FUE Hair Transplant (Follicular Unit Extraction)

Definitely! One of the key benefits of FUE technique is that donor hairs are harvested in what are called “follicular units”. These are the units that hair naturally grows in, and therefore, once they are transplanted, they will look totally natural.

If you have a personal history of hair loss that is not stabilised on hair loss medications like Finasteride/ Minoxidil then it is likely that you will require a second hair transplant. It is important to consider a holistic medical approach to hair loss and not just surgery when it comes to managing balding or thinning. 

If you have stabilised your hair loss or if you are older than 27 with no personal history of hair loss then it is unlikely you will require a second hair transplant. 

Hair transplants are not a treatment for those early in their hair loss journey (e.g. age <27 years). This is because the processes driving hair loss (the hormone DHT) are still very active and can cause you to bald further. We encourage our younger adults to wait or commence medical treatments to prevent the production of DHT (e.g. Finasteride) and stabilise their hair loss before deciding to undergo hair transplant surgery. 

This will have a number of advantages: 

• If you decide to have a hair transplant in the future, your desired hairline and thickness can be planned to suit you for a longer period of time 
• It reduces your need for a second or third hair transplant 
• Your surgery will be less complex 
• You will preserve more hairs in the donor area 

The total cost of your hair transplant will be reduced 

Seeing our hair transplant surgeon is the first step to answering this question. At The Hair Institute our surgeons make sure to take you through all the considerations you need to make before deciding on a hair transplant. We prefer to plan a hairline that is mature which will suit you for the rest of your life. 

A lot of patients request for their hairline to be brought down to match the hairline they had when they were in their teens. It is our opinion that this is not a good idea. Not only will this require many hair grafts that thin your donor zone but also your ongoing balding process will mean a hairline that is too low will look odd. As you age, your temples will recede and a hairline that is low will look like a strip of hair separated from the hair behind it. It will look unnatural and it won’t suit you in your middle- late age. 

In the first 1-3 months following hair transplant, the newly transplanted hairs usually become dormant and will shed before growing again in 4-12 months. It may take 9-12 months before the full result will be realised. 

Duration of your procedure depends on the number of grafts. Extraction and implantation of the average number of 2000 grafts can take 6-8 hours. You can read a book or watch movies on a tablet while comfortably seated or propped up during the procedure. 

The procedure cost depends on the number of grafts you would need to address your specific hair loss concern and your type of hair the cost per graft. The average number of grafts required per procedure is ~ 2000. The estimated cost per graft is between $7-10.

The results of a hair transplant, which can usually be seen after a year, can last many people for life. Certainly, you can expect results to last for 15-20 years or more. The potential permanence of a hair transplant is one of the reasons it is so important to be happy with the results. 

If you are taking medications to prevent further hair loss, the results of your hair transplant are set to suit you for a longer time. If you do not take medications to prevent further hair loss, there is the chance that your hair transplant results will no longer suit you after further hair loss has occurred. For these cases in which hair has receded behind the implanted hairs, a second or third hair transplant are options. 

Some people might have the belief that the procedure is very painful. However, many of those who have a hair transplant doesn’t feel anything during the procedure itself. After a local anaesthetic has been administered via an injection into the target area of the scalp, a patient should not feel any discomfort. 

We can also provide pain-relieving medications to help reduce discomfort further. Many measures are used to increase the comfort level of patients during the procedure. You may like to watch movies on your tablet or listen to music, to help keep your mind off the procedure. All of this is offered at The Hair Institute, our custom-built hair transplant treatment room is temperature-controlled, and we offer aromatherapy to help relax your body and mind. 

Hair transplant procedures using FUE technique may be suited for all hair types for both men and women. While most people can get the procedure, there are key factors that will determine if you’re the ideal candidate, that is, degree of hair loss, number of grafts necessary to produce the desired results, density, and quality of the donor hair, hair texture, and potential for future hair loss. Our experience physician will advise you on your eligibility and other possible options. 

Duration of your procedure depends on the number of grafts. Extraction and implantation of the average number of 2000 grafts can take 6-8 hours. You can read a book or watch movies on a tablet while comfortably seated or propped up during the procedure.