FUE stands for follicular unit extraction which is the newest, least invasive type of hair transplantation method developed. Originally when a man went to get hair transplants the surgeon would use either the plug method or the strip method. Both of these required removal of a portion of the scalp. As you can imagine this left a large scar and also made the recuperation period fairly long. This has all changed now with the fue method of hair restoration.

With the plug method the surgeon would actually remove a round plug from the scalp where hair was still growing. This plug would usually contain fifteen to thirty hair units. The doctor would next make an incision in the bald area of the scalp and implant the plug into this hole. You can imagine how this looked. The patient ended up with little bits of hair sticking every which way.

When the strip method was used the cosmetic surgeon would remove a strip of scalp from the donor area of the head that still contained hair. This strip was not inserted into the scalp but, instead, medical assistants would remove the hair follicles from the strip individually. The follicles would be cleaned and prepared and then given to the surgeon who would implant each hair follicle into a prepared small incision. By carefully placing the hairs he could match the directional growth of the surrounding hair and thus make the results look very natural. This still left scarring at the donation site though.

The newest method of hair restoration and replacement, the fue method, leaves no scar and causes very little discomfort. The surgeon can remove individual hair follicle units from the scalp using a specially designed medical instrument. He or she then uses the tool to implant the follicle into a predetermined site on the balding scalp. There is no cutting and no scarring. The removal hole looks like a pin prick and is healed over within a few days. Any other irritation is gone within a week and you can expect to see some hair growth within a few months.