Follicular unit extraction

Follicular Unit Extraction - FUE

FUE – Advantages or disadvantages
Our patients always ask about advantages and disadvantages of Follicular Unit Extractions in Los Angeles Hair Transplant center of US Hair Restoration, so I thought this topic makes a good post for the blog. Before going over these points I have to say, although we at US Hair Restoration offer the most advanced techniques of FUE nationwide, most of our patients are still being transplanted by strip technique and I don’t recommend FUE to everyone and select my FUE candidates very meticulously. Here are the main reasons why we do recommend FUE to some people and not to everyone.
Advantages

• FUE does not leave a visible or linear scar, which is great for those who want to wear their hair very short on the back or the ones who may need to shave their head in the future (like actors).
• FUE has a more tolerable healing process with decreased healing time.
• No restrictions in physical activities for those who want to do strenuous exercise right after FUE procedure.
• FUE is a great alternative for patients who have tight scalp that makes strip surgery risky or impossible.
• Follicular unit extraction makes it possible to harvest hair from body, beard or almost everywhere else.
• FUE is useful when we need limited number of grafts like for restoration of eyebrow hair.

Disadvantages

• The biggest downside of follicular unit extraction is that the maximum follicular unit graft yield is lower than when it is done with strip technique due to higher rate of follicular transection compared to the strip technique.
• Although linear scar is not present after FUE, small punctuate scars will be there that may make future FUE hair transplant surgeries more difficult or impossible.
• Not everyone is a candidate for FUE and patients need to be tested with FOX before proceeding with the surgery.
• FUE procedure takes much longer to perform compared with strip FUT procedure.
• FUE is more laborious thus it cost more compared with strip technique hair transplants.
• In FUE, we have more chance of burying grafts that increases the risk of having folliculitis (tiny inflamed cysts under the skin) on the donor area.

Parsa Mohebi