Do you look at old pictures and reminisce about having a full head of hair? While losing hair generally doesn’t cause health concerns, it can take a toll on your mental health. If you want to restore your hair and replenish your self-confidence, follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is a great option.
There’s no one better place to look for FUT than at Hair Doc, located in San Francisco, California. Read on to hear about how they work and if it’s right for you.
As you get older, you’ve probably noticed some degree of hair loss and slower hair growth. Both men and women may experience this, but it's more common among men — 53% of men over 40 experience moderate to extensive hair loss.
Hair loss, also called androgenic alopecia, happens when your hair follicles get smaller and slowly stop producing hair. While this can happen as early as your teens, most people notice these changes at a later age. You’ve probably noticed this when seeing a receding hairline or bald spot on the crown of your head.
Factors linked to hair loss include:
While some people aren’t bothered by hair loss, others wish to improve it. Undergoing FUT is one of the best ways to restore your hair for a more youthful appearance.
Surgeons have been using FUTs for over 20 years. Today, technology makes the results more impressive than ever. But how exactly does a FUT work?
During an FUT, Peter Panagotacos, MD, makes an incision on the back or side of your head, removing hair follicles to be transplanted in the area you’re balding. The incision with an FUT is in a strip, generally around half an inch wide. Dr. Panagotacos transplants the follicles on your head and he seals the incisions with sutures.
Dr. Panagotacos hides incisions within your natural hairline so no scarring is visible. FUT is done as an outpatient procedure and can be completed in 4-8 hours.
As a minimally invasive procedure, FUT provides a natural, but younger-looking you. While the results of FUT aren’t immediate, most patients agree they’re worth the wait. The newly transplanted hair takes several months to start its growth process and takes some time to regain thickness.
Most patients start to see thicker, fuller hair around six months with peak results at a year. Not only will you have thicker hair you can run your fingers through, but you’ll look 5-7 years younger.
If you like what you hear so far about FUT, you're probably wondering whether or not it hurts. Dr. Panagotacos administers local anesthesia and possibly a sedative to help keep you comfortable during your procedure. This allows you to feel no pain or discomfort during the procedure so it's incredibly tolerable.
In the weeks after your procedure, you may experience some tenderness and tightness from the incision. Dr. Panagotacos will provide you with a post-operative kit and instructions on how to alleviate discomfort and promote healthy healing.
While you’re free to return to work the next day, it often takes patients approximately five weeks to heal.
FUT and follicular unit extraction (FUE) are two of the leading hair transplant surgeries. Deciding to undergo a hair transplant is a personal surgery and should only be done for you. Here are some benefits of FUT.
While an FUE is good for early stages of balding, FUT is better if you have moderate to severe hair loss. No shaving of the treated area is required with FUT and the procedure can be repeated in the future for better results.
FUT requires a larger graft of hairs to be achieved than FUE and allows for a larger area to be treated in one procedure. FUT is a shorter procedure and provides more effective results for some patients.
Find out if FUT is right for you today. Call 415-907-7355 to secure your consultation or book online.
