Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a safe, minimally invasive procedure that uses your hair to thicken areas of thin or missing hair. This technique is becoming more popular than classic follicular unit transplantation (FUT). FUE is a scalp and facial hair restoration technique that uses punches with small diameters (0,8-1 mm) to extract intact follicular units. Initially, this technique was not widely accepted due to the difficulty of achieving good results using such small punches.
Donor Area
Follicular Unit Extraction is a variation of the surgical hair restoration technique known as follicular unit transplantation (FUT). This approach relocates whole follicular units from your donor zone to areas affected by baldness or thinning. Follicular unit extraction involves removing individual follicular units from your scalp in a non-linear pattern without leaving a suture-closed incision, so it’s less invasive than strip harvesting. It makes it an excellent option for people who prefer to wear short hair.
Larger punches can leave hypopigmented pinpoint scars, while smaller ones can cause too many transections of the hair follicle and produce a moth-eaten appearance. Fortunately, advancements in instrumentation have improved the number of intact follicular units that can be harvested using this technique.
Cost
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), a surgical hair restoration technique, encourages new hair growth by transplanting individual follicular units. Similar to a hair transplant, the process. Still, unlike the traditional strip method that leaves a linear scar, FUE uses small punches to extract individual hair follicles from the scalp. Ultimately, this results in less recovery time and better-looking results.
During the FUE process, anesthesia is administered to ensure your comfort. The surgeon will use a small, handheld tool to create tiny holes in your scalp. These holes will then be filled with follicular units extracted from the donor area. The regions with hair loss or thinning will then get transplanted follicular units.
Although the FUE technique is more labor-intensive than the traditional strip technique, it produces significantly more natural-looking results. In addition, it has minimal visible scarring. The surgeon can also create a more precise haircut than the strip technique. The number of follicular units required to treat your problem regions will determine how much the surgery will cost. Remember that the more follicular units you need, the higher the overall cost of your treatment will be. FUE is a great option for those who want to address common cosmetic concerns like baldness and hair thinning. However, it is also used for more complex issues, such as alopecia areata and traction alopecia.
Recovery
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a minimally invasive hair restoration procedure that involves harvesting and implanting individual follicles into areas of the scalp suffering from thinning or balding. Unlike a strip transplant, where a large portion of the scalp is removed and then stitched together, FUE uses micro-punching to extract each graft one at a time. It allows your physician to avoid leaving any visible scarring after the hair transplant. During the procedure, your doctor will shave the back of your head so they can access the hair follicles beneath the skin. Each follicle is then extracted using a tiny circular incision, leaving a small opening that heals within a few days. The opening will not appear once your hair grows; a short haircut or a beard can hide it. FUE has become increasingly popular due to its comparatively “scarless” healing process, faster recovery, and ability to produce natural-looking results. This method has also allowed for a wider range of dermatological indications like facial hair restoration, body hair transplant, stable vitiligo, scarring alopecia, and even hirsutism.
Surgeon
Follicular unit extraction is a surgical hair transplant that moves healthy living hair follicles to the areas of your scalp where hair is thinner or missing. In addition to restoring your natural-looking appearance, this advanced procedure effectively halts further hair loss. It has a much lower recovery period than the strip harvesting method. Because no large portion of the donor scalp is removed with this technique, there is less scarring. You can resume your usual schedule within a week and return to work. However, you should avoid using steam rooms and swimwear until the incision has healed. As the name suggests, this procedure uses a series of tiny punctures to extract individual hair follicles from your scalp. The follicular units of one to four hairs each are then moved to your thinning or balding areas, where they can grow naturally.
Follicular unit extraction was once a controversial alternative to the strip technique, but improvements in instrument technology have made it competitive with the latter. The quality of your results depends not only on the type of instrument used but also on your surgeon’s experience and skill. Some surgeons use sharp manual punches, while others prefer motorized systems with blunt punches. The key is to avoid the common mistake of twisting the punch, which can damage the follicles.
