Hair Transplants vs Hair Plugs – Everything you need to know

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Hair plugs are a very old style of hair transplant that was first performed in the 1950s before being phased out in the early 2000s.

Whilst hair plugs are an obsolete type of hair transplantation technique. The term hair plugs is often still used when referring to other more modern types of hair transplant techniques. [1]

What are hair plugs?

During a hair plug treatment, surgeons would remove sections of skin and hair follicles from the back of the scalp and implant them into the areas being treated.

Whilst it sounds similar to modern hair transplant procedures, there are a lot of differences, and it is very unlikely that any reputable hair transplant surgeons will still be offering traditional hair plug techniques.

Hair Plugs vs FUE Hair Transplant

Hair Plug	FUE Hair Transplant
A typical hair plug graft contains 20 hairs	A typical hair transplant graft contains 1-4 hairs.
Can take up to 16 weeks to complete the procedure.	Procedure complete in 4-8 hours (on average).
Can give an unnatural doll head appearance.	A more natural-looking result that blends into the existing hair.
Larger incisions	Small incisions
Lower success rate	High success rate
Outdated technique	One of the most advanced hair transplant techniques
Noticeable scarring	Minimal scarring
Requires significant care and attention post-procedure.	Reduced recovery time and aftercare.

Are hair plugs fake?

Hair plugs were not made of fake hair, they were real hair from your own scalp. The fake appearance of them instead was down to the size of the plugs often having 20 hair follicles and the technique in which they were implanted which often resulted in large gaps in between each 20 hair follicles. This often gave a doll head appearance that looked unnatural.

Modern Hair Transplant procedures

If seeking a hair transplant procedure these days, it will be very unlikely that hair plugs are an option. Modern hair transplants are now much more advanced procedures where instead of the surgeon removing hair plugs of up to 20 hairs, hair grafts are now taken with 1-4 follicular units or hairs.

Smaller follicular units allow the surgeon to follow the natural growth patterns of the hair allowing for it to blend in for a much more natural result.

There are two types of modern hair transplant methods available in the hair restoration market today:

FUE Hair Transplant – An FUE Hair transplant procedure takes extracts hair follicles from the donor area which are then implanted into the areas of the scalp being treated.
FUT Hair Transplant – An FUT Hair transplant procedure cuts a strip of skin from the donor area which the hair follicles are then extracted from. The method of implantation is then very similar to that of an FUE Hair Transplant procedure.

At The Private Clinic, we offer our patients the FUE Hair Transplant procedure over FUT procedures as we wish to leave the donor area looking intact after a hair transplant procedure. A FUT hair transplant procedure involves a large linear scar at the back of the head.

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What are the hair plugs scars like?

Previously large polka dot scars were left following hair plug procedures which were noticeable and hard to conceal. An FUE Hair Transplant procedure involves making very small entry points into the scalp which leave minimal scarring that is hardly noticeable, even if the hair is short. Find out more about Hair Transplant scarring here.

FUE Hair Transplant Results

FUE Hair Transplant before and after result, temples

FUE Hair Transplant before and after result photos, temple hair restoration

FUE Hair Transplant before and after results, temple and hairline restoration

FUE Hair Transplant before and after results, frontal region restoration

See more FUE Hair Transplant Results

Summary

In summary, there is no real comparison between getting hair plugs or an FUE Hair Transplant as the option for hair plug procedures is very limited these days as it is an outdated technique.

Newer hair transplant techniques provide patients with a more efficient and effective procedure that provides more natural-looking results.

Why choose The Private Clinic for a Hair Transplant?

You will be treated by highly experienced Doctors who are highly skilled in FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) and treat hundreds of patients every year.
FUE is a minimally invasive treatment (meaning there is no cutting of a strip), and is carried out under local anaesthetic – many patients either watch TV or even fall asleep during the procedure.
You won’t require any stitches after your treatment. This means that the recovery time is also reduced when compared to Strip surgery (FUT). Find out more about FUE Hair Transplant aftercare here.
We use the finest instruments, resulting in as minimal trauma to your scalp as possible.
Thanks to our advanced skills and techniques, our team ensure that the donor looks intact after the hair transplant procedure and you can keep your hair really short if you prefer without any obvious scarring.
Following treatment, there will be no linear scarring across the back of your head as seen with the strip method (FUT) – you’ll be free to wear your hair long or short.
We choose the best follicular unit (a group of hairs), this ensures that only the strongest, healthiest grafts are used for your hair transplant procedure. See our Hair Transplant videos here.
Your results will look natural, with denser packing – the hair is implanted in the direction that matches your hair growth.
We are one of the very few clinics able to offer the Unshaven Hair Transplant (U-FUE) (the long-hair hair transplant), to those who prefer not to shave beforehand. At your consultation, we will be able to advise you on whether an unshaven procedure is suitable for you.
Scars resulting from injuries or previous surgeries can also be corrected. In fact, 30% of all patients that come to us have been somewhere before and need further work to improve on a disappointing result. This could be a previous bad hair transplant or we can cover linear scars caused by FUT hair transplants. Find out more here.
We treat Afro-Caribbean hair loss, as well as eyebrows, beard and facial hair.