superior customer experience begins with initial contact and continues until after the service...