Manual FUE is the most accurate, if the surgeon is skilled
But it is tedious, with long operating times
The manual technique remains very used in FUE, because it is very precise, if the surgeon is skilled ; but it is tedious, with long intervention times.
Some "high-end" clinics offer only manual FUE.
STEPS IN THE PROCEDURE:
1. PREPARATION: Shaving of the donor area, or of the whole head, local anesthesia
2. COLLECTION OF GRAFTS:
Isolation of the UFs with manual punch (0.6 to 0.9 mm diameter)
Extraction of UFs with micro-clips.
3. IMPLANTATION:
a) micro-incisions in the balding area (fine needle or micro scalpel) and graft placement in the incisions
b) Direct Implantation (DHI): with an Implanter Pen
NUMBER OF GRAFTS TRANSPLANTED PER SESSION
a standard session usually allows the transplant of up to 1200 - 1500 grafts, or even 2000+ (from 1 to 4 hairs each, or 2.2 hairs on average).
mega sessions of more than 3,000 grafts are usually performed over 2 or 3 consecutive days to treat large areas of baldness.
ADVANTAGES :
It is the "haute couture" of the FUE, because of the meticulous work it requires
Considered by some surgeons as the safest, most accurate, with a low trans section rate.
DISADVANTAGES :
Only a number of surgeons perform the manual method and offer it to their patients.
The manual FUE takes longer and is therefore a little more expensive than the automated FUE (micro punch motorized).
Usually reserved for small and medium amounts of grafts (1000 - 1500 grafts maximum).
