FUE hair transplant
FUE is a hair transplant technique in which shedding-resistant follicles are removed one at a time with 0.7–0.9 mm micro punches and placed into channels opened in the recipient area — no strip is taken and no sutures are used.
- Procedure time
- 6–8 hours
- Anaesthesia
- Local anaesthetic
- Recovery
- 10 days of crusting · 15 days to social normality
- Sessions
- One session, a second if needed
- How long it lasts
- Permanent; result completes at 12–18 months
What the technique actually is
FUE — follicular unit extraction — is the removal, one at a time, of shedding-resistant follicles from the nape and temples using micro punches 0.7–0.9 mm across. Because no strip of scalp is taken, there is no long linear scar at the back of the head.
The harvested grafts go into channels opened in advance in the recipient area. The angle, direction and spacing of those channels is what decides whether the result looks natural — not the brand of instrument used to open them.
The graft budget
The donor area is a finite resource. The total number of grafts that can ever be taken from it varies from person to person, and it is not replenished once spent.
So the first operation is not planned around “the maximum number of grafts we can take today”. It is planned around the number you need today that still leaves you something for later.
- Hairline and frontal zone — usually 1,500–2,500 grafts
- Crown (vertex) — usually 1,500–3,000 grafts
- Frontal and mid-scalp together — usually 3,000–4,500 grafts
The day of the operation
The donor area is shaved and local anaesthetic is given. Harvesting takes 2–3 hours, during which you can rest face up or face down; you are awake throughout and can talk, listen to something or ask what is happening.
There is a break for a meal, then the channel-opening and placement stage begins. Total time reaches 6–8 hours depending on the graft count. Your consent form is signed in English before anything starts, and you keep a copy of it.
Recovery timeline
The first wash is done at the clinic on the day after the operation and you are taught how to repeat it. Crusts have gone completely by days 10–14.
Between months two and four, most of the transplanted hairs shed. That is shock loss, not loss of the follicle. Regrowth starts from month four and the result completes between months 12 and 18. Nobody can show you a finished result at three months.
What decides the result
The graft count is only one input. The same number can produce very different results; the measurable variables that make the difference are below.
- Donor density — follicular units per square centimetre
- Hair calibre — thicker hair gives more coverage from the same graft count
- Contrast between hair and skin colour — lower contrast makes thinness less visible
- Channel angle and direction — forward and downward at the front, a whorl pattern at the crown
- Whether the shedding has stabilised — ongoing loss will undo the look within a few years
Travelling for it, and what is not included
Three nights covers it: examination and planning on arrival, operation the next day, first wash and check on the third. Flying home on the fourth day is routine and no airline restricts it.
What the plan covers is put in writing before you travel. What it does not cover is written with it: flights, travel insurance, and medical treatment for ongoing hair loss, which needs a prescription managed where you live. Any second session is planned and costed separately, and follow-up photographs at months 1, 3, 6 and 12 are reviewed by message.
Who this is not for, and what not to expect
In a patient whose donor density is insufficient, an FUE result stays thin. In that case not operating is the more correct decision, and it is the one we make.
A transplant done before active shedding has been brought under control produces an unbalanced picture within a few years, as the untransplanted areas open up behind the new hairline.
- Uncontrolled bleeding disorder or anticoagulant use — not performed without a haematology assessment
- Active scalp infection or inflammatory scalp disease — no operation is planned until it is treated
- Autoimmune shedding such as widespread alopecia areata — not performed without dermatology sign-off
- Diffuse unpatterned loss where the donor area is also thinning — a graft taken from there keeps thinning where it is moved to
- Under 24 with an unsettled loss pattern — the hairline is not placed aggressively
This page is general information and does not replace a clinical examination. The method, dose and timescale that apply to you are decided by a doctor after examining you.
Frequently asked questions
Will the transplanted hair fall out again?
Who decides how many grafts I need?
Will I need a second session?
Can I fly home the day after the operation?
Pre-assessment
Describe your situation and we will answer with a measurement
Send a photograph or an X-ray. A doctor in the relevant speciality will reply with a graft range, a number of teeth or a dose range in units. If you are not suitable, we say so plainly.