Hair Transplant Procedures

Powell Medical Hair Transplantation only offers the leading and relevant hair transplant procedures that produce results. Each of our FUT, FUE, and mFUE procedures are handled with the utmost care and attention to detail from each of our experienced doctors and technicians.

Follicular Unit Transplantation

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), also known as the ‘strip’ procedure, is performed when hair is transplanted from the permanent zones in the back and sides of the scalp to the bald or balding areas of the scalp. This is accomplished in groups of one to four hairs, referred to as follicular units. After the patient’s scalp is anesthetized, the doctor removes a strip of tissue from the donor area within the permanent zone before cutting the graft into many individual follicular units using microscopic dissection. As these follicular unit grafts are being prepared, the doctor makes tiny holes in the scalp, called recipient sites, where the grafts are placed.

The final aesthetic result will be determined by the strategic placement of the grafts. Dr. Powell and his team of trained technicians work carefully here to get the best possible results.

Trichophytic closure

The trichophytic donor closure technique (“tricho”) improves coverage around a linear donor scar created with Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). In FUT, the surrounding hair can easily covers the scar, but for patients with very short hairstyles, the resulting donor scar may remain visible. With the trichophytic closure technique, one of the wound edges is effectively trimmed to create a slight beveled edges that overlap each other, so the hair can grow directly through the donor scar. This can significantly improve the appearance of the donor area in patients who wear their hair very short.

The trichophytic donor closure can be used on patients who have had previous hair transplant procedures and are looking for improvement in the camouflage of their donor scar. It is also used for patients undergoing their first hair restoration procedure. It is particularly useful in repair or corrective work.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE, has established itself as an important aspect of the modern hair transplant industry. Rather than removing a strip from the donor area to obtain hair grafts, small tools are used to remove grafts “one-by-one” from the donor area. This approach leaves fine “dot” scars from where the grafts were removed in the donor area.

While this method will produce far more scarring than the standard strip technique, this additional scarring will be less visible and non-linear, which can be more attractive to many patients who chose to buzz cut their hair very short. FUE can also be used solely as a means to recreate hairlines and cover bald skin, or it can be used in conjunction with the standard strip procedures. FUE may also be used as a means to repair scarring from older obsolete hair transplant surgeries.

FUE is considered much more labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive than other hair transplantation procedures. Far fewer grafts can be obtained in a single FUE session when compared to traditional strip harvesting. Not all patients are candidates for the procedure. Dr. Powell will consult with you to learn more about your potential as an FUE candidate.

As a leading expert on this procedure, Dr. Powell has been performing FUE since its introduction into North America in 2002. His advances include the invention and patent of new tools exclusively for FUE, and his techniques and protocols have been shared among important texts on surgical hair restoration. Powell Medical Hair Transplantation has determined FUE to be a viable adjunct or even alternative to standard strip surgery in certain patients.

Modified FUE (mFUE)

While traditional FUE is a useful technique, it may have some drawbacks for certain patients. Some may experience lower lower growth yields and greater donor damage when compared to the FUT procedure. Despite the advantages of the FUT procedure, patients are may feel averse to undergoing the strip harvesting process or have concerns about the thin, linear strip scar. Many of these patients seek FUE as an alternative, but it may not be the right procedure for them.

The grouping is then dissected into perfect follicular units under a microscope by our “super technicians” just like a strip (FUT) procedure. While the technicians are preparing the grafts, Dr. Powell places a single stitch or staple into the small hole left by the mFUE tool. This creates a small “dash” in the donor region (which varies in size depending on the approach used for each specific patient) that is difficult to see, even with shorter hair.

Because the mFUE tool is larger than an FUE tool, each cut in the donor removes dozens or hundreds of grafts each time. This means patients are left with a small number of little “dash” scars spread throughout the donor instead of hundreds or thousands of circular FUE scars.

By removing the follicular units in small groups and closing each cut with a stitch or staple, mFUE avoids the poor growth of FUE but still creates minimal and non-linear scarring in the donor.

mFUE is ideally suited for patients seeking strip results without the linear scar. It is particularly useful in highly visible regions of the scalp like the hairline. mFUE can be used in any scenario where FUT or FUE may be utilized.

Contact Us Today

To learn more about our hair transplant services. Contact Us at 954.532.3139 for a consultation.