The FUE technique in hair transplant

Many people wonder where the hair used in a hair transplant comes from. The donor area is almost always the occipital region—in other words, the back of the scalp—but the way the follicular units are harvested depends on the technique used by each surgeon. In this article, we’ll explain the FUSS (strip) technique and take a closer look at the FUE technique, the method used by Dr. Espinosa Custodio for hair transplant procedures in Madrid.

The FUSS Technique in Hair Transplant Surgery

For many years, the most common method of harvesting follicular units for a hair transplant was the FUSS, or strip, technique. FUSS stands for Follicular Unit Strip Surgery and involves removing a strip of scalp skin that can be up to 20 centimetres long.

The FUSS technique is more invasive than FUE, as we will see below. It leaves a fine linear scar that is usually concealed by the surrounding hair. Recovery also takes a little longer, although the procedure is still performed under local anaesthesia only.

The FUE Technique in Hair Transplant Surgery

To overcome the limitations of the FUSS technique, the FUE method was gradually developed and later significantly refined by Dr. John Cole. With FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), follicular units are harvested individually using an extremely precise circular punch. A team of technicians then collects the grafts extracted by the doctor and sorts them according to the number of hairs each follicular unit contains.

The FUE technique does not leave a linear scar, and recovery is considerably faster. However, because each follicular unit is extracted individually, the harvesting stage can take up to four hours, depending on the number of grafts required.

In both FUSS and FUE, graft harvesting is followed by implantation using the DHI technique. Since the follicles are also implanted one by one, it is essential that the extraction is performed professionally and efficiently to maximise graft survival, as follicular units are particularly vulnerable while they remain outside the scalp.

The Results of the FUE Technique

When performed correctly, the FUE technique consistently delivers some of the best results in hair transplantation. Although it is a more meticulous and time-consuming procedure, its advantages have made it the preferred technique for both surgeons and patients worldwide.tracción de las unidades foliculares durante un trasplante capilar. El doctor Espinosa es especialista en este área del injerto capilar y la realiza constantemente en su clínica capilar en Madrid.

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.