Hair transplant technologies have changed over the years. While they used to involve invasive surgical techniques, that has now all changed with FUE hair transplants. These are non-invasive and work microscopically with much faster recovery times too.
What is an FUE Hair Transplant?
The idea with FUE is that existing, healthy hair follicles are removed from either the back or the sides of the head where hair is still growing. These hair follicles are extracted at the sub-millimetre level, taken out one by one, and then grafted individually onto the part of the scalp that requires hair growth. Therefore, instead of removing grafts leaving major, visible scarring, FUE leaves only dot-like marks that become undetectable once the new hair has grown out.
Which Clinics Perform FUE Procedures?
The best place to look is with a hair transplant clinic. A clinic that works with the FUE technique is going to have the most modern equipment. For instance, the Treatment Rooms in Harley Street, a popular hair transplant clinic in London, uses state-of-the-art equipment. Also, they have many success stories with pictures of the before and after results from their patients to look at before booking in.
What’s the Process from the Patient’s Perspective?
An initial consultation process begins to discuss with the surgeon what is required. From that, a custom plan is designed to provide a satisfactory solution for the patient. Once the go-ahead is received, a surgical room is booked. Usually, hair follicle surgery is performed on a single day. The procedure includes using a general anaesthetic followed by the extract of individual hair follicles ready for late implantation. After lunch, the implantation process proceeds until all the bundles of hair follicles have been successfully implanted into the scalp.
How Long Do the Results Take?
Because hair follicles are being implanted, these require time to sit happily on the scalp and reintegrate with normal hair growth patterns. After the procedure is completed, the scalp needs time to heal. Following this, the existing hair from the new follicles will begin to shed after three months. This is a good sign. It indicates that the follicles are preparing to grow new hair of their own. Over the next 4+ months, signs of hair growth will begin to show. This can require up to a year to let the hairline improve and to see pleasing results. Therefore, it’s not something that happens overnight. However, once the hair is growing successfully, it should continue to do so for many years to come.
Aftercare
Aftercare is different depending on the needs of the patient. Covering over the implanted area is necessary for a few days to avoid scraping the scalp and losing some of the implants. Activities like exercising are best avoided for a while during the recovery phase too. Also, several follow-up consultations occur over the following months to check how the hair is growing.
The modern FUE hair transplant procedure provides a refreshing approach to resolve receding hairlines and pattern baldness. While it does require up to a year to see meaningful hair growth to create new hairstyles, it’s a state-of-the-art process that provides confidence to people wanting to look their best.
