What Is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)? Dr. Zandifar Explains
In this ZMDHair video, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Hootan Zandifar breaks down exactly what follicular unit extraction—commonly known as FUE—means and why it has become the preferred approach to hair restoration. Dr. Zandifar is certified by both the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, is UCLA-trained, and is a member of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.
If you have been researching hair transplants online and keep seeing the term FUE, the video above gives you a clear, jargon-free explanation straight from a specialist who performs the procedure.
- FUE means each follicular unit is extracted individually from the donor area—one by one—rather than as a strip.
- A suction-assisted device harvests and stores grafts in a canister before they are implanted.
- Because no strip is removed, patients have no linear scar and can wear their hair at any length.
- Dr. Zandifar calls FUE the current gold standard due to its minimal scarring, reduced downtime, and natural results.
How FUE Harvesting Works
As Dr. Zandifar explains, FUE stands for follicular unit extraction, which describes the way donor hair is collected from the back and sides of the scalp. Rather than removing a strip of tissue, each follicular unit is harvested individually—one by one. At ZMDHair, this process is performed with a suction-assisted extraction device (Dr. Zandifar references the ARTAS Fusion device in the video), which extracts each graft and stores it in a canister until the team is ready to implant it.
Because no strip of scalp is removed, the tiny extraction sites are each less than a millimeter in diameter, according to Dr. Zandifar. These micro-wounds heal discreetly and are easily concealed, even when the hair is worn very short.
FUE vs. the Older Strip (FUT) Technique
Before FUE became widely available, the dominant method was follicular unit transplantation (FUT), sometimes called the strip technique. FUT requires surgically removing a linear strip of scalp from the donor area, which leaves a visible linear scar—a telltale sign that a transplant was performed. Dr. Zandifar notes this directly: one of the primary advantages of FUE is that patients avoid that linear scar entirely, giving them the freedom to shave their head or wear their hair at any length without revealing their procedure.
For patients who value that flexibility—or who simply want the most minimally invasive option available—FUE addresses both concerns. Dr. Zandifar describes FUE as “pretty much the gold standard” in today’s hair-restoration landscape.
Recovery, Comfort, and Results
Dr. Zandifar highlights that the FUE technique is associated with less downtime, less pain, and less discomfort compared with older strip methods. Because there is no linear incision to heal, patients typically return to normal activities more quickly. The individually harvested and implanted grafts allow the surgeon precise control over the angle, direction, and density of the restored hair, contributing to results Dr. Zandifar describes as natural-looking.
- No linear donor scar
- Extraction sites are sub-millimeter and heal discreetly
- Reduced postoperative discomfort relative to strip harvesting
- Grafts are implanted one by one for precise, natural placement
Full Video Transcript
hey everyone let's talk about what is a follicular unit extraction now you've heard about this it's all over the Internet it's abbreviated as Fue and people talk about Fue hair transplant what does it stand for so Fue as I said stands for follicular unit extraction and what that means is that when we're harvesting hairs from the back and side of your scalp we're doing it individually one by one so each follicular unit is being extracted one by one it's generally done through a device such as the heart's Fusion device which is a suction assisted extraction device and what that does is as we kind of harvest these individuals there's a suction that sucks it out and stores it in a canister then we take that out and then we can implant it one by one there's a lot of benefits to the Fue technique and the main one is that you don't get that Telltale score of the script technique which was the older ways of grafting hair from the back of the scalp to the top so now you can shave your head you can do whatever you want afterwards and you won't have that linear scar that says you had a hair transplant in fact with follicular unit extraction Technique we say you hardly have any visible scar because the little extractions are less than a millimeter in the leg and it's it's really hides well and you won't see it at all so the Fue technique is now pretty much the gold standard that's the way to do it it has less sound time less pain less discomfort and the results are beautiful natural and the way that you want it to be
Have questions about fue hair transplant?
Talk with Dr. Hootan Zandifar — Beverly Hills & Santa Monica.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does FUE stand for?
- FUE stands for follicular unit extraction. As Dr. Zandifar explains, it describes a harvesting method in which each follicular unit is removed from the donor area of the scalp individually, one by one.
- Will I have a visible scar after an FUE hair transplant?
- Dr. Zandifar states that the extraction sites are each less than a millimeter and heal in a way that is very difficult to detect. Unlike the older strip technique, FUE does not produce a linear scar, so patients can shave their head without revealing that they had a transplant.
- How is FUE different from the strip (FUT) method?
- The strip method removes a linear section of scalp to harvest grafts, leaving a linear scar. FUE harvests each graft individually through tiny sub-millimeter extractions, eliminating the linear scar and generally reducing recovery time and discomfort.
- Who performs FUE procedures at ZMDHair?
- Procedures at ZMDHair are performed by Dr. Hootan Zandifar, a UCLA-trained surgeon who is double board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, and a member of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.
