Hair Transplant Scars: FUE vs FUT
Written by Michael Seutin,
founder — former nurse, researching transplant pricing.
Published · every medical statement links to its source.
Every hair transplant leaves scars; what differs is their shape. The NHS says the strip method (FUT) leaves a scar on the back of the head that should not be visible unless you have very short hair, while FUE leaves lots of tiny scars that will not be very noticeable[1]. The ISHRS calls "no scar" claims false advertising: FUE almost always leaves small round scars, which can be hidden with short hairstyles when the work is done correctly[2].
FUE: small round dots
Each FUE graft is cut out with a small punch, and a 2026 review says each punch leaves a small wound that heals with some degree of scarring[10]. A 2018 review says these can heal as pinpoint white spots; in skilled hands most are not visible to the eye, but they may show on close inspection with short hair[6]. The same review says they are more apparent on darker skin, and that aggressive large sessions can leave thousands of them visible on a shaved head[6]. A 2021 review says loss of colour is more common in FUE scars than in strip scars[7].
Technique changes how they look. A 2026 review recommends small punches of 0.8 to 0.9 mm, an even extraction pattern and enough spacing, and says patients should be told about donor scarring beforehand, particularly if they plan to shave their scalp[10]. Done badly, the ISHRS says FUE can thin the donor area diffusely and leave visible scarring[2].
FUT: one line
FUT removes a strip of scalp 0.5 to 1.5 cm wide and 5 to 30 cm long from the back of the head and closes the wound with stitches or staples, leaving a linear scar[4]. The ISHRS describes a trichophytic closure, trimming about a millimetre from one edge of the wound so hair grows through the scar and makes it harder to see[4]. What makes the line wider:
- A wider strip. In 30 men who had FUT at an Indian teaching hospital, scar width rose with strip width, and satisfaction was higher when the strip was kept under 1.3 cm[8].
- A stretchier scalp. In a 2017 study of 88 strip patients, scar width at 10 months rose with how lax and elastic the scalp was before surgery[9].
- Age. The ISHRS says FUT scars heal better with each decade of life[4], and a 2021 review says younger patients are more likely to get a wider scar[7].
- Strain while it heals. A 2018 review says scars take weeks or months to mature, and that ignoring restrictions on bending the neck can stretch the wound[6].
Raised scars and keloids
They are rare. A 2018 review calls keloid and hypertrophic scars a rare entity, and found only two case reports of them at the donor site after FUE[6]. One surgeon's record of 2,896 patients in India lists one keloid[7], and in the 30-man strip study, two patients had a hypertrophic scar[8]. A 2026 review says abnormal donor scarring after FUE is rare compared with the linear scarring of FUT, names a personal or family history of abnormal scarring and darker skin among the risk factors, and suggests a small test session for people at high risk[10]. If you have ever scarred badly, say so at the consultation.
How short can you cut your hair?
Short, usually; shaved, ask first. The ISHRS says FUE lets a patient wear a more closely cropped style because there is no linear scar[5]. The NHS says the FUT scar should not be visible unless you have very short hair[1]. For a fully shaved head, the ISHRS says the dots and the line are not an issue unless the scalp is entirely shaved, and that after either method you will be unable to shave your head[3]; a 2021 review says FUE dot scars are visible on a cleanly shaved head[7].
The recipient area
The front of the scalp can scar too, though differently: bumpy, uneven skin around the grafts is called cobblestoning, and a 2018 review traces it to grafts placed at the wrong depth or into slits that are too small[6].
If a scar bothers you
The ISHRS lists ways to correct an unfavourable strip scar: cutting it out and closing it again, transplanting grafts into it, or scalp micropigmentation, a tattoo that matches the skin or mimics hair follicles[4]. A 2021 review calls scalp micropigmentation an excellent non-surgical way to camouflage a wide scar[7]. A 2026 review says mild loss of colour after FUE often improves as the scalp repigments or hair covers it[10]. Start with the surgeon who treated you, and ask what they would recommend for your scar and why.
Which techniques the clinics we track list
Read from our directory each time this page loads, with the same filter as our clinic search. A clinic can list more than one technique, so the counts overlap.
A count says which techniques a clinic's directory entry lists. It is not a count of procedures performed, and not a verdict on any clinic's scarring.
Sources
Primary sources only: the NHS, the FCDO, the ISHRS and peer-reviewed papers on PubMed and PubMed Central. Each was opened and read on the date shown.
- Hair transplant — NHS. Read 2026-10-23.
- A Guide to Hair Transplant Surgery — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-23.
- Androgenetic Alopecia: A Guide to Pattern Hair Loss — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-23.
- FUT Hair Transplant: Benefits, Procedure & Recovery — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-23.
- FUE Hair Transplant: Benefits, Process & Recovery — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-23.
- Complications in Hair Transplantation (Kerure & Patwardhan, J Cutan Aesthet Surg, 2018) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-23.
- Complications of Hair Transplant Procedures: Causes and Management (Garg & Garg, Indian J Plast Surg, 2021) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-23.
- A Study of Donor Area in Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation (Nirmal et al., J Cutan Aesthet Surg, 2013) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-23.
- Association between scalp laxity, elasticity, and glidability and donor strip scar width in hair transplantation (Park, Dermatol Surg, 2017) — PubMed. Read 2026-10-23.
- Complications in follicular unit excision hair transplantation: current evidence and practical approaches (Romera de Blas et al., Front Med, 2026) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-23.
Read next
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Questions, answered
Yes, always. The NHS says FUT leaves a scar on the back of the head and FUE leaves lots of tiny scars, and the ISHRS says no surgery is scarless despite online marketing to the contrary.
Different scarring rather than none. FUE leaves small round dots spread over the donor area and FUT leaves one line. A 2026 review says abnormal scarring after FUE is rare compared with the linear scarring of FUT.
Ask your surgeon first. The ISHRS says FUE dots and the FUT line are not an issue unless the scalp is entirely shaved, and a 2021 review says FUE's tiny dot scars are visible on a cleanly shaved head.