A graft is a piece of living tissue that’s transferred somewhere else surgically. In the context of hair transplantation, this tissue contains hair. Underneath this hair containing tissue, there are follicles. Follicles are responsible for growing hair around or skin. We can find follicles all around our skin, with the exception of our eyelids palms and soles. 

We have hair follicles virtually all around our body. However, we cannot use all of them in grafting. Doctors usually prioritise back of the scalp. They also prefer to take grafts from this area, because the hair around here is stronger and healthier compared to others. Moreover, follicles around this area are relatively thicker than the rest of our body.

There are two main methods of graft extraction. They are called FUSS (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). Sources also refer to FUSS as FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) too. The main difference between these two operations is in the method of extraction. Let’s have a look at their differences. 

The FUSS Method

In FUSS surgery, a barber shaves the patient’s head. Subsequently, the doctor creates incisions at the back of the head and removes a strip of skin. The doctor takes the strip vertically, from ear to ear. After the strip extraction, the doctor sews the opened area together. FUSS procedure leaves a visible scar at the area. The scar is especially noticeable when you have a short haircut. After the doctor stitches strip extraction area together, the medical team dissects the extracted strip into follicular units, also called grafts.

The team cleans the dissected grafts and puts them in a solution. This solution helps grafts survive without blood supply for a while. After all the grafts are ready, the doctor starts making small holes in the recipient area. The doctor creates these small holes with a slight inclination. We also call these incisions canals. The slight inclination is an important aspect of this phase because our natural hair tends to grow out at a similar inclination as well. Doctors mimic the natural hair’s growth path.

FUE Technique: The Most Popular Method in the Industry

In the FUE method, there are some differences. The preparation for graft extraction begins by shaving the back of the scalp just like before. After the shaving, operators use something called a micromotor. This motor has a very small punch on its tip (generally 0.6 to 0.9 millimetres). They create tiny incisions around the targeted graft and then the graft is ready for harvest.

Each follicle can contain multiple hair roots. Most often in groups of two and three, sometimes even four. This is the primary determinant in follicle quality. For hair transplantations, we plant high-quality grafts around the front area for better coverage.