FUE surgery: a step-by-step guide
Here’s a step-by-step guide to what happens before, during, and after FUE surgery.
1. Initial consultation
The first step is to check you’re eligible for a hair transplant, and to determine if a hair transplant is the most suitable treatment for you.
Your consultant can conduct a thorough hair and scalp exam (and perform hair loss blood tests if necessary) to understand why your hair is falling out and ensure you’re a good hair transplant candidate.
2. Designing your hairline
Hairline design is a key element when it comes to creating a natural result. It’s important for your new hairline to follow the original, creating a natural-looking, age-appropriate result.
Your consultant and surgeon should be realistic about the results you can expect. If you have extreme hair loss (stages 5+ on the Norwood Scale), a full head of hair may not be possible — but you can still increase hair density in targeted areas.
3. Surgery preparation
On the day of surgery, your consultant and surgical team should answer any last-minute questions you have, then get you ready for the procedure.
Your scalp will be prepped with local anaesthetic to fully numb the areas. This makes FUE a virtually pain-free procedure. You can also have a sedative if you’re feeling tense or nervous.
4. Extraction and transplantation
The surgeon and technicians will start your FUE procedure by extracting individual follicular units (known as grafts) from the safe donor area. In some clinics, they’ll need to shave your head to do this. The Wimpole Clinic also offers the unshaven FUE technique, so there’s no need to get the clippers out.
When the grafts are extracted, the team will start to transplant them into your thinning areas.
5. Post-procedure care
The team will patch up your head after the surgery and give you thorough hair transplant aftercare instructions for the first few days.