Have you thought about how nice it would be to ThinkstockPhotos-465330096.jpghave a stronger, more flattering hairline to frame your face? If you have hesitated to have hair restoration surgery due to concerns that you will need to wear your hairstyle longer for fear of a visible scar, FUE may be the donor removal option for you. There are currently two techniques commonly used for donor removal: the linear excision technique, and the follicular unit extraction technique (FUE).

The length you will need to wear your hair where the donor is removed depends on the thickness and color of your hair in the permanent zone regardless of technique. However, for those who prefer to be able to wear their hair buzz cut as close as a #1, or with a fade in the back of your head, you would be more likely to be able to do that with the FUE donor removal option.

FUE refers to a technique where each graft is removed individually using a small biopsy type excision. Although tiny dots will result where the FUE grafts are removed, for most patients, these tiny dots are usually invisible, even at a very short hair length. This means you can typically wear your hair as short as a #1 blade, and not worry that there will be visible tell-tale signs. Other factors such as hair and skin color make a difference too. While there is no scarless procedure for donor hair removal, FUE scars are tiny enough that the small speckles are typically not seen, even with very short hair styles.

There are additional advantages to FUE. Although FUE involves thousands of tiny excisions, patients say they have minimal discomfort during the healing phase. If you have had prior hair transplants and there is insufficient laxity for further donor removal with the linear excision, FUE may allow you to add more grafts. You also have the option to fill in a scar left from a prior linear excision procedure with FUE to allow you to wear your hair short again.

However, there are some caveats that you should also weigh when deciding if FUE is right for you. The donor area will need to be shaved. It will regrow but you will need to keep in mind that this will be necessary. That is not the case with the linear excision donor removal. Additionally, the number of grafts able to be taken from the donor area with FUE in a single session compared to the linear excision is less. This is because we can remove about 10 to 15 grafts per sq. cm from the permanent zone with FUE, compared to about 70 grafts per sq. cm with the linear excision.

Keep in mind that donor hair should be removed from an area where it is most likely genetically permanent because the transplanted hair will retain the genetic characteristics of the area where it is taken from. The area where donor hair is most available is located centrally on the back and sides of the scalp (with androgenetic alopecia), and it is finite. If donor hair is taken peripherally either too high or too low from the back and sides of the head, the risk is that you may recede downward from the crown, or even upward from the neck. So with a finite area to draw from, and fewer grafts removed per square cm, FUE will not cover as large of an area as the linear excision donor removal method in a single session. However, you are able to return for further FUE grafts once the area heals.

The graft placement techniques remain the same regardless of the donor removal technique, and in the hands of Dr. Keene, skilled surgeon and President of Physician’s Hair Institute, you will achieve a cosmetic and natural appearance. So what’s stopping you from making a change? Call 520-290-5555 to schedule your personal consultation today!

About Physician's Hair Institute

Dr. Keene’s clinic, Physician’s Hair Institute, in Tucson, AZ, utilizes state of the art equipment and techniques in hair transplant surgery. For the FUT graft dissection, this includes a form of magnification that offers improvements over the standard stereoscopic microscope used by most hair restoration surgery practices in graft dissection. It involves a high-resolution digital video camera, in conjunction with a backlight, projected onto an LCD screen. Dr. Keene announced this technique at the Orlando, Florida conference in 2002, and presented the technique in 2003 at the Italian Society of Hair Restoration Surgery conference in Rome, Italy. The technique was well received and has been adapted by many of the top hair restoration clinics. It is an improvement over the stereoscopic microscope in that it allows the doctor more direct supervision, while improving ergonomics for the technicians, and provides excellent magnification for dissection.

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