Follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplants are a popular transplant technique. When choosing a hair restoration procedure, more than 75% of men and 57% of women choose FUE [1].
As a permanent treatment for hair loss that offers natural-looking results with virtually no scarring, it’s no surprise that FUE is so popular. Whether you’re experiencing the first signs of thinning and balding or your hair shedding is more extensive, you may be a candidate for this type of hair transplant.
FUE is a type of hair restoration surgery that involves harvesting healthy hair follicles from one area of the body and transplanting them to a spot where hair is sparse or balding. Grafts are taken from a safe donor site — an area where the follicles are unaffected by male pattern baldness or female pattern hair loss.
Most commonly, hair is taken from the back and sides of the head and relocated to thinning areas on top of the scalp, such as a bald spot on the crown or areas of temple hair loss.
FUE is a minimally invasive procedure which, unlike more traditional hair transplant techniques, leaves very little scarring around the donor areas. So you can get a hair transplant without anyone knowing, even if you cut your hair short on the back and sides.
FUE is performed using a punch with a diameter of around 1 mm [2]. This is used to harvest individual hair follicles, which can then be transplanted. Your surgeon will make small incisions in your balding areas and transplant these grafts into the cuts.
FUE surgery itself takes just a few hours, but the growth process takes several months. Most of the transplanted hair will shed within a month [3]. However, as the cuts heal and the grafts settle, they’ll begin to produce new hair growth — this usually starts around 3-4 months after the transplant [4].
Here’s a step-by-step guide to what happens before, during, and after FUE surgery.
First, your consultant will check if you’re eligible for a hair transplant and determine whether it is the most suitable treatment for you. They will 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.
Hairline design is a key element of the hair transplant process. It’s important for your new hairline to follow the original, creating a natural-looking hair transplant for your age and face shape.
Your medical team 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.
On the day of surgery, your consultant and surgical team should answer any last-minute questions and prepare you 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.
The surgeon and technicians will start your FUE procedure by extracting individual follicular units (known as grafts) from the donor area. In some clinics, they’ll need to shave your head to do this.
The Wimpole Clinic 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.
The team will patch up your head after the surgery and give you thorough hair transplant aftercare instructions for the first few days. You’ll also have follow-up appointments to ensure everything is healing as it should, and to allow you to ask questions about your hair transplant recovery as they arise.
FUE can create amazing results that are indistinguishable from your natural hair. Here are a few previous Wimpole Clinic patients before and after FUE hair transplant results:
FUE beard transplant results after 8 months
FUE crown hair transplant results after 22 months
For more FUE results, see our extensive catalogue of before and after hair transplant photos. We’ve also performed a range of highly successful celebrity hair transplants at the Wimpole Clinic, such as Ben Stokes’ hair transplant and Rob Holding’s hair transplant.
Taking special care of your FUE transplant in the days and weeks after surgery is important. Poor aftercare can lead to a failed hair transplant — so here’s everything you need to know about looking after your grafts during the hair transplant recovery.
After FUE, it takes around a week to get back to your normal activities, and around two weeks after the procedure, your newly transplanted hairs are likely to fall out [5]. This is known as shock loss after a hair transplant and is a normal part of the recovery process.
After surgery, it takes at least 3 to 4 months before any hair growth is noticed [4]. Your hair will then continue to improve over the next few months until the final result is visible at around 10-12 months [4].
Try to sleep with your head tilted upwards using a travel pillow or a similar neck support device that keeps your head at an angle. It may not be the most comfortable position, but it will prevent you from damaging or dislodging your grafts at night.
When washing your hair after a hair transplant, don’t put your head directly under strong water jets. Reduce the water pressure or use a cup to gently pour water over your head. Use your fingertips (not your nails) to massage the shampoo into your scalp. Then, rinse your hair using the same low-pressure technique.
You might also be allowed to return to the clinic for a hair wash, which is a good way to get a thorough clean without worrying about dislodging your grafts. Wimpole Clinic patients can get a post-surgery hair wash 3 days after their procedure.
