FUE Hair Transplant Technique – 100 % Practical Guide to understand process

FUE Hair transplant Technique

Table of contents

Introduction and Basics of FUE Hair Transplant
Steps in FUE hair transplant
Advantages of FUE
Modifications of FUE

FUE stands for Follicle Unit Extraction.

FUE hair transplant technique is a hair transplant in which hair grafts are extracted from the donor area with a small needle ( punch ) without a cut. The steps of the FUE hair transplant have been described below

What is Follicular unit or Hair Graft

Normal FUE – Normal FUE is removing the graft from the donor area with 3.5 – 5 X magnification. And Then making slits and insertion of grafts in slits. Depending on the number of grafts, the grafts may remain outside your body for 2 – 5 hours. Double forceps no root touch technique is used for the insertion of grafts . Read more about FUE TECHNIQUE here .

What is Follicular unit or Hair Graft

Hair with its root is called a Follicle. Root of the hair is 5 mm deep to your skin. If a barber cuts your hair, then it does not contain the root, so that is what is called hair. It cannot be labelled as a follicle.

On our head, Hair stays in groups of 1 – 4 hairs. There is a 1 -2 mm distance between these groups.

And this group of hair with roots of each hair is called a Follicular unit. When we remove this follicular unit from your head, it is called a graft.

So one follicular unit = one graft = 1 – 5 follicles ( average 2 follicles ) = 1 -5 hairs ( average 2 hairs).

Bald area ( Recipient area )

Bald area receives new hair, so it is called the recipient area in hair transplant. We will use “Recipient area” terminology for this.

Donor Area

Donor area is area from where we take out hair to insert in bald area. We take hair from areas where hair is relatively DHT hormone resistant. Mostly hair at your sides ( just above and behind your ears ) and back of head, beard hair, and body hair are very sensitive to DHT. So we can take hair from these areas to implant in the bald area.

Following are steps in FUE Hair Transplant Technique

Step 1. Planning and markings by surgeon – Surgeon draws the hairline and shows you the bald area. Then the bald area markings are shown in the mirror to the patient. After the patient approves the markings. Surgeon calculates the area in square centimeters and decides the number of grafts required to cover the area. Planning is the most important step in a hair transplant. Inadequate planning may give you inadequate density and unnatural results.

Step 2. Anesthesia – To make your area pain-free during surgery, Local anesthesia is given in both the bald area and the donor area. To reduce pain, we use Buffered local anesthesia at AKESO, which causes 50 – 80 % less pain than normal anesthesia injections.

Step 3. Slit pattern making – Then Slits ( holes ) are made in bald area ( Recipient area ) which determine hair direction , density , distribution , hairline level and zig zag pattern of hairline. This is called channel making or slit making or slit pattern. Slit patterns decides natural look of your hair transplant so it should be always done by surgeon.

Step 4. Hair extraction by hair graft punch – The Punching or scoring is done by a modified needle ( called Hair Graft Punch ). Punch has a diameter of 0.7 mm – 0.9 mm. The punch tip is like a hollow pipe. The edge of this pipe is sharp. Typically, hair goes inside the cavity of the pipe. The edge of this pipe cuts skin and other attachments around your hair so that the hair graft or follicular unit gets free of its attachments.

Step 5. Pulling out the hair graft with forceps – Once the hair graft has been detached from the surrounding skin by hair graft punch, we can easily pull it out with forceps. This comes out of your body, and it is called a hair graft after that.

Step 6. Insertion of graft into slits – These hair grafts are then inserted in slits ( holes of bald area made by surgeon ) of bald area.

Modifications of FUE Technique

1. MAGP technique – A Microscope is used during graft extraction so that more thicker and garfts with more number of hairs are extracted from your donor area. This technique provides you with the best quality grafts among all the available methods of Graft Extraction. Read more about MAGP Hair Transplant here

2. DHT Technique – In this technique, we try to place grafts as soon as possible after their extraction from your donor area. Read more about Direct Hair Transplant here.

3. Implanter pen Insertion of grafts – AKESO CHI – In this technique, grafts are inserted with the help of the Choi implanter. AKESO also provides Implanter pen insertion of Grafts We create slits first before placing grafts by CHOI IMPLANTER PEN. It provides more control over the direction and density of hair transplant. Click here to read more about AKESO CHI