If you’re considering follicular unit extraction (FUE) for hair restoration, it’s extremely important to ask the right questions before choosing your surgeon. FUE, alternatively referred to as follicular transfer (FT), is a leading technique for harvesting follicular units, which are naturally clustered groups of one to four hairs, used in hair transplantation. Nonetheless, FUE can sometimes yield grafts with as many as seven or eight hairs in a single grouping. This ensures you select a highly experienced doctor with the skills to achieve natural-looking results. Here are four key questions to ask at your initial consultation for FUE hair transplants.

1. What Training and Experience Do You Have?

Find out how many FUE hair transplants the surgeon has performed, how many per year they currently do, as well as their complication and revision rates. Look for a high annual volume of at least 100 to 200 surgeries to confirm extensive expertise with FUE specifically. Board certification in hair restoration also verifies their qualifications, as you want a doctor intimately familiar with FUE.

2. What Is Your Process for Extracting and Implanting Grafts?

The surgeon should explain in detail their methodology for extracting follicular units using the FUE technique as well as how the grafts are strategically transplanted into the scalp. Ask about the specific FUE instrumentation they use. They should describe how graft angle and direction are maintained to achieve the most natural-looking results possible.

3. What Is Your Average Graft Survival and Growth Rate?

Be sure to ask about the typical graft survival and growth rate the surgeon achieves with their FUE transplant patients, both initially and long-term. A skilled, experienced FUE practitioner should quote a graft survival rate of at least 95% or higher. This critical metric indicates how many transplanted hairs will successfully take root and grow back over time after the procedure.

4. How Do You Design the Hairline and Ensure a Natural Look?

A major concern is avoiding an artificial look after hair transplantation. Question the surgeon thoroughly about their process for designing an age-appropriate natural hairline customized for your face shape, structure, ethnicity, and specific pattern of hair loss. A reputable doctor will factor these elements in to optimize a natural appearance.

Selecting a top FUE surgeon begins with asking the right questions to assess their experience, techniques, and outcomes. This helps ensure you choose a doctor with the proper training, methodology, and artistic skill to achieve natural-looking results tailored to you. Do your due diligence before scheduling any hair transplant procedure. Reach out to LA FUE Hair Clinic to schedule a consultation today to find out if you’re a candidate for FUE hair transplants.