It's a type of surgery that moves hair you already have,to fill an area with thin or no hair. Doctors have been doing these transplants in the U.S. since the 1950s, but techniques have changed a lot in recent years.one of two methods for the transplant: follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) or follicular unit extraction (FUE).
Hair transplant FUE as a procedure only refers to the method of excising follicular units from the scalp
- Manual FUE
- Handheld motorized FUE
- Robotic FUE
- Automated FUE
Just as every patient is different, each doctor is different as well. They each have preferences for what works best in their hands and for their patients. Itʼs a good idea to understand which medical devices or methods of FUE are available to you but the first priority should be the results of the clinic you are considering. We encourage patients to seek qualified hair restoration physicians that are open about their approach to surgery and are happy to discuss their chosen tools of the trade for your particular goals.
Depending on the size of the transplant youʼre getting, the process will take about 4 to 8 hours. You might need another procedure later on if you continue to lose hair or decide you want thicker hair. 1 Feel better quicker: patients experience less post-op discomfort and, although the scars are more numerous, they are smaller and require less time to heal.
Advantage and disadvantages of FUE/FUT
- Wider harvesting options: by extracting each follicle individually, the choice of donor area is increased. With FUE, transplanting hairs from the nape (otherwise considered too fine) is a possibility, as is body or beard hair.
- A more discreet scar: with FUT hair transplants, the strip produces a linear scar that, if you like to wear your hair short, is sometimes evident.
- Better for those more likely to scar: for those for whom the risk of scarring is greater – thatʼs you if you are young,
Disadvantages of FUE
- Lesser graft quality: without the protective dermis and fat of the microscopically dissected grafts, the follicles run a greater risk of being traumatised or impaired at the implantation stage. Furthermore, the time they are outside the body tends to be longer than follicular unit transplant grafts and this can be detrimental to their health.
- It all takes that bit longer: FUE is a painstaking process and there is a limit to how much can be done in a single session. Depending on the number of transplants, treatment may run to two consecutive days. This also has an impact on the price.
- Subsequent FUE sessions may be problematic: where repeat FUT sessions simply excise the donor area scar so there is only ever one scar to conceal, FUE donor scars are additive, accumulating additional scars with each treatment.