Stands for: Follicular Unit Extraction
Most Popular Choice
Approach: Doctor Lead
Cost: £3,000 – £7,000
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FUE Hair Transplant
Contents
- 1 FUE Hair Transplant - All You Need to Know
- 2 What is an FUE Transplant?
- 3 Why have an FUE Transplant?
- 4 What can an FUE Hair Transplant Treat?
- 5 How Does the FUE Procedure Work?
- 6 The Four Stages of a FUE Hair Transplant
- 7 Who will do your FUE Transplant?
- 8 What is the difference between FUE and FUT?
- 9 Do FUE Hair Transplants hurt?
- 10 Results and Aftercare
- 11 Hair Transplant Surgery vs Alternatives
- 12 Frequently Asked Questions
- 12.0.1 How many grafts are taken in FUE procedures?
- 12.0.2 How much is a Follicular Unit Extraction procedure?
- 12.0.3 Will an FUE Hair Transplant hurt?
- 12.0.4 Who will perform your FUE Hair Transplant?
- 12.0.5 What happens on the day of my FUE Hair Transplant?
- 12.0.6 What is FUE Hair Transplant surgery used to treat?
- 12.0.7 Why Choose FUE Over FUT Surgery?
- 12.0.8 Will I experience further hair loss?
- 12.1 Patient Gallery - Hair Transplant Results
FUE Hair Transplant - All You Need to Know
A Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplant is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that looks to promote new hair growth on your scalp and/or face. Whether you are concerned about your receding hairline, eyebrows, or beard, an FUE treatment is often the perfect solution for many causes of thinning hair.
All of our hair transplant procedures, including FUE surgery, hairline hair transplant, crown hair transplant are conducted by certified medical professionals with years of experience in hair restoration. Book your free consultation today and end your hair loss concerns!
What is an FUE Transplant?
The FUE transplant procedure looks to take anywhere between 1,000-6,000 individual hair follicles from the donor area and implant them into the balding/thinning area of your scalp. This treatment, conducted by one of our hair restoration surgeons, in essence “transports” hair that doesn’t get affected by the hormone DHT (which is one of the main causes of hair loss) onto the area of your scalp that requires hair, thus leaving a natural result as it is your own hair that is used.
Why have an FUE Transplant?
Hair loss is a problem that can affect anyone in the UK. In a 1998 study conducted by Rhodes et. al, results showed 42% of men between the ages of 18 and 49 to show signs of extensive hair loss. With the general scientific consensus being that pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) is a result of genetics, this is a problem that many men and women will experience over the course of their lifetime even without external influences such as stress, weight loss, and side effects to medical treatments such as chemotherapy.
What can an FUE Hair Transplant Treat?
Like many medical conditions, there is no singular explanation for hair loss. However, FUE hair transplants can be used to treat a number of different causes for hair loss:
- Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) – Male Pattern Baldness refers to hair loss on the scalp area. Often, MPB begins with frontal receding before the gradual reduction in hair leads to full baldness on the top of the head. As men being to age, this condition can become more and more prominent. As such, an FUE hair transplant can be used to prevent your hair line from receding any further and promote new hair growth.
- Female Pattern Baldness (FPB) – Women can also feel the effects of hair loss just as much as men! Whilst 40% of women have admitted to showing signs of hair loss by the age of 50, this number reaches a staggering 55% by the time they reach 80 (see Yip 2007 & Sinclair 2015). Unlike men, many women report to experiencing hair loss in different places to men. Commonly, Female Pattern Baldness (or FBP) is categorised by visible signs of thinning of hair on the top of the scalp. This is often a result of women who have experienced increased hair shedding or a visible reduction in hair volume.
- Beards and Eyebrows – If you struggle to grow facial hair, or have experienced a loss or thinning of your beard/eyebrow hair, then an FUE hair transplant may be for you. Given that healthy donor hairs are extracted individually (or in small numbers) with FUE, this hair transplant method produces minimal scarring. Where other treatments such as FUT (sometimes referred to as the ‘strip method’) would not be able to treat facial hair problems, FUE is perfect!
