Follicular unit extraction: minimally invasive and effective

Although hair loss is a process that affects women as well as men, it remains far more marked in men, who are affected at various points in their lives. For many, hair loss is a genuine source of unhappiness and embarrassment, with consequences for social life and above all for romantic life, since hair is a real asset in attraction. That is why thinning hair or baldness often leads male patients to ask for a hair transplant. The procedure consists of harvesting hair from areas at the back of the head and the temples, areas unaffected by the hormones responsible for hair loss, and implanting it in the areas affected by hair loss. Over the years, hair transplant techniques have changed a great deal, giving far more natural results, particularly since the introduction of the FUE method, or follicular unit extraction technique, which is also used for beard implants or beard transplants.

Follicular unit extraction: minimally invasive and effective

The FUE hair transplant

The FUE hair transplant, or follicular unit extraction, is the most recent hair transplant technique. Like all hair transplant procedures, FUE requires a local anaesthetic. During this procedure, which lasts an average of 5 hours, the occipital and temporal areas of the skull are first shaved; these will serve for the harvesting of hair destined for the thinning areas. Once the back of the head and the temples have been shaved, the follicular units are harvested using a punch, a scalpel fitted with a micro-cylinder. The follicular units are then transplanted directly into the thinning areas, so that the result matches the patient's expectations in terms of density and appearance. The hair that has been shaved grows back naturally, and the transplant leaves no trace of incisions once healed. What is much appreciated about this technique, besides the fact that it leaves no marks on the head, is that tissue trauma is minimised compared with the method used previously, FUT. Thanks to the FUE technique, the patient can regain thick hair matching the texture, thickness and curl of the hair lost in the treated area. Because the FUE method harvests hairs individually, the follicular units are selected precisely, so as to reproduce the characteristics of the hair the patient previously had in the thinning areas.