At revive, we choose the procedure suited to a particular patient depending upon his grade of hair loss and donor area density.
Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is one of the techniques for obtaining donor hair using small, sharp cylindrical punch (generally 0.8 mm to 1.0 mm in diameter). FUE Technique is a good option for those with early grade of hair loss and has an abundant donor area. More advanced hair loss like Grade 3-5 can be treated with FUE but may require 2 sessions to obtain reasonable number of grafts. Patients who do not want to have linear scars at any time are also candidates for FUE. FUE is done for is for eyebrow, mustache and beard restoration where one can select fine hairs for transplantation.
In contrast to the strip technique, in FUE, a larger area of the donor scalp needs to be shaved.
After harvest of follicles from this area, the resultant scars of the punches in this area must be left behind to heal by themselves. To hide the small scars caused by one punch, one has to leave the surrounding five to six follicular units intact. As a result of this one needs a larger donor area to get the same number of grafts compared to FUT. Larger sessions above 2000 grafts would require harvesting from non-permanent donor/scalp area which has disadvantage of temporary viability of the grafts. In effect it is not advisable to go beyond permanent zone to increase number of grafts. In such event it is advisable to go for strip method – Follicular unit transplantation (FUT).
FUE is marketed as no scar technique. This is not true. While a linear scar is avoided with FUE, large number of circular scars are created. If these scars are joined together it would produce longer scar than in FUT or strip method.
The punch with circular hollow with a diameter of 0.8 to 1.0 millimeter is placed over the visible portion of a follicular unit’s hairs, and pressed downward with manual rotation or motorized device to incise the skin around the follicular unit. The circumferentially cut unit is then manually extracted. This can sometime lead to transection of adjacent follicle and can damage adjacent hair follicles. This does not happen with strip method or FUT as it is done under vision – seeing the direction of the follicle while cutting the grafts.
The implantation process is the same as that of the strip technique except that the grafts from FUE have less tissue surrounding the hair root and needs careful handling.
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