One study found that the usual length of time for hair grafts to be anchored securely after an FUE transplant is 9 days [6]. For the first week, there’s a high risk of dislodgement, so you need to be really careful during this period.
It’s safe to get a haircut after your hair transplant procedure at around 3 weeks, providing everything has healed up properly. If you still have scabs or soreness in the area, it’s best to wait until these have healed before cutting your hair.
Many patients experience at least one of the following side effects after FUE:
These usually clear up within a few weeks, but if you’re concerned, seek advice from your clinic. Your surgeon will also advise you on any symptoms that may indicate a problem with your hair transplant, and regular follow-up appointments will ensure any complications are dealt with as soon as possible.
The cost of a hair transplant differs from clinic to clinic. Ultimately, the cost comes down to the number of hair grafts you need and which clinic you choose.
While some clinics offer hair transplants at very high prices, you don’t need to pay over the odds to get a great hair transplant. Equally, avoid clinics with too-good-to-be-true prices, as they could be cutting corners with safety and quality.
At the Wimpole Clinic, FUE prices start at £3,499.
Across the UK, the average cost of a Norwood stage 2-3 hair transplant is £4,820. Learn more about getting a good-value hair transplant in our hair transplant cost analysis.
FUE is the most popular type of hair transplant. But is it better than other types of hair restoration surgery? Here, we’ll directly compare FUE with FUT and DHI hair transplants (direct hair implantation).
Each hair transplantation technique comes with unique benefits and downsides. For example, FUE is more time-consuming and requires a greater level of expertise than FUT [2]. See the differences between FUE and FUT in this head-to-head table:
Direct hair implantation is a modern hair transplant technique in which hair follicles are harvested individually and loaded into a device called a Choi Implanter Pen. They are then implanted directly into the scalp.
As DHI is a newer treatment, some people claim that DHI hair transplants are the most advanced and effective option. However, there is limited research to support this claim, and there is ongoing scientific debate about what is the most effective hair transplant method [10].
FUE is preferred by many people because it covers larger areas and can be used to treat more significant balding. Let’s compare FUE vs DHI:
FUE hair transplants are permanent. So, if you take care of your hair, your transplant should last a lifetime. To make the most of your new hair, you’ll need to:
At the Wimpole Clinic, our FUE hair transplant success rates are between 97-100%. With access to some of the best hair transplant surgeons in the UK and an expert trichology team, you can rely on us to restore your hair to its former glory.
Using a range of diagnostic trichology tests, such as a hair pull test, our hair doctors can diagnose the cause of your hair loss and suggest the best treatment options. Book a consultation at one of our nationwide clinic locations to find out whether a hair transplant is right for you.
Good news — hair transplants are permanent, so your glossy new locks should last a lifetime. The fact that a hair transplant after 10 years still looks great makes them very popular among people experiencing hair loss.
The hair transplant procedure itself is painless because you receive local anaesthesia to prevent pain during surgery. It’s normal to experience some mild pain in the initial days after your transplant, but this can usually be managed with over-the-counter painkillers and tends to ease within a week or two.
This depends on the quality of the hair transplant and the skill of the surgeons. With a high-quality FUE hair transplant, results look natural enough to get a hair transplant without anyone knowing. However, FUT hair transplants leave a larger, linear scar in the donor area, which is a telltale sign of a hair transplant.
At some clinics, surgeons and technicians need to shave your head to extract grafts for your FUE hair transplant. However, the Wimpole Clinic offers the unshaven FUE technique, so you can have a hair transplant while keeping your locks intact.
Celebrities tend to choose the top hair transplant clinics in the country, where they can receive treatment from highly experienced surgeons and get the best results. For example, many celebrities have chosen the Wimpole Clinic, such as Ben Stokes, Rob Holding, Baga Chipz hair transplant, and Jonathan Joseph’s hair transplant.
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