Could FUE be for you?
FUE is a harvesting technique where the individual grafts are punched or ‘drilled’ out from a shaved area of the donor scalp.
Although scars are still produced, they are usually very subtle dots scattered over a large area making it possible to conceal even with a cropped hair cut.
It is currently the most common harvesting technique, and ideal where the patient needs or favours a shorter hairstyle, such as a No.1 or No.2 cut or any hair characteristics that make the scalp easily visible – but we would recommend a personal consultation to ensure that it is the right treatment for you.
Your step-by-step guide to FUE treatment with us
While no two FUE procedures are ever exactly identical, they do follow the same essential steps from start to finish.
Here’s an insight into what you can expect on your FUE day at the Farjo Hair Institute.
- Having discussed your hair loss and the treatment options available to you at your consultation with one of our experts, you decide on FUE and book an appointment for your treatment
- Currently, we are able to safely transfer up to 2,500 follicular unit grafts in a single session that will last most of the day. It may be possible to carry out two such sessions on consecutive days in order to achieve even higher numbers. This is assuming you need it, and your donor dimensions and characteristics allow for it.
- Usually the entire back and sides of the scalp (donor area) will need to be shaved on the day, unless the graft numbers are very low. The front and top of your scalp may or may not need to be shaved on the day. Your surgeon will advise.
- On the morning of your surgery, your hair transplant doctor discusses the plan with you one last time, and draws the area that will receive the hairs on your scalp.
- You will be given a mild sedative (to ease any anxiety) and anti-inflammatory medication, and local anaesthetic in both the donor and recipient areas.
- The discomfort you feel for a few minutes when being given the anaesthetic injections (similar to what you feel when undergoing dental work) is the only sore sensation you should feel throughout your treatment day.
- Once the anaesthetic has taken effect, the procedure begins with the extraction of the follicular unit grafts – this is done with a handheld mechanical device using 0.8mm – 1.1mm hollow tools called punches, and a variety of other equipment. This is a surgical step performed by 1-2 qualified and experienced doctors depending on the workload, including your designated hair transplant doctor, assisted by surgical technicians for the non-surgical part.
- Eventually, instead of a linear donor scar, this will leave a large number of very small dot scars.
- For the recipient area, your designated hair transplant doctor will make all the sites that will receive the hair grafts using tiny needles or blades. This step determines the aesthetic outcome controlling hairline design, hair distribution, direction, angles and orientation.
- Once each session of graft harvesting is done, our team of highly trained and supervised technicians and nurses will insert the grafts/hairs into the pre-made sites created by the doctor as described above.
- The grafts are blended in amongst the thinning or balding areas in such a way as to match all the natural growing characteristics of your original hair
- We usually dense pack the grafts at a rate of 35-50 grafts, or 80-110 hairs, per square centimetre per operation – in our experience, this represents the optimum number for a maximum hair survival rate of 85-90%
- This means that one operation adds on average 25-30% of the original hair density
- The entire procedure is very neat and our team will spend the last several minutes rendering your scalp clean so that no swabs, bandages or dressings are required in almost every case. We do not require this, but you will be offered a hat to wear upon leaving purely for discretion. You can bring your own loose fitting head covering or a scarf.
- Within half an hour of the treatment ending, and after we have explained your all your post-operative instructions thoroughly, you can be on your way home – although we highly recommend you do NOT drive that evening, so we advise that you make arrangements to get home by taxi or public transport or get picked up by a friend or family member.
- With the expertise we can offer at every stage of the procedure, we can produce results that are virtually indistinguishable from native hair at least to the casual observer.