FUE
Follicular unit extraction, also known as FUE Hair Transplant, is a labor-intensive hair transplantation procedure that leaves no apparent scar, thus allowing a patient to wear their hair very short. In traditional follicular unit hair transplantations (FUT), a linear scar is always visible in the area where the hair has been removed. If the patient later decides to shave their head, the scar may be visible. With FUE, this is not the case since every follicular unit is individually extracted leaving the donor area virtually scar-less. The trade off, however, is that the procedure takes much more time and usually involves fewer hairs successfully transplanted at a higher cost.
How is it done?
An instrument is used to make small, circular incision in and around a hair follicle, thereby separating it from the surrounding tissue. This 'unit' is then pulled from the scalp and ready to be implanted to the recipient site.
Our surgeons repeat this process until the desired amount of follicles are attained for the planned hair restoration. Based on the extent of hair restoration, procedure may be done in single or multiple sessions. Donor wounds would approximately be 1 mm in size and generally heal in 1-2 weeks
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Current Practice of FUE
Advantages
- No permanent linear scar
- Comfortable healing process
- Decreased healing time
- Fewer limits on post-op activity
- Viable alternative if decreased scalp laxity
- Useful if limited number of grafts are needed (e.g. eyebrows)
- Good of patient is a poor healer
- Ideal to repair donor scar that cannot be effectively excised
- Able to “cherry pick” most desirable size and caliber FU.
- Good if patient prefers to wear their hair < 2 mm.
Disadvantages
- Fewer permanent hairs transplanted for equal number of hairs in larger (2000+ FU) sessions due to harvesting outside of the safe donor region
- Variable follicle transection (2-10%)
- Small punctate scars
- Time consuming
- Costs more, labor, etc
- Patient has to cut hair very short
- Likely to bury grafts (folliculitis or cysts)
- Scarring of donor area may make subsequent FUE sessions more difficult
- Limited candidates (not ideal for white or curly hair)
- Grafts slightly more fragile and subject to trauma during placing since they often lack the protective dermis and fat of miscroscopically-dissected FUs