Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplantation is becoming more popular in the last few years for balding men as it offers the opportunity to not have the traditional linear scar that comes with follicular unit transplantation (FUT). While we personal believe and stand by the qualities of the FUE procedure in surgical hair restoration it is important that the facts are known about this hair transplant technique and that claims falsely selling as a “scarless” procedure or replacing FUT need to be addressed.
To see ISHRS member Dr. Christian Bisanga's approach and explanations on video regarding FUE and its place in surgical hair restoration, watch the videos below or visit “Dr. Christian Bisanga's site for education on Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)”.
We have written many papers on FUE and how it can go wrong and the pitfalls to the technique as it is demanding and open to errors being so intensive, but this time we will concentrate on the benefits FUE can give rather than the negatives when performed poorly; first we will say that before making any decisions on FUE or the doctor who is performing it research the doctor as much as possible. Speak and see ex patients that have had FUE, check the donor for scarring, the placement for naturalness and assess the yield against what you are told was placed.
FUE has been around longer than most would think, Dr. Chris Bisanga's first documented case is over 7 years ago now, but most when asked would probably agree FUE has only been practised in the main for about 5 years, except the odd case. FUE should no longer be considered a "new" technique but it is, why?
Is it because a conspiracy by FUT Clinics to down play FUE as a credible technique, that it has fundamental flaws that cannot be over come, could it be that it appears very easy to perform and appealing to the public so many doctors jump on the technique without correct training or proper understanding, causing sub par results and giving the technique a bad name. There is probably a degree of truth to both.
FUE has given the man in the street an alternative option to the FUT technique, it has allowed the correct candidate for FUE to be able to have a hair transplant with sometimes no obviously visible signs a surgical procedure has been performed, even allowing for someone to shave their hair if they wish. It has taken away the need for small procedures to need Strip thus no linear scar, it has allowed harvesting out side the traditional "safe" zone for FUT, thus opening the donor to more grafts. It has allowed another option for repair patients who maybe have no more FUT in the bank, and has allowed more recently for the harvesting from the body and beard, again extending the harvest area and giving some more options and opportunities to achieve their goals or repair their situation.
Dr. Bisanga feels that FUE is more than a credibly technique in the right hands, he is under no illusions how difficult it is to perform having practised the technique for almost 10 years, and over that time has built a large gallery of cases. FUE as a technique is not flawed, yes it is vastly more complicated and intense to perform than FUT but it can stand as a valued technique for hair restoration.
