Full Head of Hair

A hair transplant is a surgical procedure in which hair is moved from the back and/or sides of the scalp, where it is permanent (donor area), to areas that are thinning or bald on the front, top, or crown of the scalp (recipient area). Once transplanted, the hair will continue to grow for a person’s lifetime. At HairPros we perform the two most effective types of hair restoration procedures, Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Direct Hair Implementation (DHI).

In a Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) operation, the donor hair is removed individually with a special micro punch. In most cases, the donor area is at the middle back of the head, since compared to the front hairline or the crown, the back is usually not so severely affected by hair loss.

The extracted hair is then stored in a special nutrient solution before implantation by a mini needle, the “Choi Pen”, which is used to implant the individual hair follicles to the scalp.

Two great advantages of DHI comparing with FUE or FUT, are the fact that it’s much less prone to leave scars (unlike FUT), and patients with long hair don’t always have to shave their heads before the treatment.

Important to understand that due to longer operation time, DHI treatments are usually more suitable for patients with a lower number of grafts implemented.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a method of extracting, or “harvesting”, follicular units one-by-one directly from the scalp. In FUE, an instrument is used to make small, circular incisions in the skin around follicular units, separating them from the surrounding tissue. The follicular unit is then extracted (pulled) directly from the scalp, leaving a small open hole that heals with a small white mark.

This method of donor harvesting is what differentiates the FUE procedure from Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), in which the donor hair is removed in a long strip that is dissected into individual follicular units under a stereo-microscope. The creation of recipient sites and the placing of follicular unit grafts are essentially the same in FUE and FUT procedures.

The best way to find out is to be evaluated by a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon specializing in hair restoration. The answer will depend on the cause of your hair loss, your age, the stability of your donor supply, how extensive your hair loss is, your expectations and a number of other important factors that will be taken into account. Ask us more and we’ll check your candidacy for a hair transplant surgery together.

DHI is more appropriate for patients who would like to keep their hair very short or who can’t limit strenuous activities in the post-op period. In general, younger patients who need to keep their styling options flexible choose DHI, whereas those who desire the most coverage opt for FUE. Ask us more a detailed comparison of DHI and FUE.