In the early days when the procedure of hair transplant came to prominence, the results were less than ideal. The technique—quickly dubbed “hair plugs”—produced results that were obvious to any onlookers. This, in turn, often embarrassed the patients.
Hair plugs ended up looking similar to the hair on a doll’s head. That was due to the procedure using scalpels that are 1.0 mm in diameter or longer for the procedure. The results ended up having a negative effect on the perception of hair transplants for years to come.
But all that is in the past. Nowadays, hair transplant results are very natural-looking granted that you choose a skilled surgeon such as ours.
The latest technique in hair transplant is the follicular unit excision (FUE) hair transplant procedure.
FUE Hair Transplants
In FUE hair transplants, the surgeon makes microincisions around the hair follicles (or “follicular unit”) on the back of your scalp. These said incisions use scalpels that are 0.6 mm or less in diameter to avoid the “hair plug look” completely.
Once the doctor has made the initial incision, he rotates the scalpel around the follicular unit to liberate them from the rest of the surrounding tissue. Already excised, the surgeon proceeds to extract it with forceps and store it away for later.
The process repeats this for as many times as needed. It depends on the follicular units needed by the patient. The scars from the excision are diminutive little spots that the grown hair will eventually conceal.
Once there are follicular units, the procedure moves on to the balding area where the surgeon makes microscopic incisions on the scalp.
The incisions are the entry points for the grating of the extracted follicular units, which they graft one by one. When all the follicular units are in place, the procedure ends.
Results of FUE hair transplants are very natural-looking due to our surgeon placing the grafts following your hair’s natural growth pattern. They are also long-lasting.
Despite their incredible results, FUE transplants are not for everyone.
Who Is the Best Candidate for Follicular Unit Extraction?
The ideal candidate for follicular unit extraction meets the following criteria:
- Is in relatively good overall health
- Has mild or moderate levels of hair loss
- Want to achieve realistic expectations
- Has a relatively tight scalp with limited elasticity, which makes the incisions easier
- Healthy and thick hair from their donor site (back of the scalp) should be enough in number
- Has a hairstyle that is short
- Aged preferably over thirty and under sixty years old
Higher numbers up to a thousand are possible with FUE depending on your surgeon, but prices can differ also.
Before the procedure, a background check and analysis of the scalp of the hopeful candidates takes place. This to ensure you are, in fact, a viable candidate for successful FUE a hair transplant.