FUE Hair Transplant Glasgow

FUE Hair Transplant in Glasgow

FUE is used to obtain individual follicular units from suitable areas of donor hair, normally around the back and sides of the scalp. Instead of removing one continuous strip of donor tissue, the follicular units are taken individually and the extraction sites are distributed through the donor region.

Once harvested, those follicles can be transplanted into the hairline, temples, frontal scalp, mid-scalp or crown. The harvesting method may be the same, but the way the grafts are distributed changes considerably from one part of the scalp to another.

Hairline work usually relies heavily on finer single-hair grafts at the leading edge before stronger follicular units are introduced behind them. Crown restoration is different because the placement has to follow the patient's existing vertex whorl. Larger areas of thinning also require more careful decisions about where the available donor hair will have the greatest visual effect.

FUE avoids the single linear donor scar associated with strip harvesting, but it should not be described as scar-free. Each harvested follicular unit leaves a small healing site in the donor region, so the distribution and total amount of extraction matter to the final appearance of the donor area.

At Glasgow Hair Transplant Clinics, FUE planning therefore begins with the donor area as well as the area the patient wants restored. You can read more about that part of the assessment in our donor-area guide.

FUE Hair Transplant Gallery

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How FUE Hair Transplantation Works

An FUE procedure begins with the donor region. The back and sides of the scalp are examined to identify the areas where suitable follicular units can be harvested while leaving enough surrounding density for the donor area to retain a natural appearance.

Individual follicular units are then released from the surrounding skin and removed one at a time. Hair does not travel beneath the scalp at exactly the same angle in every patient, so extraction has to follow the individual anatomy of the follicle rather than assuming that every graft sits vertically beneath the skin.

Harvesting is spread through the donor region. Concentrating too many extractions in one small area can create visible thinning even when each individual extraction mark is small. The aim is to obtain the grafts needed for the recipient area while keeping the remaining donor hair balanced.

The extracted follicular units are then prepared for transplantation. Natural grafts contain different numbers of hairs. Single-hair units are particularly useful where a soft hairline edge is required, while stronger multi-hair units can contribute more density farther behind the hairline or through other parts of the scalp.

Recipient sites are planned according to the area being restored. Hairline work requires control of angle, direction and irregularity so that the front does not look uniformly implanted. Work through the crown follows a completely different pattern because the grafts have to turn around the patient's vertex whorl.

The prepared follicular units are then placed into those recipient sites. Graft spacing and direction are determined by the existing hair and the amount of coverage being created rather than by trying to place the largest possible number of grafts into the smallest possible area.

This is why two FUE procedures with a similar graft count can still involve very different planning. The quality and distribution of the available donor hair, the treatment area and the patient's longer-term pattern of hair loss all affect how those grafts should be used.

The Donor Area After FUE

The donor region is not an unlimited supply of replacement hair. Once a follicular unit has been removed for transplantation, it is no longer available to provide density in that part of the donor scalp or to be used in another procedure later.

FUE leaves many small extraction sites rather than the single linear wound associated with FUT. As these sites heal and the surrounding donor hair grows, the individual marks can become difficult to notice, but this does not make FUE a scar-free procedure.

The overall appearance depends partly on how much hair was present before surgery and how the extractions were distributed. Dense donor hair can tolerate a different level of harvesting from a donor region that is already relatively fine or sparse.

Overharvesting is a different problem from the visibility of an individual scar. Removing too high a proportion of follicles can leave the donor region looking permanently thin, particularly when the hair is worn short. Good planning therefore concentrates on what should safely remain as much as what can be removed.

This becomes increasingly important where a patient has extensive hair loss or may want another transplant later. The donor assessment should take the lifetime pattern into account rather than using the maximum possible graft number during the first procedure.

Our hair transplant donor-area guide explains this in more detail.

FUE Hair Transplant Recovery

Immediately after FUE, both the donor and recipient areas are visible. The donor region shows the individual extraction sites while small crusts form around the transplanted grafts. Redness, tenderness and some swelling can occur during this early stage.

As the first week progresses, the scalp begins to settle. The extraction sites in the donor region close and the recipient area starts losing the freshly treated appearance. Washing and early aftercare should follow the instructions supplied after treatment rather than trying to remove crusting aggressively.

A few weeks later, many of the transplanted hair shafts can shed. This is one of the stages patients are most likely to worry about because the treated area can temporarily appear thinner again. The visible shaft has fallen, but the transplanted follicle remains beneath the skin and begins another growth cycle.

There is then a period when relatively little appears to happen before new hairs begin emerging. Early growth can be fine, uneven and different in texture from the mature result. Individual follicles do not all start growing on the same day.

Through the middle part of the first year, more of the transplanted hair becomes visible and earlier hairs gain length and calibre. Hairline work can become easier to assess during this period, while larger mid-scalp and crown procedures may still have a significant amount of development ahead.

Maturation continues through the remainder of the first year and can carry on beyond that point. The finished appearance depends on the starting pattern, graft distribution, hair characteristics and the amount of native hair remaining around the transplant.

More information is available in our aftercare guide, hair transplant shedding guide and hair transplant timeline.

FUE Hair Transplant Cost in Glasgow

FUE procedures vary considerably in size. Rebuilding a limited area of frontal recession can involve far fewer grafts than restoring the hairline, frontal scalp and mid-scalp together. Extensive crown loss creates another set of demands because of the surface area involved.

A quotation therefore needs to follow an assessment of the treatment area and donor region. Hair calibre, donor density, previous transplant surgery and the amount of existing hair all affect what can realistically be achieved with a given number of grafts.

Graft count on its own is not a useful measure of value. Two patients can receive a similar number of follicular units while starting with very different hair-loss patterns and donor characteristics. Where those grafts are placed and how well the donor supply is managed are equally important.

Current information is available on our hair transplant cost page and no-deposit scheme.

Frequently Asked Questions