If you are experiencing hair loss, a follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplant can help you feel more confident about your appearance. This procedure is one of the most popular types of hair restoration treatments. FUE hair transplants moving existing hair to fill in areas with thin or no hair to help you achieve a fuller head of hair.
FUE hair transplants are available at Dillon Hair Restoration in Schaumburg and the surrounding area. Our team can help you reach your hair goals. Call us today at 800-518-9307 to learn more about our services or schedule an appointment.
Hair loss can occur at any point in life. While some people may begin losing hair in their 20s, others can lose hair much later in life. As people age, the three-phase hair growth cycle and regrowth shortens until follicles stop regrowing hairs.
FUE hair transplants help restore hair by replacing old follicles with new individual follicles that can still grow hair. Blood vessels nourish the newly implanted follicles and help regrow hair in previously thinning or balding areas. This process will help make the hair in the new area appear thicker.
Patients must follow pre-op instructions, days and weeks before the procedure. Anyone taking blood thinners or beta-blockers should notify us immediately. Two weeks before the procedure, patients should not shave or cut hair in the recipient area as our surgeon will use this hair to help design the hair transplant.
Avoid taking vitamin B or E for one week before the procedure since these will increase bleeding. We also recommend abstaining from smoking for one week before surgery until two weeks after. Smoking will cause the blood vessels to constrict and decrease blood flow to the scalp. This decrease in blood flow can also contribute to poor wound healing along with an increase in the risk of infection, scarring, and poor hair growth. On the morning of the procedure, patients should thoroughly wash their hair and not apply any hair products.
During FUE surgery, our surgeon will shave the back of the patient’s head and then remove the individual hair follicles. A micro punch tool punches through the skin to remove the follicles without traumatizing them. Our surgeon will then make small incisions before inserting the extracted follicles in the scalp.
Depending on the treatment area, patients can receive hundreds to thousands of tiny punch incisions during one treatment session. While FUE hair transplant sessions usually take two to four hours, rare cases can require a longer 10 to 12-hour session. Patients may require three to four sessions, each several months apart, to achieve their hair goals.
During the healing process, it is normal for the transplanted hairs to fall out. The transplanted hair will fall out two to three weeks after surgery, but most patients begin to notice their hair growing back after three to four months. According to a 2017 study, patients found that anywhere from 10-80% of transplanted hair to grow back.
The resulting hair regrowth will depend on the health of the transplanted hair. FUE is a popular hair restoration procedure because it is less likely to give the “hair plug” appearance where sections of skin or hair do not match the surrounding area. Since our surgeon can remove hair follicles from several areas instead of one site, the donor sites’ hair thickness is not affected.
Patients usually recover quickly from FUE hair transplants. It is normal to experience some swelling or discomfort for three days after the procedure. We will provide patients with aftercare instructions to help ensure a smooth healing process, which may include:
A FUE hair transplant can help restore thinning or balding hair. Our team at Dillon Hair Restoration can help. Call us today at 800-518-9307 to learn more about our services or schedule an appointment.
How does FUE compare to follicular unit transplantation (FUT)?
The main difference between FUE and FUT hair transplants is the method of harvesting the donor hair. FUT hair transplants consist of removing a long strip of tissue from the donor scalp area before separating it into individual follicular units and transplanting them. FUE hair transplants are less invasive, less expensive, and have a shorter recovery time than FUT hair transplants.Who is a good candidate for a FUE hair transplant?
The best candidates for this procedure are people with thinning or balding hair but enough hair to transplant into sparser regions. People without enough healthy hair to transplant may not be eligible for this procedure. Transplant candidates should also eat well, exercise regularly, and stay away from stressful situations to strengthen their immune system to aid the recovery process.Are any risks associated with FUE hair transplants?
Like any kind of surgery, FUE hair transplants include risks such as bleeding and infection. Other risks include scarring and unnatural-looking hair growth. Some people may experience folliculitis, or inflammation and infection of the hair follicles when new hair begins to grow. Antibiotics and compresses can help relieve this issue.
How does a FUE hair transplant feel?
Every patient is different, and some people have higher pain thresholds than others. Although FUE hair transplant results can appear tender and painful, the procedure itself should not cause any pain. Our surgeon will use local anesthetics to numb the treatment site to help patients feel comfortable during the process.
Do FUE hair transplants cause scarring?
FUE hair transplants are good options for people who want to wear short hairstyles since it does not result in a linear scar, like in FUT hair transplants. Some people may develop white circular dots where the follicle extraction occurred. These may fade over time and will not be visible once the hair grows over them.
Dillon Hair Restoration is located at 890 E Higgins Rd Ste 158 Schaumburg, IL 60173.