About FUE Hair Surgery Ethics

Who Can Perform FUE Hair Surgery?

In 2014, the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) issued a consumer warning to prospective hair restoration clients on the threat of unlicensed hair restoration surgeries. As written in the warning, FUE hair restoration surgery should only be performed by licensed individuals. This includes the following aspects of the surgery process:

1. Preoperative diagnostic evaluation and consultation
2. Surgery planning
3. Surgery execution including donor hair harvesting, hairline design, recipient site creation
4. Management of other patient medical issues and possible adverse reactions
5. Post-operative care

All of these five elements must be performed by a licensed physician or a board licensed physician assistant under the supervision of the licensed physician. Be aware that each graft extraction of the FUE hair restoration process is considered an individual surgery. In the United States, it is illegal for unlicensed personnel to perform any of the listed five processes in FUE hair surgery. Avoid clinics that cannot present proof of licensure of the clinical staff performing these processes.

Also, tools that vacuum out hair grafts during the removal process are essentially killing the follicles of the donor grafts. The air from the suction dries out the follicle during the transportation process, thus compromising the success of the transplant.

What To Ask?

In order to fully ensure that your FUE hair transplant surgery is performed by a registered physician or their board licensed physician assistant, the ISHRS recommends that patients ask the following questions:

• Who will evaluate my hair loss and recommend treatment, and do they have proper licensure and qualifications?
• Who will be involved in performing my surgery, what role will they play, and what are their qualifications?
• Will anyone not licensed be making incisions or harvesting grafts during my surgery?
• Is everyone involved in my surgery covered by malpractice insurance?

Patients who pick their surgeons and clinics blindly often regret their outcomes and often must undergo another procedure to improve their botched hair surgery results. This is why knowing who can perform FUE hair surgery is essential. Unlicensed FUE procedures can lead to devastating effects.

It is also important to do research on the exact procedure and method by which the hair transplant will be performed. In addition, you should always research the reputation of the surgeon and ask the aforementioned questions about the qualifications of the doctor and their staff.

Ethical Considerations in FUE Hair Surgery 

In addition to ensuring your surgeon and his staff are licensed and qualified, it is also important to consider the many ethical questions that could arise from FUE surgeries. One such worrisome trend is the “over-harvesting” of donor hairs that is common at novice hair transplant clinics. Excessive hair follicles moved around the patient’s head can lead to scars, a depleted donor source, and aesthetically poor results. Following a hair transplant, the donor regions of the head should look untouched. Unfortunately, basic forms of FUE practices could lead to donor depletion due to relying on follicles exclusively from the scalp. FUE hair surgery ethics and practices is an essential consideration for these types of procedures.

Dr. U in Los Angeles also champions the idea of using the body and facial hair as donor hair to avoid over-harvesting and donor depletion and has developed several tools and techniques to assist his work in this area. His patented Dr.UGraft procedure does not utilize vacuum suction that can dry out donor grafts. At his clinic, it is also important to note that no stitches are utilized in the Dr.UGraft process. With Dr. U, you can be assured that surgical aspects of your FUE procedure will be performed by licensed personnel, utilizing the most advanced and result-driven tools and methods.

Dr. U is an active member of the ISHRS, a worldwide organization of physicians who specialize in hair transplantation. Their mission is to promote education, best practices, and surgical advances that will benefit patients.

FUE Hair Surgery Ethics: Frequently Asked Questions

Is FUE hair surgery scarless?

All hair transplant procedures leave some form of scars. FUE surgeries leave small dot scars at the back of the scalp that may be visible if you keep your hair short. Scars may form in FUE extractions performed in the beard and body regions as well. These tiny scars will happen regardless of which FUE method is used, but utilizing less invasive methods such as Dr.UGraft can result in less scaring for the patient. It is unethical to state that any surgery is completely scarless, including FUE of any kind. Patients should beware of clinics that make these claims in their marketing efforts.

Are FUE Hair Surgery Ethics Important?

FUE hair surgery ethics are an integral part of evaluating the hair transplant clinic and surgical staff. To ensure you are receiving the best treatment possible, always make sure to research prior to any procedure.