Hair Transplant Procedure

If you're deciding on a hair transplant procedure there are a number of different methods used.  Here's a brief review of each:

Hair Transplant Procedures:

1) FUE - Follicular Unit Extraction

This is a method where each follicular unit/hair is harvested individually from the back and sides of the head and transplanted into the target area.

The advantage to the FUE procedure is that there tends to be less bleeding, scarring and much less downtime needed for recovery (vs. the FUSS procedure).

The disadvantage is that this method is much more expensive than the FUSS method. Also, not as many hairs can be transplanted in one session using the FUE procedure. While it depends on your surgeon, the maximum number of grafts that can be transplanted using the FUE procedure is about 1500-2000.

Also note that because it is a fairly new method, there are not as many surgeons that offer this hair transplant procedure.

2) FUSS - Follicular Unit Strip Surgery

This is the method where a narrow strip of hair is taken from the areas of the head that are not prone to balding (sides and back). The incision is then closed up with minimal scarring. The follicular units on the strip are then harvested and implanted into the balding areas of the scalp.

The advantage to the FUSS procedure is that you can transplant a lot of grafts in one session. The disadvantage is that it can take longer to recover from this procedure than the FUE procedure.

Many patients who have lost some hair but are concerned about losing more elect to do a the major work with the FUSS procedure and then do 'touch-ups' FUE procedures down the road since there's less down time with the FUE and you can only do so many grafts.

3) Other Procedures - Scalp Reduction

This is much less common and fewer surgeons still do this procedure. A scalp reduction is where areas of balding are surgically removed with the rest of the scalp skin pulled together to eliminate the balding skin.  Depending on the size of the balding area, this is usually done in stages.

These are probably the most expensive procedures and can run you into the tens of thousands of dollars. Plus there's also risks like tightness of your scalp leading to thinning of the skin and improper scarring.

Other important factors to consider when looking at hair transplant procedures:

Density - For example, some surgeons specialize in packing transplanted hair very densely which gives you a much fuller, natural look. 

Hairline Construction - For example, if you're in your 20s, you will want a different looking hairline than someone in their 50s.  Some surgeons realize this and tailor the hairline to suit your face shape, age, etc. Other surgeons follow a one-hairline-fits-all type of mentality.