I'm 21 and have a really bad hair loss. When should I have a hair transplant?

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Major FUE instruments of the hair transplant and their usage

Latest developments in instrument technology and improvements have now made the complicated follicular unit extraction (FUE) a method competitive with the common strip harvesting procedure for getting natural donor hair for the transplantation surgery.

In FUE method, a surgeon removes one particular FU - or follicular unit, at one time, aiming those grafts that appear most possible to increase and produce natural hair in a recipient site. It needs more ability of the surgeon and more charge from the transplant patient compare to the strip harvesting method. The FUE is an advanced and safer method than strip harvesting technique. Here are some FUE instruments, which are used for the FUE technique.

The Manual Punch Tool: The manual punch Tool is a round hollow sharp scalpel with a total diameter of 0.7 to 1.2 millimeter. This tool is the original FUE instrument. The tool’s punch is positioned over the visible part of a follicular unit's hair on the scalp, and pushed downward with normal manual rotation to cut the skin around the follicular unit and properly free it from surrounding hair tissue. The follicular unit is then extracted by the forceps.

The SAFE System: A special three-step manual procedure called The SAFE System. In the first step, it utilizes a sharp round punch to cut the skin around the follicular unit, now in a second step, a special blunt circular punch to release the follicular unit from surrounding tissue and in the last step is extraction.

Powered SafeScribe® Tool: The Powered SafeScribe® Tool is a handheld electronic gadget to remove the follicular units from the donor area with the minimal possibility of damage, and reserve for transplantation. A wide range of different punch sizes and types is easily available in the market. In skilled hands, this tool can decrease the total time of FU extraction procedure sessions, decrease the possibility of scarring, and give a high rate of intact FUs.

RotoCore Tool: This tool automatically rotates over the FUE as it cuts the skin around the follicle. The tool permits the surgeon to pre-set the punch to incise to a selected depth.

The Feller Instrument Tool: The tool combines complicated FUE procedures into a solo instrument to assist the surgeon work faster and more professionally.

NeoGraft Tool: This is a motorized device that gives a rotating sharp punch to cut the follicular unit, and a suction tool that extracts the FUE safely for the hair transplant surgery.

FUT VS FUE

Hair transplantation field has gone through several changes in past few years. Various hair transplant clinics and centers have been using a number of methods but FUT and FUE are most widely used hair transplant techniques that include transferring individual follicular units in their genetic form. Follicular Unit Transplantation is considered as traditional hair transplant methods that has now replaced by Follicular Unit Extraction. The basic difference between both procedures lies in extraction method while implanting process is almost same in both type of hair transplantation.  

FUE is advancement in Follicular Unit Transplantation in which hair are extracted from donor area in the form of follicular units. Follicular units are group of three to four hair. A small needle punch is utilized to separate follicular units from the surrounding tissue and creates small circular incision in the skin. The follicular Unit is then extracted directly from scalp which leaves a small open hole. Then, follicular units are placed onto recipient sites.

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) involves extraction of strip of hair and tissue from back of the scalp. The, hair transplant surgeons dissect hair bearing strip into individual follicular units. The dissection is done under fiber optic equipped microscopes to prevent the application of heat to the grafts. Then, they are implanted onto bald region where the surgeon has made recipient sites. The suture or staple are used to close the wounds.        

FUE has a number of advantages over FUT hair transplant as it does not result in linear scarring. The healing time is fast. With minimally invasive nature, it produces hundreds of tiny scars in the donor area that are hard to detect. 

FUE hair transplant is the most refined approach to hair transplantation and best for those who want to wear short hairstyle or scalp is too tight or has existing damage. Pain and discomfort in FUE after the surgery is less as compared FUT hair transplant.

FUE can be repeated after one month but FUT cannot because it takes much recovery time. FUE is length and time consuming process and requires experienced and trained hair transplantation surgeons and standardized instruments.   

Comparative Study between different techniques of FUE Hair Transplant

Hair transplant techniques have improved significantly in the course of time. with the help on cutting edge technology and latest advancements in the information technology sector, scientists have employed this along with the most diverse knowledge of the process of hair loss; resulting in more advanced techniques which give promising results. The chronological placement of these techniques place FUT at the bottom of pyramid. 

FUT was the breakthrough that mankind was waiting for a long time. at that time, it was the dream treatment that one could get and people used to opt it significantly despite of the risk of getting scars in the donor area which were irreplaceable.

FUT did its job as the one and only permanent solution to hair loss for as long as there was not any significant procedure developed to succeed this method. Then came along the modern gold standard of hair transplant surgery. FUE involves removal of singular hair follicle and this basic unit is then transplanted into the donor area. This had many advantages for the person who is getting his hair transplanted as well as the surgeon who is performing this technique. Minimal invasive technique was the name called to FUE and hence it promised minimal scars in the donor area leaving it natural looking and without any bizarre marks that the patient had to hide afterwards.

With the passage of time, a need of more  enhanced surgical procedure was felt. This led to the development of large scale FUE and another procedure which comprised of combination of FUE and FUT side by side. Large scale FUE is used to implant larger number of hair follicles in a single surgery and hence the need of multiple surgeries is eliminated. Also the tools used for excision, separation and transplantation of hair follicles are now more precise and smaller in size. This has also minimized the duration of recovery and that is why the transplanted follicles start to grow and cover the once bald spots rapidly. 

Newly developed software also help FUE practicing surgeons to develop a simulated version of the resulting scalp which allows the hair transplant surgeon to foresee and complication that may arise beforehand . FUE techniques and the newly incorporated changes in the basic process work hand in hand and hence it is hard to tell one from the other on the basis of efficiency. It depends on the best judgment of the surgeon and the severity of the case which leads to the selection of particular FUE technique to be used.