Baldness is a problem for many men. Luckily enough, there are two different hair restoration methods: follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) that can help patients regain beautiful, healthy hair. In this article, we list the most important information about the FUE hair transplant and its advantages. Patients interested in medical tourism will often choose to undergo the FUE method in Turkey because of the lower costs compared to the UK.
What is FUE?
FUE is one of the two hair transplant methods, preferred by many eligible patients because it involves less scarring compared to the other available solution.
The eligibility criteria for hair transplant is for the patient to have an area of healthy hair, one that is not affected by alopecia or where the hair has already thinned. This will be the donor area and healthy hair follicles will be extracted from it.
What is the actual procedure for FUE?
In follicular unit extraction, FUE, the doctor extracts individual hair follicles from the aforementioned donor area. For many patients, this can be at the back of the neck. After this step is complete, the follicles are transplanted to the areas affected by hair loss. The hair harvest tool works by punching very small holes in the skin, in order to reach to the root of the hair follicles and pluck them out. This is minimally invasive compared to the follicular unit transplantation where a strip of skin with hair is removed altogether from the donor area.
What are the benefits of the FUE procedure?
Follicular unit extraction is preferred because of the following advantages:
– less scarring: there is no linear scar, like in the case of the FUT procedure;
– quick recovery: the grafted units will take approximately five days to heal;
– a natural look: because the hairs are extracted individually and inserted precisely as needed, the overall final look is a natural one.
– donor area options: in those cases in which the patient has very little healthy hair left on his head, other areas like the beard can be used for the extraction of the follicles.
When patients choose the FUE method, they will not require general anaesthesia and they can even undergo several interventions across multiple days, as scheduled by their treating physician.
Follicular unit extraction offers natural results and it is a simplified, minimally invasive procedure. It can be the most suitable solution for patients who have been suffering from hair loss for quite some time and are looking to regain their look and self-confidence.