Overview of FUE Hair Transplant Procedure

All procedures performed at Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration are based on Dr. Bernstein’s pioneering Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) techniques. The essence of these procedures is that the hair is transplanted into the balding area as individual follicular units (naturally occurring groups of 1-4 hairs), so that it will look totally natural and be undetectable as a hair transplant.

In FUE, the follicular units are removed directly from the back and sides of the scalp using new robotic techniques to minimize injury to follicles (see Robotic FUE).

All of our hair restoration procedures are performed under local anesthesia. Hair transplant sessions that use thousands of follicular unit grafts may take a whole day or even two consecutive days; however, medications are given to relax you and the time goes by quickly. For part of the procedure, you will be offered a movie selection and cable T.V. Most patients choose to listen to music, watch a movie, or just chat with the doctor and staff.

The misconception that people may have of hair transplantation, where patients leave the office with their heads wrapped in bandages and have significant bleeding and pain, is from experience with the out-dated, plug techniques. In modern follicular unit hair transplants, patients leave the office with only a hat and headband and are able to shower and shampoo their hair the day after the hair restoration surgery.

Before Hair Transplant Surgery

Prior to your hair restoration procedure, we request routine blood tests including screening tests for HIV and Hepatitis. You should avoid alcohol, aspirin and other anti-inflammatory medications before your hair transplant, as these may increase bleeding. Of course, if by chance you smoke, this should be discontinued as well. The morning of your procedure, all you need to do is shower and shampoo, wear loose fitting clothes and eat breakfast without caffeinated beverages. For details see Before Surgery. »»

The Hair Transplant Procedure

The hair transplant is generally an all day procedure performed under local anesthesia and light sedation. Large FUE sessions are often performed on consecutive days. After you are sedated and your scalp is numbed, you will sit comfortably in a special chair as the doctor operates the robotic device that removes follicular units directly from your donor area. After the hair is harvested, tiny recipient sites (needle-size incisions) are made in balding areas of the scalp. The follicular unit grafts are then placed into these sites using very fine instruments. Once all the grafts are placed, the scalp is cleaned, a tennis-band dressing is applied and the patient is set to go home. For details see The Hair Transplant Procedure. »»

After Hair Transplant Surgery

In FUE hair transplants, the procedure is visible for about a week to ten days after the procedure. For limited sessions, you may be able to cover the harvested area with existing hair. Some patients choose to wear a hat when they are in public. Patients can resume normal activities the second day following their hair restoration surgery, although there are some restrictions on smoking and drinking. New hair growth starts to appear 2 to 3 months after the hair transplant and the hair restoration is usually fully grown out (mature) in about a year. For details see After Surgery. »»

If you have read through all of the pages in this section and you still have questions about hair transplantation, please either contact us, or come in for a hair loss consultation to discuss your case with the doctor.