Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE – Do I need it?
This is a very general question that I am asked every day. My patients ask about advantages and disadvantages of Follicular Unit Extraction. Before explaining those points I have to add that US Hair Restoration – a Los Angeles hair transplant center is one of the leading hair transplant centers in offering the state-of-the-art FUE procedures, still most of our patients are being transplanted through strip technique and we select our FUE patients very carefully. I will go over the essential facts of why we do recommend FUE to some patients and not to all.
Pros
- FUE does not give patients a linear scar. This is great for those who want to wear their hair very short or the ones who may need to shave their head at some point in the future (like actors). You have to chose a hair transplant surgeon who has experience with FUE.
- The process of healing of FUE is more comfortable and it has a decreased healing time in comparison with strip technique of follicular unit transplant FUT.
- Physical activities are not being restricted with FUE hair transplant for those who want to do strenuous exercise right after FUE procedure.
- Follicular Unit Extraction is a great alternative for those patients whose scalps are tight. That makes strip surgery risky or impossible.
- FUE makes it possible to harvest hair from body, beard or almost everywhere else.
- FUE is very useful when we need limited number of grafts like in case of restoration of eyebrow hair.
Cons
- The worst drawback of FUE is that the maximum follicular graft yield is much lower than when it is done with strip techniques surgery due to higher rate of follicular transection compared to the strip technique.
- Although linear scar is not present after follicular unit extraction, surgery will leave small punctuate scars that make future FUE hair transplants more difficult or impossible with FUE technique.
- Not everyone is a good candidate for FUE procedure and patients need to be tested with FOX before proceeding with the surgery.
- FUE procedure takes a long time to perform compared with strip procedure.
- FUE is more time and energy consuming thus it cost more in comparison with strip technique of hair transplants.
- We have more chance of burying grafts In FUE that increases the risk of having folliculitis (tiny inflamed cysts under the skin) on the donor area.
