DHI vs FUE
Making the right decision while choosing the right clinic and technique for your hair transplant is very important. The aim is to get a natural looking result and to protect the donor area from trauma. However, most people are lured into sub-standard technique based on cost and the number of follicles implanted.
There are three techniques – FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) and DHI (Direct Hair Implantation).
FUT is a highly invasive surgical process where a strip of skin is cut and removed from the back of head and the ends of the resulting scalp are stretched and stitched together. Hair are harvested from the removed scalp and then implanted to the recipient area. This technique leaves a permanent scar at the back of the head and is very painful for the patient. The recovery period is very high.
FUE was pioneered by the DHI Group in 2002, in which the follicles were extracted one-by-one from the back of head instead of extracting part of the scalp. This reduced the pain for the patient and the recovery period significantly. However, most clinics adopted the extraction of follicles using motorized punches, which causes high trauma to the donor area and reduces the survivability of the grafts.
While FUE reduced the discomfort of the patient during extraction, there was no difference in the implantation process. In both FUT and FUE, first slits are made in the recipient area using a slit maker, then individual grafts are pushed into these slits with the help of forceps. The results of the implantation is still sub-par as graft survival was only 50%-60% and the angle and direction of the resultant hair is uncontrolled, giving a very unnatural result.
DHI is a refined version of FUE with many radical changes to ensure not only reduction of trauma to patient and his donor area, but also to provide them a natural looking result. This includes characteristics such as single-step implantation using a DHI Implanter, only manual extraction using titanium-tip single use instruments and strict protocols related to all aspects of a hair transplant.
DHI has reformed each aspect of the hair transplant procedure to provide the best possible solution. DHI adopted the use of titanium-tip single use punches of size 0.7mm to 1.0mm. The extraction is done manually to ensure least damage to the donor area. Only a medical Doctor performs the complete procedure end-to-end. Strict protocols are followed while storing the grafts, during the time they are out of the body. DHI patients have the option of counting the exact grafts/follicles after extraction to ensure transparency of the result. With the exclusive patented tool “The DHI Implanter”, each follicle is implanted one by one with the right direction, depth and angle according to the recipient area allowing 100% natural results.
What is the DHI Hair Transplant Procedure?
DIRECT HAIR IMPLANTATION (DHITM) – DHITM is a unique hair transplant procedure which can only be performed by:
- DHITM Technique
- DHITM certified doctors
- DHITM protocols
- DHI’s patented instruments
- At DHITM authorized clinics
No pain, no scars, no downtime. Perfect natural result every single time.
Why choose a hair transplant treatment at the DHI clinic?
DHITM technique and its benefits are propriety to DHI Medical Group. Some clinics and doctors try to copy this and claim to use the DHITM technique, which is misleading. The following features are only available at DHITM-authorised clinics.
1) We are proud to be ranked #1 on customer satisfaction in a hair transplant industry survey by IMRB. Our customer satisfaction rate is more than 99%. Also, they received the Customer Excellence Award from Quantic and numerous other awards & accreditations from medical bodies worldwide.
2) Our results are not just good; they are fantastic! Click LINK to see our results and LINK for our customer feedback.
3) We provide hair restoration services for men and women with all stages of hair loss. This includes high growth factor PRP/GFC therapies and Activa Regenera treatment for early-stage alopecia, hair transplants for all stages of alopecia, and the highest-quality natural human hair cosmetic patches for very advanced stages of alopecia. Our hair loss treatment products and nutraceuticals have the highest-grade active ingredients, and you can shop for them here.
4) All procedures are performed from start to finish by DHITM doctors trained and certified by the London Hair Restoration Academy. The surgeons are focused on hair restoration procedures only. Every procedure undergoes strict quality control.
5) All procedures are performed per strict standard operating protocols accredited with the UK Care Quality Commission and ISO standards.
6) The world’s safest hair transplant procedure is performed in a sterile environment according to comprehensive safety protocols. All procedures are performed only after proper diagnosis and medical tests.
7) Our patented implanter allows Perfect control over angle, depth, and direction. Only the highest-quality imported instruments are used and discarded after every procedure.
8) One-step implantation to ensure minimal graft handling. The highest graft survival rate is over 90%, compared to 50-90% in other clinics.
