A Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE, hair transplant is a harvesting method of hair transplant surgery. Many consider FUE a minimally invasive method because a small “punch” is used to harvest single hair grafts one at a time. The result is hundreds or thousands of round “holes” where the donor hair follicles are taken.
FUE has been popular since 2002 when the technique was introduced to the world by Dr. William Rassman, a Los Angeles hair restoration surgeon. The pain and recovery of FUE harvesting is less than the traditional strip surgery.
Doctors use a tool to help the extraction process. There are many handheld devices including Neograft, Smartgraft, SAFE system, ARTAS, Ugraft, WAW FUE, FUE2 crown, manual punch, and crown punch, among others. When using these devices, the doctor manually harvests each graft of hair follicles.
Neograft and Smartgraft devices use suction to remove the grafts from the scalp. SAFE, WAW, and Ugraft use a rotational or vibratory motion to remove the grafts. ARTAS uses a combination of methods using a robot. The speed of harvesting is dependent on the surgeon, not the machine.
Is FUE Hair Transplant right for me (FUE vs FUT technique for Hair Restoration)?
If you are interested in hair transplant surgery, the FUE harvesting method may be one of your primary considerations since it is advertised as a “no scar” surgery.
While it’s true the FUE technique won’t leave you with a large linear scar, it can leave tiny round scars. If you shave your head, it’s possible these tiny scars could be noticeable. This can be especially problematic when large donations, more than 3,000 grafts, are required.
FUE is popular for people who want to wear their hair short, but FUE is often associated with a higher transection rate compared to a FUT or strip method of harvesting. Higher transection means more hair follicles are wasted.
The ARTAS robot may be advertised to have a lower transection rate, but that is in comparison with the average doctors who may not specialize in FUE. According to expert FUE surgeons can also harvest much faster than the robot saving precious hair follicle time out of body, which contribute to better growth.
FUE harvesting requires shaving the back and sides of your head for the surgery. This can be a problematic social issue if you don’t want anyone to notice you had surgery. A FUT surgery does not require one to shave their hair. If you have longer hair, the FUE procedure may not make sense since you would have to shave the donor area for the harvesting.
Most FUE candidates choose the procedure so that they can wear their hair short since the tiny scars are not apparent. If this is not a concern for you, you can go with the strip technique since it can yield more hairs in one session and is less expensive.
It’s recommended that people younger than 25 wait to have the procedure because they are likely to be early in the balding process and the final pattern of their hairline can still be unknown. This is only a general rule as you can be completely bald at the age of 20.
Procedure Steps for FUE Hair Transplant
- Consultation with patient: Detailed clinical evaluation of donor and recipient area is to be done. The details of the procedure are explained to the patient. All the queries of the patient are answered and the patient is mentally prepared for hair restorative surgery. Here are quick FAQs to answer the most common questions related to hair transplant surgery.
- Marking of frontal and temporal hairline.
- Trimming of hair of scalp
- Position and local anesthesia in donor area
- Harvesting of hair follicles from donor area
- Anesthesia in bald area (block) and small mini incision making
- Implantation/ insertion of hair follicles
Book a consultation with Hair Transplant Surgeon: Dr. Navdeep Chavan (+91-9407213371), Gwalior
Book a consultation, take an opinion and evaluate yourself. By consulting with experienced surgeon you will get a professional evaluation and hair restorative plan (medical /surgical) as well as an estimate of the procedure. For free consultation call at +91-9407213371.
View our surgery results here: Pre & Post images for Hair Transplant surgery, Gwalior.
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