If you ever heard of hair transplantation as of late, you’ve probably heard of the follicular unit excision (FUE) hair transplantation. The technique is the culmination of 60 years of hair transplantation research and yields the best results.
As a stark difference from some of the procedures that preceded it, follicular unit excision does not leave any large scars on your scalp. Rather, it leaves very tiny dots easily concealed by the surrounding hair and barely noticeable. The results are also natural-looking and blend in seamlessly.
So could this hair transplantation technique could become even better at all? Yes, it could. This is the direct hair implantation (DHI), one of the most contemporary hair transplantation techniques. Since the name DHI is less known than FUE, many people ask, “Does DHI hair transplantation technique really work?”
To know the answer, you have to understand what DHI is all about first.
FUE Hair Transplantation
An expert surgeon performs the FUE hair transplant. The patient is first shaven at the back of their heads and at the sides to match before undergoing anaesthesia, either general or local.
The surgeon then proceeds to grab a scalpel that is 1 mm or less in diameter and uses ocular augmentation lenses for enhanced vision. They approach the base of the back of the patient’s scalp, referred to as the “donor site,” and select one hair follicle for extraction.
They then proceed to make microscopic incisions with a scalpel close to the chosen hair follicle. The scalp is then rotated around the hair follicle to excise it from the remaining surrounding tissue, freeing it. Then they extract the hair follicle with forceps and store it on a tray for later use.
The process repeats to extract as many hair follicles as required to restore hair to the balding area, referred to as the “receiving site.” After having all the hair follicles extracted, the procedure moves into the grafting phase.
By making microincisions in the receiving site, the surgeon grafts the hair follicles into it one by one, securely placing them in the scalp to grow. Once all of them are in place, the surgery concludes, and the patient is ready to receive post-op care instructions and begin healing
Now, why does it matter to understand about FUE hair transplantation to know if a DHI hair transplantation technique really works? Easy. Because they are basically the same procedure.
DHI Hair Transplantation
The only difference between FUE and DHI hair transplantation happens during the grafting phase. Rather than manually making the incisions and then inserting the grafts, DHI employs an implanter tool.
The implanter pen is also known as a “Choii pen.” It is a device that conveniently allows doctors to graft the hair at the same time they are making the incision. The surgeon loads the hair follicle into the single action implanter pen. They then place the pen over the head of the patient and press the button.
A small, hollow blade with a diameter of 1 mm or less descends upon the scalp of the patient, making the incision and shooting the hair follicle through the hollow duct, effectively grafting it at the same time.
The Choii pen is convenient for the hair surgeon. This is so since it allows more control over the depth and angle of the grafting. Also, its use speeds up the surgery a bit by fusing the incision and insertion parts of the grafting phase.
For the rest of the procedure, it is the same FUE hair transplantation technique, which means that it gives natural-looking results. So the answer to the question of whether the DHI hair transplantation technique really works is a resounding yes. The DHI hair transplantation technique does really work just as well, indeed, if not better.
Our surgeons are experts in both the FUE and DHI hair transplantation techniques. Contact us if you wish to have the best results from these hair transplantation procedures.