You’ve probably heard about a relatively new hair restoration method called Follicular Unit Extraction – FUE for short. It’s an innovative approach in hair transplant technology that surgically restores hair without leaving the linear kind of scarring common with the “strip harvesting” approach. Instead of taking strips of scalp from one part of the head for insertion into another, the FUE approach relocates the units one group of hairs at a time. It’s a delicate, demanding procedure, but the results are worth it.

Recently, the Neograft device, a vacuum-based machine, has exploded on the scene due to heavy marketing. Consumers should make informed choices based on diligent research, rather than TV shows endorsements. Some HT experts have cautioned about potential problem areas with neograft or devices using suction as part of their technology in FUE. There are reports that some of these machines are being marketed to novice clinics and doctors with no formal training in either basic hair transplantation, let alone FUE techniques.

Dr. Umar is troubled by the reports he’s received of failed FUE procedures done by persons in no way qualified to perform them who are using the Neograft machine. Instead of physicians conducting the FUE, Neograft technicians are sent to clinics to perform the actual procedure while the doctor looks on. A patient shows up for surgery expecting his doctor’s hands-on expertise ends up getting operated upon by someone who may not be licensed to perform surgery in the region the clinic is located.

Remember, FUE is a surgical procedure. Every single graft extraction involves cutting the skin. Because it is surgery, it is critical that a FUE hair transplant be done by an experienced, licensed medical doctor. Because it is surgery, it is illegal in many states in America for an unlicensed person to perform FUE transplant. This author opines that when a mass-production device like the Neograft is used by unlicensed personnel to perform a delicate procedure demanding a high level of skill, the potential for disaster is exponential.

Yet, thanks to an aggressive media and marketing campaign, the Neograft machine is hailed as the best solution to FUE procedures, despite the alarm raised by experts such as Dr. Umar. Other pioneers in the field of FUE, such as Dr. William R. Rassman and Dr. Robert M. Bernstein, share Dr. Umar’s concerns about the increasing use of this machine by unqualified, unlicensed persons as well as the flaws inherent to the device even in the hands of experienced FUE doctors.

The precision required for a FUE procedure leaves little room for novice errors. Although specialized technicians do play an important role in hair transplant procedures, their function is non-surgical. Remember, FUE is a surgical procedure; it involves penetration of the tissues of the body in order to directly insert the grafts into your head. Throughout the United States, as here in California, a license from the state medical board is required before a person is allowed to legally severe or penetrate the tissues of a human being in the course of treating diseases, injuries, deformities, and other physical and mental conditions.

In other words, FUE procedures must be restricted to those licensed to practice medicine. Clinics and doctors who support FUE procedures conducted by unlicensed persons could be liable to sanctions by their governing medical boards. This is not something often pointed out in the aggressive marketing campaigns.

It can be very difficult for a consumer to cut through the noise of an advertising campaign to find the truth. But there are steps you can take to help ensure that you have a safe procedure with the best possible end result.

• Learn a little bit about the FUE procedure and what it involves. By reading this post, you have already taken a necessary step to becoming informed!
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the person who will perform your surgery. When you go in for your consultation, ask about – and write down — the names, qualifications and license information of everyone to be involved in your surgery. Find out exactly what each person’s role will be. You are the patient. You have a right to ask.
• Ask the doctor if the device uses vacuum/air suction. A yes answer to this question is a problem in this author’s opinion.

For medical professionals, the answer is also simple. Physicians looking to incorporate FUE into their practice should take time to learn from their colleagues who have the experience and proven track record in the procedure. There is no substitute for this.

DHT acts as a mechanism for baldness in a variety of ways: it diminishes the size of the hair follicle; it shortens the anagen phase of hair growth; or it weakens the hair, causing it to break off.

Concerning baldness in both men and women, androgenetic alopecia is the main culprit, a genetic cause of balding. Although baldness resulting from androgenetic alopecia is cyclical and unpredictable, technologies and medicines today can help control the problem.

So is FUE the solution? While not a cure for androgentic alopecia, follicular unit extraction, or FUE, is a hair restoration surgery that serves as a solution to many types of baldness; including the above-mentioned DHT-catalyzed hair loss.

FUE hair transplant surgery is the leader among solutions for baldness, as hair is harvested and subsequently transplanted in individual follicular units. One to three hairs grow per follicular unit, thus FUE keeps the hairs in tact when they are implanted into the recipient area. FUE results in a natural, healthy appearance of hair growth on the scalp, and no cosmetically visible scarring.

FUE also enables BHT for those with depleted head donor hair.

FUE hair transplant patients will agree, FUE technology proves a successful solution to baldness time after time.

Your eyebrow hairs grow from the follicle at a sharp angle, so unlike the hairs on your head, your eyebrow hair is growing flat against the surface of your skin. The growth cycle of your eyebrow hair is also far shorter than that of the hairs of your scalp – about four months, as compared to three to seven years. Unlike your scalp hair, your eyebrow hairs grow as individual strands; there are no follicular groups of hairs in a bunch that can be moved from one area to another. Typically, 50 to 325 hairs are individually moved into the brow during the procedure, another reason a skilled surgeon is needed to perform this delicate task. The hairs must be perfectly placed into tiny incisions that are at just the right angle and direction to mimic natural growth.

