FUE hair transplant before and after photo courtesy of Dr. Emrah Cinik, physician in Istanbul, Turkey. Results may vary.
FUE hair transplant before and after photo courtesy of Dr. Emrah Cinik, physician in Istanbul, Turkey. Results may vary.
FUE hair transplant before and after photo courtesy of Dr. Emrah Cinik, physician in Istanbul, Turkey. Results may vary.
FUE hair transplant before and after photo courtesy of Dr. Emrah Cinik, physician in Istanbul, Turkey. Results may vary.
FUE hair transplant before and after photo courtesy of Dr. Emrah Cinik, physician in Istanbul, Turkey. Results may vary.
FUE hair transplant before and after photo courtesy of Dr. Emrah Cinik, physician in Istanbul, Turkey. Results may vary.
Follicular unit excision (FUE) is a donor hair harvesting technique used by hair transplant surgeons to harvest individual follicular units (tiny bundles of hair follicles) from the sides and back of the head, so they can be transplanted into areas with hair loss.
âFUE used to be known as follicular unit extraction,â explains Dr. Jae Pak, a hair restoration surgeon in Los Angeles, âbut the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) substituted âexcisionâ for âextractionâ to make it clear that FUE is a surgery that requires a cut in the skin with a scalpel-like tool. This subtle change was made because FUE had been marketed as a âscarless surgery,â which it is not: it does involve the cutting, or excision, of the skin.â
During this procedure, a surgeon uses a small, sharp, cylindrical instrument (about 0.9 mm) to meticulously harvest or excise each follicular unit of one to three hair follicles. These tiny hair grafts are then implanted into thinning or bald areas.
Before the hair follicles are implanted, the surgeon makes a microscopic incision in a precise angle to match the natural growth direction of your hair. âThe surgeon has control of how each and every hair follicle will eventually be placed,â explains Dr. Pak. With an artistic surgeon, this hair transplant method can re-create a natural-looking hairline and crown, with life-long results.Â
However, it cannot achieve your original hair density because the hair follicles that are being transplanted are taken from another part of your scalp, usually the back of the head. âThe more hairs you transplant, the less hair you will have in the donor area,â Dr. Pak cautions.Â
The tiny scars left by FUE are circular and random, which makes them less obvious than the linear incision left by follicular unit transplantation (FUT), or strip harvest technique. For this reason, FUE harvesting is ideal for men who want to keep their hair trimmed very short post-surgery. Â
âHowever, the less obvious scar of the FUE is a paradox when the hair is kept very short and you exceed 3,000 to 4,000 round scars on the back of your head,â Dr. Pak explains. âThe patchy dots can be noticed, and it may defeat the purpose of being able to wear your hair very short.â Scalp micropigmentation can make the scars less obvious, but the hair on the back of your head may feel thin, he notes.Â
âThis goes to show there is no perfect solution,â says Dr. Pak. âIn the grand scheme of things, you are accepting one thing to improve another,â so realistic expectations are key.
Pros
Cons
RealSelf Tip: Usually, the entire donor area is shaved before an FUE procedureânot an appealing prospect for women and other people with long hair. But there are no-shave versions of FUE, in which only the hairs in the area slated for transplantation are trimmed, leaving the rest of the hairs alone.
Your FUE surgical hair restoration cost will depend on your surgeonâs credentials, level of experience, their practice location, the volume of grafts youâll need, and a few other key factors. You can finance your treatment with CareCredit.
The FUE hair transplant photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.
FUE hair transplant procedures can be a good choice for any healthy adult with hair lossâand enough donor hair to treat it.
This technique can be especially effective at treating thinning hair caused by male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). This genetically caused condition is characterized by a receding hairline or baldness at the crown or temple. Male pattern baldness usually begins with a receding front hairline that progresses until it creates a bald patch on top of the head.Â
Half of all men have some degree of hair loss by age 35, so this hair replacement procedure is a popular one.
According to the International Society of Hair Restoration, there are two harvesting methods for hair restoration surgery: follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit excision (FUE).
During a FUE procedure, thousands of individual follicular units are harvested from a wide donor area (back and sides of your scalp).
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) involves the surgeon making an incision to remove a strip of hair from the back of your head, and then dissecting individual hair follicles from the strip under a high power stereo microscope. This technique is also known as strip harvesting or the strip method.
If you're comparing FUE hair transplant vs. FUT, keep in mind that the FUE technique for harvesting is a more popular choice for men with very short hairstyles, because the circular scarring is less noticeable than the linear scarring left by FUT.
âFUT harvesting is a popular choice for men and women with longer hair styles, since it does not require shaving,â notes Dr. Pak.
