FUE stands for Follicular Unit Extraction. It is a hair transplant procedure that consists of removing individual hair follicles from one place on the scalp and placing them in another where the hair has thinner grown or is absent. The surgeons extract in a way that leaves no sign of extraction, in some cases minor side effects such as white scars on the extraction areas. The session can take from two up to four hours and the sessions continue for several days before the procedure is complete. The transformation and hair growth don’t start imminently but it can take three to four months for the hair to start growing. Although hair transplants can be seen as expensive for some people, FUE hair transplants are permanent and can last a lifetime. That means people who are looking for hair growth treatments don’t have to spend money on temporary treatments that have no lasting solution. You can learn more about our services and FUE hair transplant procedure at Hair Transplant in Cyprus.
There are many different methods and techniques for each stage of the FUE treatment that surgeons use to perform the hair transplant procedure. There are two stages to the procedure. One is the harvest of the hair on the donor site and the other one is the implantation of the hair in the new area where the new hair will be growing.
Of course, to harvest the hair, the donor site must be prepared and shaved. There are three options for shaving. The first one is an electric clipper you shave the whole area so it will be easier for the surgeon to harvest, then there is partial shaving that will only take a specific part of the donor area and the rest can be trimmed later for further harvesting and the last one is scissor trimming in very small areas while keeping the rest of the hair long. This makes the procedure less noticeable during the recovery.
Following are the methods used for the harvest of hair and implanting of the follicle. Each surgeon might use different methods and others stick to one that they depend on their training and experiences. Nonetheless, the patient should be able to talk about the different methods the doctor will be using and know what techniques are going to be performed on them.
- Motorized
This method and technique use a specific tool for extracting individual hair follicles without traumatising or injuring the hair follicle. These tools can be found in three different machines called Neograft, SmartGraft and Travellini. These machines have adjusted rotation settings, oscillation and vibration and extract the hair follicle from the skin. The most advanced is the Travellini since is the newest and most adaptable of the three.
- Robotic
This tool also known as Artas Robot and Artas iX has automated features in extracting the hair follicles, creating the new recipient sites on the area that needs implantation and placing the hair. This tool that seems to be so helpful and advanced has its disadvantages. The disadvantages are the following.
- This machine has a very expensive cost, so many doctors can’t afford it easily and not many can afford this procedure.
- It only works on dark hair so if the patient has white, blond, or red hair they will need to dye it before.
- Only works on a flat grid when working on the location of implantation so that makes the areas of implantation very specific and limited.
- Lastly, it can take around the same time that the motorized treatment but will need more technicians to operate on it at the same time.
- Manual
This is a sharp blunt-tipped tool that will rotate manually and will harvest the skin to extract the hair follicle.
After the surgeon extracts the hair follicle from the donor area, they must implant it in the new area that has very thin or absent hair. The two ways to implant the hair are the following.
- Needles
These needles can be bent to control the depth of the follicle so they can make recipient sites on the implantation area the exact size. Needles seem to be the most effective solution because of their shape can cause less bleeding.
- Blades
Blades create precise recipient sites, but the surgeon is responsible for controlling the depth. Also, blades are sharper than needles and can be used to control the grid of the graft properly.
There is no wrong or right technique or method for the FUE hair transplant procedure. Every doctor has their preference and the choice of the instrument they prefer using depends on their training and their experience in the field.