Follicular Unit Extraction is an excellent approach for eyebrow restoration, because it involves transplanting individual strands of hair from another part of your body to your eyebrow area, leaving no visible scarring. The new hair will look a little different from your original eyebrows and have a different growth rate, but over time it will begin to mimic your existing eyebrow hair.

The procedure usually takes two hours and is done while you are under a mild sedative.

Have more questions about ways to improve your eyebrows? Contact Dr. Umar for a free online consultation today.

The patient featured in this video came to Dr. Umar after two different clinics left him with painful strip scars along the side and back of his head. Using the Single Follicle Extraction and Transfer procedure to transplant hair from the patient’s beard into his head, Dr. Umar was able to improve the appearance of the scar.

Have more questions about options to strip surgery? Contact Dr. Umar for a free online consultation today.

One of these procedures is the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), which transplants follicular units one at a time as donor hair, with no linear incision whatsoever. FUE creates small circular scalp incisions as extraction points, which heal with no cosmetically visible scarring.

Since FUE heals with no linear scar, it is great for patients who prefer to wear a short haircut. Also, the treatment is an effective solution for hair loss victims of botched strip harvesting transplantation.

This video showcases this procedure and the success it brings to each FUE patient. The patient had a receding hairline and combed his hair in such a way that it would obscure his hair loss. Dr. Umar utilized the FUE SFET procedure, with 2500 grafts transplanted from the nape area and head to meet the patient’s goal.

Upon watching the before and after clips of the patient, you can see Dr. Umar and the FUE SFET procedure not only met the patient’s expectations, but surpassed them.

This treatment is great for hair loss patients who require minimal downtime and a minimally invasive procedure. If you are interested in learning more about FUE, contact Dr. Umar for a free evaluation.

If you would like additional information about Dr. Umar and his procedures for hair loss, please contact the DermHair Clinic in Los Angeles. A hair restoration consultation can easily be arranged online via for free. For an in-office appointment, please call the office at (310)318-1500 to check about appointment availability. In-office schedules for the most part are a bit more limited, so any information you can provide over the phone is great.

What Are Some Treatments For Hair Restoration?

• Propecia is a common finasteride drug used to stop hair loss by fighting the male hormone, DHT.
• Hair restoration surgery, such as “strip harvesting” or follicular unit extraction.
• False hair, such as hairpieces, wigs, and toupees.

Like with most conditions, early treatment of hair loss is better and will result in more successful results. For this reason, hair restoration patients have started getting younger.

For more information on hair loss or about Dr. Umar and his hair transplant procedures, please contact the DermHair Clinic in Los Angeles. A hair restoration consultation can easily be arranged online for free.

Using Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), a minimally invasive procedure that does away with outdated approaches to hair transplant by providing a true solution instead of an illusion of restored hair. No scalpels, strip mining or stitches are used in this approach, which leaves the patient free of scars and on the path back to self-esteem.

Through FUE, donor hair is moved in natural follicle groupings one at a time from the donor areas anywhere on the head, face or body to the restoration area, leaving a natural look with full coverage and no scarring. Transplanted hairs begin to take root and grow continuously over your lifetime. It also gives you maximum flexibility to express your personal style; hair restored with FUE can be comfortably worn short or long.

This approach is a great advance over the traditional strip surgery, which usually requires cutting strips of flesh from the back and side of the head, resulting in a linear scar that can widen overtime, and forcing you to continually find ways to hide it. The older method also limits the donor supply to 5,000-7,000 hair follicles, a huge waste.

Typically, there are no signs of surgery within a week of the Follicular Unit Extraction procedure.

Dr. Umar is a pioneer in FUE, which was first documented in medical reports by Rassman and Bernstein in 2005. If you are someone who is suffering from continuous hair loss due to a previous hair transplant, or have scarring from a failed transplant effort, you may be someone who is caught in the vicious cycle of traditional strip surgery hair transplants. It’s time to look into other options.

Have more questions about reliable hair transplant options? Contact Dr. Umar for a free online consultation today.

Generally speaking, Asian people have thicker hair follicles but less hairs per centimeter of scalp. This means the hair has the illusion of greater density, but in fact there’s not as much there to work with as it seems. The lower hair density requires great care when doing the transplant, and larger donor region must be used to obtain the hairs needed for the procedure. Another important factor to be aware of is that Asian people have a higher chance of developing keloids as a response to skin injury, which is why your history of keloids should be explored as part of the evaluation process.

See photos of one patient’s success, and watch a video featuring another lovely result.

Dr. Umar – board certified and with years of hands-on experience – has restored the hairlines of every ethnic group, and understands the individual needs required. Hair restoration is for everyone, as his track record proves.

Have more questions about the role of ethnicity in hair loss? Contact Dr. Umar for a free online consultation today.