The procedure involves harvesting individual healthy hairs from donor sites where you have good hair density. Dr. Scott Sattler, a Seattle-based plastic surgeon, says that density is usually quite good in the back of the head, so a substantial number of hair follicles can be removed without it being noticeable.Â
However, this depends on the total number of grafts excised and how short you keep your hair. For example, 2,000 FUE grafts harvested can be noticeable with a very short hairstyle.
Hereâs what happens during the procedure:
Although the procedure creates up to 2,500 tiny dot-like scars (1 mm in diameter), scattered over a large area, they are less detectable as the new hair grows out.
Most people take three days off work after an FUE procedure.Â
The transplanted area will have crusting or scabbing and may look pink (like a sunburn) for about a week, so you may want to take more time or plan to wear a hat while you heal.
Irvine, California, hair restoration surgeon Dr. Amir Yazdan says, âRecovery is fast, but it takes about 10 days for the donor zone to look fully healed.âÂ
Your doctor will give you specific instructions for washing and caring for your hair during recovery. Follow those instructions closely, to ensure the best result.Â
Most doctors recommend waiting 48 hours before washing your hair, then being very gentle as you cleanse (no scrubbing). Instead of positioning your scalp directly under the shower head, try for less pressure, even using a cup to pour water over your head for the first week of showers.
Hereâs a guide to how quickly you can return to regular activities (for best results, heed your surgeonâs advice).
You should see about 50% of the transplanted hairs grow in within five months, 80% growing in at eight months, and a final result in 12 to 24 months, according to doctors on RealSelf.
Most of the newly transplanted hairs will fall out within the first three to eight weeks, a process known as anagen effluvium. Often, this happens in a wave, around weeks three and four.Â
New hair growth begins about two to four months post-op, initially emerging as finer hairs and gaining length and diameter as the growth continues. It doesnât all grow in at once, since each hair has three growth cycles and runs on its own clock.
Eventually, your new hair will grow at the same rate as nontransplanted hair: approximately one-half inch per month.
Your new hairs should be as robust as your natural hairs by the end of the first year, so results are considered permanent. In other words, the transplanted hairs take on the same characteristics as the hairs in the donor area (from where it was taken).Â
That said, a hair transplant doesn't prevent new hair loss. Your natural hair may continue to thin. To prevent this, your doctor may recommend other hair loss treatments, such as medications like minoxidil or finasteride.
Common side effects include swelling, pain, itching, scalp numbness, ingrown hairs, and a scab that forms on the areas of the scalp where hair was removed or implanted.Â
According to Dr. Jayanthy Ravidran, a plastic surgeon in Chennai, India, the biggest risks associated with FUE hair transplant surgery are excessive bleeding and infection.Â
Before surgery and during the first few days afterward, avoid drinking alcohol and taking any medications that thin the blood, to avoid excessive bleeding on the scalp.
It's also a good idea to avoid smoking or any form of nicotine, which compromises your body's natural healing process.
The safety of FUE hair transplants in Turkey and other locations where the procedure costs significantly less than in the U.S. is up for debate. A 2017 report found that approximately 60,000 people come to Turkey for hair transplants every year.
Despite legal requirements that all hair transplant operations in Turkey be performed by doctors, most clinics disregard the rule, according to the report.
The U.S. Department of State has also issued a level 2 travel advisory, recommending that travelers "exercise increased caution when traveling to Turkey due to terrorism and arbitrary detentions.â Do careful research if traveling for surgery is something youâre considering.
Related: 6 Key Things to Do If Youâre Traveling Outside the U.S. for Surgery
Some physicians use robotic hair transplant devices, such as ARTAS, for harvesting FUE grafts. This type of automation is considered to be an advancement in harvesting hair because it lessens the workload for some doctors. Â
âIt is important to understand that a publicly traded company named Venus Concepts acquired NeoGraft and Artas Robot, so their marketing and public awareness campaign exceed the individual doctors who offer FUE or FUT,â Dr. Pak explains. âNeograft and Artas are merely one of many medical devices that doctors may use in performing FUE harvesting.â
Also be aware that the NeoGraft and ARTAS companies provide technicians who can be hired by the day, so this device is sometimes marketed to doctors as a way to delegate FUE transplant surgery. Experts say youâll get the best results with a licensed physician who has extensive training in hair restoration surgery.
âKeep in mind that FUE is merely a method of harvesting the donor hair,â says Dr. Pak. âMany people seem to forget the most important part: the implantation of those hairs gives you the end result. FUE and FUT are just harvesting methods.â
Updated December 13, 2021