Sapphire FUE hair transplant?

At our hair clinic in Madrid, many patients ask us about the Sapphire FUE hair transplant. But does such a technique actually exist? No. It is a common misunderstanding between the two stages of every hair transplant: extraction and implantation. Is sapphire used during hair transplantation? Yes, but only sometimes, and always during the implantation stage. In this article from Instituto Médico del Prado, we explain the difference.

Extraction: FUE and FUSS Techniques

Let’s start from the beginning: FUE. What do these initials stand for? They refer to Follicular Unit Extraction. It is the most advanced technique for extracting hair follicles during a hair transplant. It is the alternative to the FUSS technique (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery) and was created by Dr. Masumi Inaba before being further developed by the renowned American hair restoration surgeon Dr. John Cole.

With the FUSS technique, a strip of skin is removed from the donor area in order to obtain the follicular units. However, this leaves a scar in the donor area, which is why it has increasingly been replaced by the FUE technique. With FUE, the doctor extracts each follicular unit individually. To do this, an extremely fine microsurgical punch with a diameter of approximately 0.7 mm is used. In either technique, the incisions must always be performed by a doctor.

Neither of these extraction techniques uses sapphire. The microsurgical punches used for extraction are not made from sapphire. Sapphire is only used during the second stage of the hair transplant: implantation with forceps.

Implantation: DHI or Forceps?

Now that we have ruled out the idea of a Sapphire FUE or Sapphire FUSS technique, let’s explain where sapphire is actually used: during the implantation technique performed with forceps. Just like extraction, implantation of the follicular units can also be carried out in two different ways: Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) or implantation with forceps.

With the DHI technique, only the hair transplant doctor works directly on the patient’s scalp. The doctor performs the incisions and implants the follicular units using implanter pens. With the forceps technique, the doctor first creates all the recipient-site incisions and then, with the assistance of hair transplant technicians—who are not permitted to make the incisions—the follicular units are placed more quickly. In this technique, the doctor uses a sapphire-tipped blade to create the incisions.

Rather than talking about a Sapphire FUE hair transplant, it would be more accurate to speak of two separate techniques: FUE extraction and sapphire-assisted implantation with forceps.

Dr. Espinosa Custodio

Excellent results can be achieved with both implantation techniques. However, the DHI technique requires a higher level of expertise from the doctor. It allows the surgeon to control the depth and direction of every implanted follicle.

In addition, greater hair density can be achieved. While implantation with forceps typically reaches between 50 and 60 follicular units (FUs) per cm², the DHI technique can increase this figure to 70 or even 90 FUs per cm². Furthermore, there is no need to create pre-made recipient incisions, resulting in less trauma to the recipient area.

Dr. Espinosa Custodio works at Instituto Médico del Prado, his hair clinic in Madrid, and performs hair transplants in Mexico, twice a year. If you would like to make an appointment, you can contact us on +34 912 468 664, on WhatsApp +34 627 396 322 or on the contact page of our website. From Mexico you can contact us at +52 55 4590 9909.