FUT Hair Transplant (Strip Method) in Raleigh, NC

FUT leaves a single thin linear scar at the back of the scalp, which is easily hidden by the surrounding hair, a great option if you plan to keep your hair at a medium-to-long length. FUE instead leaves many small round scars, about 1mm each, spread across the donor area; these are less noticeable with short hair but add up in number with future procedures. Neither scar type is typically visible in everyday life once healed, but which one fits you best really comes down to how short you like to wear your hair and how many grafts you need. Dr. Zacco can walk you through the tradeoffs for your specific case in a free consultation.

Yes. FUT grafts are harvested from the back of the scalp, an area that’s genetically resistant to balding, and that resistance carries over once the hair is transplanted, meaning it continues to grow naturally for life, just like the rest of your donor hair. Results build gradually as the grafts take root, typically reaching full growth by around 12 months. Take a look at our before-and-after gallery to see real, permanent results from actual patients.

Yes! Using advanced dissection and precise graft placement under a binocular microscope, Dr. Zacco designs your FUT results to look completely natural. Each graft is placed to follow your own natural hair growth pattern, direction, and density, so the transplanted hair blends seamlessly with what’s already there rather than looking like a procedure was done. See our before-and-after gallery to view real patient results.

Most patients find FUT far more comfortable than they expect. We use our Ouchless Injection Technique along with Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) and local anesthesia to keep you comfortable throughout the procedure itself. Afterward, most patients need little more than an over-the-counter pain reliever like Tylenol for any mild discomfort, and the vast majority don’t need prescription pain medication at all. Schedule a free consultation to learn exactly what to expect for your case.

Look for a clinic where the doctor, not a technician, personally performs your procedure, since experience and hands-on skill directly affect graft survival and how natural your results look. At AZ Hair Restoration, Dr. Arthur Zacco brings over 30 years of hands-on hair restoration experience and personally handles every donor harvest and graft placement, rather than delegating to staff. Beyond experience, it’s worth checking that a clinic offers transparent pricing, a genuine free consultation (not a sales pitch), and real, verifiable patient results, all of which you’ll find here. Schedule a free consultation to see for yourself.

Yes — FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation), the “strip method,” and “strip hair transplant” all refer to exactly the same procedure at AZ Hair Restoration; they’re just different names people use for it. The name comes from how donor hair is harvested: a thin strip of scalp tissue is removed and dissected into individual grafts under a microscope, rather than extracting follicles one at a time as with FUE. If you’ve seen any of these terms used elsewhere, they’re all describing this same technique.

FUT typically allows for more grafts in a single session than FUE, often 2 to 3 times as many, because the strip method causes far less follicle transection (damage during harvesting), roughly 3% compared to 30–50% with FUE. At AZ Hair Restoration, procedures cover up to 3,500 follicular units in one session, making FUT a strong option if you have significant hair loss and want to maximize coverage without multiple separate procedures.

The donor area typically heals within about 10 days, which is when sutures are removed. You may notice the transplanted hair shed within two to four weeks after the procedure, this is completely normal and expected. New growth then begins around the three-month mark, with full results visible by about 12 months. Most patients return to normal daily activities within a few days, though more strenuous exercise is usually paused briefly during initial healing.

FUT leaves a single thin linear scar at the back of the scalp where the donor strip was removed, closed using an advanced technique designed to minimize its visibility. Once healed, it’s easily concealed by the surrounding hair at a normal length, and it’s generally not something other people would notice in everyday interactions. If you prefer to keep your hair very short, this is worth discussing with Dr. Zacco, since FUE may be a better fit in that specific case.