Hair transplantation is, today, a practice that is becoming more and more successful with people suffering from alopecia and baldness. According to the figures, these autoimmune diseases indeed affect millions of men and women in France. Hair transplantation is the most reliable, discreet and aesthetic solution to date to remedy hair loss. It is aimed at both men and women. It is offered by dermatologists, plastic surgeons or trained doctors.
Advances in the field of hair surgery are notable, with the appearance of new hair transplantation techniques called DHI (for Direct Hair Implantation) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). These are stem cell hair transplantation methods.
Both start from the observation that the stem cells remaining on the scalp after hair loss make it possible to regenerate new hair follicles, and consequently, to restore the hair. Hair transplant techniques have been refined over time. But concretely, what do DHI and FUE consist of? What are the differences between one and the other?
Hair transplantation is a medical protocol that involves removing follicular units from a piece of skin and then transplanting them to the balding area of the scalp. With the DHI method, the hair follicles removed are at the level of the hippocratic crown, where there is the most natural regrowth. The surgeon applies conscientiously to the extraction by hand of each unit. No incision is required, the method is non-invasive. Then, he reimplants them one by one on the part to be grafted by injection, respecting the natural orientation of the hair and recreating the hair density of the patient as well as possible.
The advantages of a DHI hair transplant can be summed up in several points. First, this intervention is performed by a doctor or surgeon who has undergone meticulous training on the DHI protocol. It leaves no traces or visible scars thanks to the absence of incision.
The method is as effective in cases of mild alopecia as in cases of moderate and extensive baldness. In addition, its results appear natural and discreet. It naturally reproduces the implantation of the hair. The direction, the angle or the depth of each follicle are chosen in this sense during the injection of the hair. It is a more advanced technique compared to older transplant techniques, such as FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation), also called the strip method, and FUE.
The DHI hair implant technique was developed by the London-based DHI Academy. In France, it is exclusively available at Maison Lutétia Paris. It can effectively remedy mild or very advanced alopecia. This revolutionary technique is also applicable to the beard and eyebrows.
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What about FUE (follicular unit extraction)? The principle of FUE is slightly different from that of the DHI method. But difficult to talk about the FUE without mentioning the FUT since it stems from it. FUT is the oldest method of hair transplantation:it begins with the extraction of a strip from the scalp on a donor area where the hair abounds and regrows permanently. This is why it is called the strip method. Then, the cosmetic surgeon separates the follicular units under a microscope, he incises holes to accommodate each graft on the area to be covered and ends his intervention with the graft.
Unlike FUT, the FUE hair implant technique consists of removing the bulbs or grafts one by one using a small surgical drill (0.7 to 1 mm in diameter) and not in a strip. It is then up to the surgeon to proceed with their reimplantation on the area affected by the baldness. The implants will also be grafted on incisions made for this purpose in the implantation area. Due to the lack of precision, it may happen that the surgeon digs a hole unnecessarily by missing the hair bulb. And if you do several FUE sessions, it depletes the hair on the removal area.
With this technique, it is often necessary to completely shave the sampling area. This also creates more or less visible scars on the back of the skull depending on the number of follicles removed. This constraint seems to dissuade women and men, wishing to keep their hair, to opt for this solution. This is why FUE is only recommended in cases of non-severe baldness. If the surface of the scalp to be covered is quite large, it is more interesting to turn to the DHI hair implant technique.