Make the best investment in yourself and find out more about how we can help eliminate hair loss for good!
How Does the FUE Procedure Work?
After you have received your free consultation with one of our hair transplant surgeons, arrive at our clinic on Harley Street. All our patients receive local anaesthetic during hair transplant surgery. During the surgery, you shouldn’t feel anything more than a little bit of pressure; almost like a head massage!
At the beginning of the procedure, the lead hair transplant surgeon will begin by extracting follicular units from the donor area in natural groups of 1-4 (this is called a hair graft). These grafts, or follicular units, are circled by a tiny 1mm punch enabling an accurate and precise incision to be made. The follicular unit is then grasped gently and pulled away from the loose connective tissue that surrounds the unit under the skin.
Once the hair grafts have been taken, no more preparation is required. These small donor hairs are then implanted into the bald area one by one. This process is then repeated over and over again as desired.
As patients are left with tiny 0.8mm – 1mm scars from follicle extraction, as opposed to other hair surgery treatments which make larger incisions. The FUE recovery time is usually between 6-10 days.
The Four Stages of a FUE Hair Transplant
Before an FUE hair transplantation, local anaesthetic is administered, so you won’t feel more than a slight pressure during the procedure
- A Micro Punch tool is used to cut a small circle of skin around the individual follicular unit
- The follicular unit (or graft) is gently prised away from the surrounding loose connective tissue under the skin
- The harvested grafts are sorted according to how many individual hairs in each follicle
- The grafts are then implanted into the balding area of the scalp
Who will do your FUE Transplant?
After your free initial consultation, your FUE hair transplant will be performed by one of our certified hair transplant doctors. All of our procedures are performed by doctors with some help from our technicians, ensuring you receive quality care and treatment.
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What is the difference between FUE and FUT?
There are a number of key differences between the FUT and FUE hair transplant methods.
Often called the ‘strip method’ or ‘strip surgery’, FUT hair transplants take large strips of donor hairs from the patient’s scalp. These strips of hair are then dissected under a microscope before being implanted into the balding area. In comparison, follicular unit excision (FUE) takes much smaller hair grafts from the donor area, not only making it quicker, but leaving most patients with much less visible scarring than those who have undergone FUT.
Why choose FUE over FUT?
- During the procedure, there is less pain involved in FUE than FUT. This is because no major, or large incisions are required.
- FUE is also a quicker than FUT. This is because no separations need to be made under a microscope as is needed with FUT. This means you can tailor your hair transplant around your busy schedule!
- The FUE procedure typically has a much quicker recovery time when compared to FUT. This is because of the reduced scarring made by the 0.75mm – 0.9mm punches. Patients are left with tiny scabs that quickly heal as opposed to large incisions made in the scalp.
Do FUE Hair Transplants hurt?
FUE hair transplants are generally not painful, as the procedure is performed under local anaesthesia to numb the scalp. During the procedure, most patients feel little to no discomfort. However, after the anaesthesia wears off, some mild soreness, tenderness, or discomfort may occur, especially in the donor and recipient areas. This is usually manageable with over-the-counter pain medications and subsides within a few days.
After your procedure, your assigned hair transplant surgeon will discuss the aftercare process with you extensively. If you have any problems, just get in touch with us!
Results and Aftercare
Following your hair transplantation procedure, you will have access to our post-transplant aftercare whenever you need it.
It is important to keep the scalp hydrated during the first few days following the procedure in order to protect against infection and minimise scabbing. We provide full aftercare instructions and are on hand to answer any concerns following your procedure.
It can take 3+ months for the new follicles to take and naturally grow new hair, so regrowth may be uneven at first, but rest assured, you will soon benefit from thicker looking hair. Although every patient’s recovery time and results may differ, most patients see full natural hair growth around 10 months following their procedure.
Hair Transplant Surgery vs Alternatives
Whilst there are a number of treatments on the market today, an FUE hair transplant offers a long-term and fuller result than its alternatives.
