Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplant: Better Results, Minimal Scarring
In this ZMDHair video, double board-certified surgeon Dr. Hootan Zandifar—certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, UCLA-trained, and a member of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery—walks viewers through the follicular unit extraction technique and explains why it has become a preferred approach for many hair restoration patients.
Dr. Zandifar breaks down how FUE differs from the older strip method, what makes it a cleaner procedure, and why patients experience minimal visible scarring after the process is complete.
- FUE removes donor hairs one follicle at a time, allowing extraction sites to heal without a noticeable scar
- Hair that regrows between healed extraction points naturally conceals any marks left by the procedure
- The strip (FUT) method is still an option, but FUE has gained popularity due to cleaner results and better recovery
- Dr. Hootan Zandifar is double board-certified and a member of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery
What Is Follicular Unit Extraction?
As Dr. Zandifar explains in the video, follicular unit extraction involves removing donor hairs one follicle at a time from the scalp. Because individual grafts are harvested separately rather than as a continuous strip of tissue, the small extraction sites heal on their own and any residual marks are concealed by the surrounding hair that grows back in between them.
This individual harvesting process is where the technique gets its name: each follicular unit—a naturally occurring group of one to four hairs—is extracted as a discrete graft before being transplanted to the recipient area.
FUE vs. the Strip (FUT) Method
Dr. Zandifar notes that the earlier standard approach, follicular unit transplantation (FUT), involved removing a strip of hair-bearing scalp, which was then divided under a microscope into individual grafts. He acknowledges that the strip method is still performed in some cases and that some patients prefer it, but emphasizes that FUE has grown significantly in popularity.
The key reasons he cites are a cleaner overall procedure, a better recovery experience, and the absence of a linear scar once healing is complete—advantages that make FUE appealing to patients who wear their hair short or are concerned about visible donor-site scarring.
Recovery and Scarring With FUE
Because each extraction site is tiny and hair naturally grows back between the healed punctures, Dr. Zandifar explains that patients are left without any noticeable scar in the donor area. This is a meaningful distinction for individuals who want the flexibility to keep their hair cropped close on the sides or back of the head after surgery.
The cleaner nature of the FUE process also contributes to a smoother recovery compared with strip harvesting, where closing a linear incision requires sutures and a longer healing period. Patients considering hair restoration are encouraged to consult with Dr. Zandifar to determine which technique best fits their anatomy, hair characteristics, and lifestyle goals.
Full Video Transcript
foreign there's hair in between them it heals without any noticeable Scar and the hair that grows in between them completely covers it up so this is this technique is called follicular unit extraction because we're extracting the hairs one little follicle at a time now there used to be a way to do a hair transplant where it was called a the strip method where you took a strip of hair out and then you cut it up under the microscope into individual hair units still done or so some cases and some people prefer it but this technique's gotten a lot more popular because it's their recovery is better and the procedures cleaner and you really don't have any scars once you're done with that
Have questions about fue hair transplant?
Talk with Dr. Hootan Zandifar — Beverly Hills & Santa Monica.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does 'follicular unit extraction' mean?
- It refers to removing individual follicular units—natural groupings of one to four hairs—one at a time from the donor area of the scalp. Dr. Zandifar explains that this one-by-one approach is the defining characteristic of the FUE technique.
- Will I have a visible scar after FUE?
- According to Dr. Zandifar, the small extraction sites heal without any noticeable scar, and hair that grows back between them covers the area completely. This makes FUE a popular choice for patients who prefer to wear their hair short.
- How is FUE different from the strip method?
- The strip method removes a continuous section of scalp that is then divided into grafts under a microscope, leaving a linear scar. FUE harvests each graft individually, resulting in a cleaner procedure and no linear scar, as Dr. Zandifar notes in the video.
- Is the strip method still available at ZMDHair?
- Dr. Zandifar acknowledges that the strip method is still performed in some cases and that some patients prefer it. A personal consultation with Dr. Zandifar is the best way to determine which approach suits your specific needs.