9) There are no stitches, pain, scarring, or downtime. You can return to work the next day. It is just a short procedure to regrow your hair naturally and permanently. Daily Mail UK titled DHI the “Lunch Hour Transplant”.
10) Achieve strong density in a session compared to other low-density techniques such as FUE and FUT.
11) Natural Results Guaranteed – The DHITM technique gives you a perfectly natural result; others will only know you had a transplant if you tell them.
12) DHITM is the world’s largest hair restoration medical group from Greece. For more than 50 years, we have focused on research, innovation, and education in hair restoration. We have 75 clinics in 45 countries serving more than 5,00,000 satisfied customers. Top celebrities from the entertainment, sports, business, and politics only trust DHITM for their hair restoration.
7 Key questions you should ask before choosing your hair loss solution
- Who will perform the procedure?
In most clinics, procedures are performed by technicians only. The clinic owners are plastic surgeons and dermatologists who are mainly involved in sales and marketing. Their involvement in the actual procedure is very limited. You should go to a clinic where a doctor performs the entire procedure himself/herself, not through a technician.
It is also important to check if the clinic/doctor specializes in hair transplants or offers other aesthetic treatments, such as Botox. A better choice would be to go for a super specialist doctor.
- Is your doctor suitably trained and certified? Do they follow standard and accredited protocols?
In most cases, doctors learn hair transplants from other doctors without any evaluation or certification process. This can take years for them to learn the intricacies of hair transplants. Further, most doctors do not follow any written protocols and perform procedures based on personal preferences, leading to sub-optimal results.
Please check if the doctor performing the procedure has training and accreditation from a reputed institute. Very importantly, personally verify if the clinic has written protocols for all stages of the hair transplant procedure, including detailed safety protocols.
- What is the experience of the clinic/doctor you are going to?
Hair transplant is a relatively new area of practice, which has lured many doctors to leave their practice in the field of their expertise and move towards hair transplants only in last 3-5 years. Many clinics may not have the experience, or protocols or the necessary expertise to handle hair transplant cases. Please ensure that the clinic has been established for many years and has a verifiable reputation. Do not just rely on what they claim.
- How does the clinic ensure the quality of your result?
Research shows that on an average only half of the implanted hair may grow in certain clinics without proper experience. This is because the clinic may not have access to latest techniques, instruments, tools, protocols etc. Please stay away from freelancers who work in many clinics on case-by-case basis. They are most likely to spoil your case as they may care least for the patient. Sometimes the doctor may be very qualified or experienced but past his prime to be able to give good results.
Do check if the work done by the doctor is supervised by someone. Does the doctor follow any certification, assessment, and quality monitoring process. It is not advised to go to a clinic where there is only one doctor whose work goes unsupervised.
Good results can only come with right technique, instruments, tools, protocols, training, assessment, and quality control.
- How do you ensure your safety during and after the hair transplant procedure?
Generally, hair transplant is a safe process and cannot lead to severe risks. However, sometimes there could be scalp infections or even more severe conditions if the correct safety protocols are not followed. This risk is very high when procedure is performed by technicians or inexperienced doctors.
You are advised to ask relevant questions, and see the written safety protocols at the clinic.
Please see the procedure room and ask yourself if you feel confident of the safety protocols.
- Would you go for a hair transplant without a proper evaluation of your alopecia?
The answer is obviously No. There are 10 kinds of alopecia. Unless a proper diagnosis is carried out, the correct treatment cannot be recommended. Many clinics recommend hair transplants without doing a proper diagnosis. They also may not conduct a mathematical count of the donor and recipient areas to give a correct assessment of the hair transplant requirement and feasibility. Please invest time and effort during your diagnosis and evaluate the doctor on proper diagnosis of dermatological examination, precise hair count of donor and recipient area and computerized alopecia test. This results in a comprehensive lifetime treatment plan and best results for your hair loss problem.
- Should price play a role in your decision to choose a hair transplant clinic or doctor?
Yes of course, price is indeed a very important criterion. But you should not choose a clinic or doctor purely on the cost. Many doctors are able to reduce their costs significantly, by reusing the instruments, compromising on safety standards, using technicians to do the procedures, etc. Quality and Safety come at a price. This is your investment in your safety and great-looking results for life. So, choose wisely.
