A Remarkable Technique for Hair Transplant: What Really is FUE?

A Remarkable Technique for Hair Transplant: What Really is FUE?

Everybody craves a full and natural head of hair, but for many of us there comes a point in life where hair loss becomes an aesthetic issue. However, this does not have to be a problem, at least not anymore. FUE hair transplantation offers a solution to hair loss with permanent results and without leaving any visible scars.

FUE, known as follicular unit extraction, or sometimes referred to as follicular unit transplantation is a type of hair transplant surgery that involves extracting individual hair follicles from a donor part of the body, usually the sides and back of the scalp/head.

How an FUE hair transplant works

FUE – Follicular Unit Excision (also known as Follicular Unit Extraction) is the most advanced and effective treatment for hair loss in the world. It involves removing individual hair follicles from the areas of the scalp where they are genetically programmed to continue growing for life (usually the back or sides of the head). The surgeon then carefully places them into the areas of hair loss.

In the early stages after the procedure these new hair grafts will naturally shed, but over the next 10 to 15 months the new hairs will grow, thicken, mature and will behave like your original hair. In most cases, if the surgeon has the right combination of technical skill and artistry, the results are excellent. With proper aftercare, the transplant will usually last for life.

Your transplanted hair follicles will retain the characteristics of their origin and continue to grow for life, despite having been moved to an area where hair loss is occurring (a concept known as “donor dominance”). Your newly transplanted hair is not more ‘fragile’ than your normal hair. You can wash it, cut it and generally treat it as you do your original hair.

The 10 advantages of a hair transplant by FUE technique 

• It is minimally invasive

Since it is a minor intervention, performed in a single session and without strict specific needs, it is considered minimally invasive, something that can be verified by the simple fact that the patient leaves the clinic quietly shortly after completing the graft.

• Local anaesthesia is used

This type of anaesthesia facilitates recovery and prompt walking home, as well as allowing the user to be aware of how everything happens (something most patients prefer in minor interventions).

• Scars are invisible

When an individual follicular extraction is performed with a very precise scalpel, the incision is minimal, so much so that the scar that remains when healed is invisible to the eye.

• Hair growth is constant

You are not going to stagnate or need to spend periods hiding at home. With the FUE intervention your hair will grow constantly, checking the results day by day.

• You don’t lose sensitivity

Do not lose sensitivity immediately or in the long term. Once you recover from anaesthesia, your recipient area has 100% sensitivity. So much so that you will begin to feel the pain of having made multiple incisions and you will even have to take medication to soothe it; you will feel everything perfectly!

• Post-treatment care is simple

We have already given the most pressing indications about the post hair surgery process. What we indicate, broadly speaking, is to be very careful with all aggressive actions on the scalp, both physically and in terms of exposure. However, all considerations are simple to comply with and nothing is demanded beyond the obvious that you can imagine: no stretching, no rubbing, sleep carefully the first few days, etc..

• Naturalness of the result

The last of the advantages of a hair transplant using the FUE technique is that completely natural results are obtained. When your post-surgery process is over, no one will know that you’ve grown hair, unless you’re the one commenting on it proud of it. 

The follicular unit extraction method involves the following procedure:

• At the outset, the Doctor anaesthetizes the scalp.
• Using a small microneedle, The doctor makes a circular incision, less than 1 mm in diameter, around a follicular unit on your head, to isolate a graft.
• Then, using a tweezer-like instrument, the doctor extracts the follicular unit from your donor area. Multiple follicular units are extracted like this way.
• Before the process of harvesting the follicular units, tiny holes are drilled on your scalp/head, where hair loss has occurred.
• The follicular units are then placed in these holes, from where they gradually start yielding hair.
• A disinfectant is gently applied to your head after the surgery.
• At the end of the procedure, the doctor will ask you to wear a bandana or a cap to protect your head for a few days.

How long does it take?

An FUE hair transplant can be undergone in either one long session or several smaller sessions depends on the treated area.

It tends to be more time consuming than strip surgery but does not leave the obvious and typical scars that strip procedure does.

The length of time for an FUE procedure can vary, but it usually depends on how many grafts are needed to cover the head.

A smaller procedure, where only around 200 grafts are needed, can be completed in a couple of hours.

However, A larger procedure of around 2,500 to 3,000 grafts will require a session that stretches over two days.

Are there any post-treatment guidelines after the FUE procedure?

• Sleep in a semi-sitting position after the hair restoration surgery. This will help the swelling to reduce faster and prevent you from accidentally touching the areas where the hair follicles have been transplanted.
• Avoid touching, scratching, and rubbing the area that has been treated where the hair follicles have been transplanted.
• Some doctors advise you to gently shampoo your head the very next day of the treatment. Some doctors do not.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions. You may also be advised to shampoo your hair twice a day after around 7 days of the treatment.
• Take the medications prescribed for you by the doctor.
• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol for two weeks after the treatment.
• Cover your head with hats or a bandana to avoid direct contact with UV rays and sun exposure.
• Avoid any form of strenuous activity, Including strenuous exercises for at least 28 to 30 days after an FUE procedure. You can resume mild exercises after around 14 days of the procedure.