Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a method of obtaining donor hair for follicular unit transplantation , where individual follicular units are harvested directly from the donor area, without the need for a linear incision. In this hair restoration procedure, a 1-mm punch is used to make a small circular incision in the skin around the upper part of the follicular unit, which is then extracted directly from the scalp.
Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction are sometimes viewed as being two totally different procedures. FUE, in fact, is a type FUT where the follicular units are extracted directly from the scalp, rather than being microscopically dissected from a strip that has already been removed. To say it another way, in Follicular Unit Transplantation, individual follicular units can be obtained in one of two ways; either through single strip harvesting and stereomicroscopic dissection, or through FUE.
Therefore, when comparisons are made between FUT and FUE, what is really being compared is the way the follicular grafts are obtained (i.e. strip harvesting and dissection vs. direct extraction). The harvesting method does have other implications for the procedure such as the transection (damage) rate, distribution of follicular units, number of grafts per session, post-op care and the total yield.
Advantages
• No linear scar ,Important for those who wear their hair short
• Decreases healing time in the donor area
• Useful for those with a greater risk of donor scarring (Asians)
• Provides an alternative when the scalp is too tight for a strip excision
• Enables one to harvest finer hair from the nape of the neck to be used at the hairline or for eyebrows
• Makes it theoretically possible to harvest non-scalp hair - body hair transplant
• Most useful when a limited number of grafts are needed
