How is an FUT performed?

The FUT procedure is performed with the patient either sitting upright or facedown in a surgical chair. A small section of hair will be shaved along the back of the scalp in order to be prepared for the extraction process.

Local anesthesia is used to numb the donor section, and no intravenous or general anesthesia will be required: the patient is awake and alert for the entire duration of the procedure. Once the small donor area is completely numb, the surgeon will extract the “strip” of tissue using sterilized surgical equipment and subsequently join the skin edges with a multilayer closure technique.

The sutures used are dissolvable and will be absorbed by the surrounding skin over the next 2-3 weeks. The hair above and below the suture will remain its original length, meaning that as long as the patient’s hair is at least 2 inches long, the suture will be completely covered by the surrounding hair.

The extraction process normally takes no longer than 10-20 minutes, and for the remaining duration of the procedure the patient will sit upright in the surgical chair. From there, a hairline will be designed according to the patient’s desires and the scalp will be numbed in preparation for the actual transplantation of hair bundles.

If a beard or eyebrow transplant is being performed, the areas selected for transplantation will be outlined and anesthetized according to their need. A television with streaming services will be available for the patient to watch as the surgical team transplant the hairs into the necessary areas, and breaks will be provided at the patient’s discretion. All in all, most of the day will be spent watching television and/or relaxing in the chair as each hair is carefully transplanted into the desired location.