Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a hair transplant procedure that is considered one of the latest advances in hair restoration. Because of its complex and comprehensive nature, this type of hair restoration treatment requires the skills and expertise of a doctor and his team of hair transplant experts. Various tools and instruments can assist with the FUE hair transplant procedure. Since FUE isn’t a simple procedure, it’s executed by the best hair transplant doctors worldwide. At our Long Island Hair Transplant Center, we use these tools to assist us in performing FUE hair transplant procedures. 

Otherwise known as the FOX procedure, FUSE (follicular unit separation extraction) method, Wood’s technique, and the FU isolation method, FUE is one of two primary methods of obtaining hair follicles of naturally occurring groups of one to four hairs used for hair transplants. It is a method of harvesting hair from the donor area without a linear incision or a scalpel. 

Considering there is no linear incision, it significantly decreases pain as the balding and thinning areas of the scalp are treated. Are you thinking about performing your hair implant at Long Island Hair Transplant Center? You’ll benefit from the advantages of having no linear scar on the back of your head, a quicker patient recovery time, and significantly lower postoperative discomfort than the follicular unit transplantation (FUT) procedure. 

The small holes that are left usually take a few days to heal. Extraction of grafts in FUE may cause small, round, and typically white scars in the patient’s donor area where grafts have been removed. Various punches are used for this procedure, each having its advantages and disadvantages, with new ones developed continually.

With FUE, the follicles get extracted from a much larger area of the donor zone as opposed to FUT. This extraction is about eight times greater than that of the traditional strip method and it requires patients to have hairs trimmed in a much larger donor area. Follicles harvested from the borderline region of the donor area may not be “permanent.” After some time, the transplanted hair may be lost. Due to scarring of the donor area from FUE, succeeding sessions may be more difficult and grafts more fragile and subject to trauma during placing. This situation occurs because they often lack the protective dermis and fat of microscopically dissected grafts. 

Typically, using natural follicular units for hair restoration can be complicated. A hair restoration team of skilled and experienced experts is required to achieve significant results. Dr. Barnard and Dr. Golio, together with Clinician Daniels, are hair restoration experts at Long Island Hair Transplant Center focusing on follicular unit transplants. These hair restoration professionals offer Cole, Ellis, and WAW FUE Systems as well as other FUE restoration options.

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Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

What Are the Tools of FUE?

Several different tools or instruments get used for the FUE hair transplant procedure. Dr. Barnard, Dr. Golio, and Clinician Daniels have various instruments they use for FUE hair transplants. Hair implants using FUE can get completed manually with the drawback of the need for a highly skilled hair restoration team and how long it takes for a hair implant to complete, that is, a maximum graft count of under 1,000. The exact number of grafts depends on many variables, including the length angle of the hair under the scalp. 

The limitation on harvesting grafts exists because the goal is to extract follicular units as intact as possible. One of the crucial elements of a successful hair transplant is the survival of follicular units upon extraction from the scalp. If follicular units become transected in the extraction process, they stand a greater chance of not surviving the transplant. Thus, the hair transplant will fail. 

While FUT procedures using strip-harvesting of follicular units typically guarantees a large number of non-transected follicular units, FUE procedures can transect grafts, rendering them useless in a transplant. During the complimentary initial consultation, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Golio, and Clinician Daniels will examine your hair and inform you how many grafts they can collect per session.

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Cole FUE System

Dr. John Peter Cole founded Cole Instruments to deliver…..

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WAW FUE System

The WAW FUE hair transplant system has made FUE…..

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Ellis FUE System

The Ellis FUE system is a sharp-punch procedure with…..

Cole FUE System

Dr. John Peter Cole founded Cole Instruments to deliver some of the most revolutionized surgical tools (devices and supplies) for follicular unit transplantation (FUT), follicular unit extraction (FUE), and hair transplant in general. 

As one of the world’s first FUE practitioners, Dr. Cole knows what it means to be an inventor of the most up-to-date technology, as well as a supporter of the new-found innovation. One of the biggest challenges of the first hair transplant surgeons who performed FUE was the lack of specialty equipment and utensils. This preliminary forefront of conventional FUE brought hair restoration experts to resort to generic equipment that made performing FUE more of a challenge. Dr. Cole knew that specialty utensils would lead to positive results, and he also developed several punches for his personal use. He found enhanced success with these custom-made utensils, which ultimately led to the founding of Cole Instruments in 2002.

WAW FUE System

The WAW FUE hair transplant system has made FUE (follicular unit extraction) faster, easier, and more productive. This popularity made the minimally invasive FUE gain its many advantages over the traditional strip or follicular unit transplantation(FUT) technique. Moreover, this innovative device solved sets of specific challenges in performing FUE hair transplants.

Ellis FUE System

The Ellis FUE system is a sharp-punch procedure with a rotational model. Today, several hair transplant doctors who specialize in hair restoration surgery use it. It’s a simple and affordable automated punch device that professionals can use it to  enhance a strip harvest procedure. It can also be used as a stand-alone device for a full FUE hair transplant. The automation of the conventional FUE procedure contributes to the overall improvement of the method in several ways. 

While some people will ask about Cole FUE versus Ellis FUE or compare Ellis to WAW, it’s important to remember these systems are all tools used to conduct FUE in the most effective way possible.

FUE Versus FUT: What Is More Effective?

FUE transplants can be just as successful as the more traditional FUT method, with graft survival rates of 90%. When it comes to FUE versus FUT, the question often comes up about the effectiveness of the hair transplant procedure. The principle for answering this question is usually peer-reviewed research. The truth is: no research has shown one method is better than the other. Both are valuable methods for graft extraction. 

Some argue that the FUT procedure yields a more significant number of high-quality grafts based on the impression that the doctor can segregate the highest-quality follicular units from the strip graft with less risk of damage and a higher survival rate than with FUE grafts. 

Another thing to consider is the limitations and side effects. FUE is the better choice for those who do not want noticeable scars. FUE scars are small and round, while FUT scars will always be long and linear. FUE scarring is less evident because scars are small and scattered throughout the scalp. Scars from FUT are localized and much more prominent, making them more visible. 

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