FUT- (Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation -) Megasession (strip method with > 3000 follicular units per session.
Important information: Dr. Heitmann no longer performs FUT hair transplants and only performs hair transplants with the FUE technique!
In the last 10 years, modern hair surgery has undergone a remarkable development (see also generally on hair transplantation). Thus, it has currently become possible to transplant more than 3000 follicular units (natural groupings of 1 - 4 hairs) in a single day.
In the first step, the donor area, the so-called donor area, is locally anaesthetised and then a strip of skin up to 30 cm long and 1.5 cm wide is surgically removed. This strip of skin is extremely densely haired and normally consists of more than 3000 hair follicle groupings (= follicular units with 1 - 4 hair roots). The surgical wound created in the donor area is closed with a fine suture. In the further course of healing, a narrow scar develops here, which is usually completely covered by the neighbouring hairs of the donor area above (in individual cases even with a short hairstyle). It must be pointed out, however, that in principle every surgical scar, including this one, is permanent and lifelong. The initial wound pain should pass quickly, and any numbness at the back of the head is usually limited in time (approx. 6 - 12 months). Most patients do not have any problems with this inconvenience.
In the second step, 4 - 6 technical assistants very carefully and with the help of a stereomicroscope dissect the previously removed skin strip into 2500 - 4000 grafts. Each of these grafts contains a hair root grouping (= follicular unit) with 1 - 4 hairs. This procedure follows the natural mixed arrangement of hair root groupings of different sizes in the anatomy of the hairy back of the head. With a large number (usually more than 1000) of so-called single hair grafts, the new hairline can be made so natural (assuming proper implantation and an aesthetic redistribution pattern) that it can hardly be recognized as different from an untreated hairline spared from hair loss.
The third step involves the implantation of the microscopically prepared follicular units into the areas of the upper head affected by hair loss. After shaving and local anaesthesia of the recipient area (shaving can possibly be avoided in individual cases), Dr. Heitmann creates the numerous (> 3000) incisions (= incisions = minimal recipient openings) using the finest instruments. The follicular unit grafts (= hair roots) are then inserted very, very carefully and with the greatest precision by 2 - 3 technical assistants.
The fine incisions in the recipient area are hardly measurable in terms of their surface area and are just large enough to enclose the prepared follicular unit grafts without any margin. This means that there is no significant scarring in the recipient area, and possible circulatory disturbances of the scalp can be avoided. This, in turn, enables so-called dense packing, i.e. hair densities of 45 - 70 follicular units per cm² can be achieved in one session. A densification treatment is then generally no longer necessary (= one-pass result).
Attractively high densities are of course very important for the hairline and the immediate area behind it, as these areas are directly visible to outsiders. Due to the always limited number of follicular units obtained, these must then - in the less visible areas behind - be more or less spread out.
When making incisions, it is also very important that the angle or direction of the incision is oriented to the direction of growth of the remaining hair. Even in bald areas, miniaturised residual hairs can still be found, which can serve as a model in this respect.
You can imagine that such a treatment is very labour-intensive and time-consuming. With a mega session of more than 3000 follicular unit grafts, the treatment usually takes 9 - 10 hours or more.
Please also visit our subpages “Results and Videos” and “Hair Transplantation Price and Cost)”.
