FUE Transplant Efficiency
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplant has been so drastically improved over the last few years that more people receive FUE transplants instead of traditional strip Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). The improvements in FUE results are mostly due to the new techniques and devices that are now available in the field, as well as our enhanced understanding of the mechanisms involved with FUE hair restoration.
FUE hair restoration requires a totally different setup from strip FUT due to the differences in graft quality and the environmental factors that may affect the final growth of those grafts. We have improved the efficiency of FUE hair transplant significantly in the last few years, and a plethora of new devices for FUE graft harvesting have become available. These devices are:
- Manual punches of different sizes that can fit any hair characters
- Motorized punches that improve speed and efficiency
- Automated devices for both extraction and placement of grafts
Older methods of FUE were less reliable and utilized various techniques that largely contributed to procedural complications. The results of these older methods included:
- Longer out-of-body time for grafts
- High rate of transection and capping of graft
- Inefficient punching due to wasted time on transected, capped, buried, or empty grafts
- Higher chance of hypopigmentation in donor area
- Longer overall procedure time
There are several factors that seem to affect the growth of grafts based on the initial studies done by us and other centers. Some of those factors are:
- Size and the quality of FUE grafts
- Out-of-body time for grafts
- Delayed extraction of grafts after being punched
We have tried to resolve the above concerns as much as possible by implementing the following techniques:
- Using premade incisions before beginning graft extraction
- Improving and diversifying FUE punches in order to match any need and hair type
- Initial comprehensive testing for hair angle, depth, and size of punches
- Periodic testing during the procedure for angle and direction change in hair
- Serial graft extraction and placement
- Minimized manipulation of grafts through advanced extraction methods
- Chasing method, which involves continued extraction after punching of each follicular unit
- Simultaneous graft placing whenever possible, which decreases the extraction-to-placement timing to less than a few minutes
Conclusion
Using the most advanced techniques for FUE transplantation, we have reduced the overall time of the FUE, increased the number of grafts that can be harvested per session, and minimized out-of-body time for each graft. All aforementioned factors have improved our FUE transplant qualities significantly and provided an overall smoother experience for patients.
This publication was presented by Dr. Parsa Mohebi at the Italian Society of Hair Restoration Meeting in Syracuse, Italy.
