Less invasive than other grafting techniques, the FUE procedure does not use a scalpel and removes follicular units one by one using circular micro-punches whose diameter does not exceed 0.9 mm. This technique has become very popular because it does not leave a scar at the sampling area, as may be the case with the FUSS technique.


Its main advantage as well as its main disadvantage is the extension of the donor zone from 30 to 50%, which makes it possible to increase the number of possible transplants. Should the baldness continue to spread, the whole donor zone will have been used.


HOW DOES THE PROCEDURE WORK?

#1 LOCAL ANESTHESIA

The operation is very mild and therefore takes place under local anesthesia. This is made painless by the prior application of an anesthetic cream.


#2 SHAVING

This step isolates and chooses the best available grafts and isolates the selected follicles without before extracting them from the donor area.


#3 GRAFT EXTRACTION

The grafts are extracted one by one with the help of a micro-clamp. Once extracted, they will be preserved in a saline solution to be then checked and sorted before implantation.


#4 GRAFT AREA PREPARATION

Very small incisions will be made on the treatment area to prepare the skull for graft implantation. This step is crucial and determines the final result of the graft: the incisions are made very close together to imitate natural growth patterns and take angle into account which will determine the direction of hair regrowth.


#5 Implantation

The follicles are irregularly implanted, one by one, in the incisions in order to look as natural as possible. This step is carried out in several sessions, with 1000-5000 hairs implanted each time.


#6 RESULTS

Traces of the procedure fade after ten days and the site will resume its normal appearance in 15 to 20 days. Grafted hair will fall out after 15 days and regrow completely after 12 months.


WHEN TO CHOOSE FUE GRAFTS?

The FUE technique should be chosen especially in patients who have a good capillary density and whose evolutionary androgenetic alopecia is minimal.

It is thus recommended in the following cases:

  • Average male and female androgenic alopecia
  • Inflexible scalp
  • Patients who do not wish to use the strip graft method

PROS OF FUE GRAFTS

  • The small round scars in the area of sampling are almost imperceptible to the naked eye and heal in a few days after the procedure.
  • There are no sutures
  • It also provides an aesthetic and definitive correction of most alopecia

CONS OF FUE GRAFTS

Importantly, each implanted hair is permanently removed from the collection area.

  • The sampling becomes increasingly random at any subsequent sessions.
  • It is a technique that is often advised against for women because of the low density of hair in the donor area and the shaving necessary for the procedure.