How is SmartGraft different from regular FUE?

Thank you for your inquiry! SmartGraft is an FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) Transplant. SmartGraft uses a small round punch to extract follicular hair units one at a time. The hair is taken from an area of the scalp that is resistant to balding and placed in the areas that are experiencing hair loss. The old method of performing hair transplants is the strip method, which tends to leave patients with a large linear scar on their head. With SmartGraft's FUE Transplant there is no linear scar.

This is a good question. The main differences in my practice between SmartGraft and regular FUE are that SmartGraft is a closed system, so grafts are excised and stored directly in a storage device without having to be manually removed from the excision site. This means the grafts are not exposed to potential additional trauma. Furthermore, I have found that with the smart graft I can reduce the depth of my incision with the punch this means less tissue trauma and faster healing of the donor area. These main advantages mean that with the SmartGraft I am able to potentially achieve better results with faster recovery as compared with regular FUE. 

One of the main reasons I chose to offer SmartGraft at my practice is that the device works at a microscopic level. By harvesting and transplanting just 1-4 hairs at a time, there is not tell-tale scarring like that associate with older "strip methods". The SmartGraft device makes the process of follicular unit extraction quick and efficient which translates into saving time and money for patients. SmartGraft also preserves the viability of hair grafts with its unique closed harvesting system which keeps extracted grafts at the optimal temperature and moisture levels.

I explain it as I would if I were protecting an organ transplant.  The Hair Follicle Unites are extracted in a contained system and protect from heat and the air which would dry them out.  The SmartGraft technology improves FUE survival this way.  That is why I use SmartGraft to provide the best option for my clients.

Smartgraft vs manual FUE devices differ in how the harvest technique is performed and how easy it is to perform. Overall the devices all have comparable harvesting rates in the 94-98% with the variability dependent on whose hand is operating the equipment. An experienced doctor that used a manual FUE device is comfortable performing thousands of grafts per procedure.