- Medication (such as Finasteride and Minoxidil) – Many patients, before they have come to us, try medication before hair restoration surgery. However, these drugs are dht blockers and thus are used to slow down/stop further hair loss. The down sides are that they can have side effects (such as a decrease in libido) and are a treatment, so ongoing use is required.
- Tattoo Treatments – Whilst tattooing your hair may be a long term solution for those suffering with hair loss, this, unlike a hair transplant, does not stimulate hair growth. Rather, tattoo treatments are designed simply to mask, or hide the true extent, of a patient’s balding. FUE looks to implant healthy hair follicles into your balding area and actually prevent you from losing hair.
- Synthetic Hair Wigs – Like other treatments, many of our other patients suffering with more extreme hair loss have used wigs to mask their hair loss. However, many synthetic wigs are often a short-term solution (typically lasting between 6-9 months) and can be uncomfortable for those wearing them.
- Real Hair Wigs – Whilst real hair wigs are a longer-term solution (lasting up to a couple of years) than their synthetic counterparts, they can often be more expensive and still do not actively counteract your hair loss problems. Choosing to opt for an FUE hair transplant gives you the opportunity to have, and style, your own hair. Not to mention, it’s cheaper in the long term.
Frequently Asked Questions
Between 600 and 6,000 hair follicles are extracted during a FUE hair transplant. Naturally, this depends on the severity and area of baldness.
An FUE hair transplant can cost between £3,000 and £7,000+. Again, this is dependent upon the severity of the baldness as the procedure’s cost is directly related to the number of follicles extracted and implanted. Read more about the cost of an FUE hair transplant
Patient safety comes first and foremost at our clinic. Some great news is that during the procedure, you should not feel any pain at all. This is because the treatment is done under local anaesthetic. You shouldn’t feel a thing!
After your FUE hair transplant surgery, there may be some slight feelings of discomfort. However, as almost microscopic incisions are made on the scalp, you should not expect to feel any tightness as you would with FUT treatments.
After your procedure, one of our hair transplant surgeons will remain in contact with you and discuss the aftercare process with you extensively. If you have any problems, just get in touch with us!
After your free initial consultation, your FUE hair transplant will be performed by one of our certified hair transplant doctors. All of our procedures are performed by doctors, with a little help from our specialist team of technicians, ensuring you receive high quality care and treatment.
After you have received your free consultation with one of our hair transplant surgeons, arrive at our clinic on Harley Street or at any other clinic location we have in the UK. During your hair transplant surgery you will receive a local anaesthetic. You shouldn’t feel anything more than a little bit of pressure; almost like a head massage!
During the surgical procedure, your surgeon will take hair follicles from your donor area and place them onto the area you need them most. After the procedure is completed, we provide an aftercare package which contains all the treatments and instructions on what you should post hair transplant.
There can be many causes for hair loss. Whether it be female or male pattern baldness, follicular unit extraction can be used to counteract the effects of thinning hair and premature balding. As well as pattern baldness FUE has been used to treat:
- Baldness as a result of chemical treatments (chemotherapy etc).
- Patients who have experienced facial trauma
- and many more
During the procedure, there is less pain involved in FUE than FUT. This is because no major, or large, incisions are required.
FUE is also quicker than FUT. This is because no separations need to be made under a microscope as is needed with FUT. This means you can tailor your hair transplant around your busy schedule!
After the procedure, FUE typically has a much quicker recovery time when compared to FUT. This is because of the reduced scarring made by the 0.8mm – 1mm punches. Patients are left with tiny scabs that quickly heal as opposed to large incisions made in the scalp.
Whilst there may be a small bit of shedding soon after your procedure, you should not suffer hair loss (in the same area) after your new hair transplant, however it can take around 6 months for the new hair to start to grow and thicken.
Patient Gallery - Hair Transplant Results
Patient Testimonials
Aside from achieving fantastic results, we believe that keeping in touch with our patients before, during and after their hair transplantation procedure is paramount – it helps to keep our patients feeling calm and in control. We’re always on hand to provide guidance, support and aftercare advice. Time and again, our patients tell us that this is what sets us apart from other clinics.
You can read our great reviews of FUE hair transplants over on Google and Trustpilot