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HAIR TRANSPLANT by Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
What is Follicular Unit Extraction?
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a method of obtaining donor hair for Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), where individual follicular units are harvested directly from the donor area, without the need for a linear incision. In this hair restoration procedure, a 1-mm punch is used to make a small circular incision in the skin around the upper part of the follicular unit, which is then extracted directly from the scalp.
Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction are sometimes viewed as being two totally different procedures. FUE, infact is a type of FUT, where the follicular units are extracted directly from the scalp, rather than being microscopically dissected from strip that has already been removed. To say it another way, in Follicular Unit Transplantation, individual follicular units can be obtained in one of the two ways, either through single strip harvesting and stereomicroscopic dissection, or through FUE.
Because FUE does not leave a linear scar, it is used for patients who want to wear their hair very short. The procedure is also useful for those who have healed poorly from traditional strip harvesting or who have a very tight scalp. Possibly the most important application of this technique is to camouflage a widened linear donor scar from a prior hair transplant procedure.
Highlights of Follicular Unit Extraction.
- No linear scar - Important for those who wear their hair short.
- Decrease healing time in the donor area.
- Useful for those with a greater risk of donor scarring (Asians).
- Ideal for repairing donor scars that cannot be excised.
- No limitations on strenous excercise after the procedure - less post - op discomfort.
- Provides an alternative when the scalp is too tight for a strip excision.
- Extends the dimensions of the donor area (but not necessarily the total number of grafts).
- Enables one to harvest finer hair from the nape of the neck to be used at the hairline or for eyebrows.
- Makes it theoretically possible to harvest non- scalp hair eg: beard or body hair.
- Most useful when a limited number of grafts are needed.
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