Individual follicular units are punched out of the donor area with a 0.7-0.9 mm micromotor and implanted into pre-opened channels.
FUE replaced the old strip method because it leaves no linear scar — only dot scars that disappear under hair of 2-3 mm. Extraction is the slow part: a 4,000-graft session takes 6-8 hours and the quality of the punch operator determines the transection rate, meaning how many follicles are damaged on the way out. A good clinic keeps transection under 5%.
Read the full FUE guide →Same extraction as FUE, but the recipient channels are opened with sapphire-tipped blades instead of steel.
Sapphire blades are sharper and produce smoother, narrower channels, so tissue trauma and post-op oedema are lower and grafts can be packed slightly tighter. The extra cost over classic FUE is modest, which is why almost every reputable Turkish clinic now quotes Sapphire FUE as standard rather than as an upgrade.
Read the full Sapphire FUE guide →Grafts are loaded into a Choi implanter pen that opens the channel and places the follicle in one motion.
Because there is no separate channel-opening step, grafts spend less time outside the body and can be placed at very precise angles — which is why DHI is the go-to for the front hairline. The trade-off is speed: a full DHI session on 4,000 grafts needs a larger team and more hours, so clinics charge 20-40% more than Sapphire FUE.
Read the full DHI guide →DHI for the hairline and temples, Sapphire FUE for the mid-scalp and crown.
The hybrid approach spends the expensive technique where it visibly matters — the first 2 cm of hairline that everyone sees — and uses the faster method behind it. For most Norwood 5 patients this gives 90% of the aesthetic benefit of full DHI at a noticeably lower price.
Read the full Hybrid guide →Only the donor strip is trimmed, or nothing is shaved at all; existing hair covers the work immediately.
Extraction through long hair is slower and harder, so graft counts are usually capped around 2,000-2,500 and the price per graft rises sharply. It is a genuine option for a receding hairline, but rarely practical for full Norwood 5-6 coverage.
Read the full Unshaven guide →Beard or chest follicles supplement a depleted scalp donor area.
Beard hair is thicker and grows in a different cycle, so it is normally used for the crown or as filler behind scalp grafts rather than at the hairline. BHT is a specialist procedure — ask specifically how many BHT cases the surgeon performs per year.
Read the full BHT guide →Usually unshaven DHI along a widened parting or a receding female hairline.
Female hair loss is more often diffuse, which means the donor area itself may be affected. A blood panel and a dermatologist assessment should always come before surgery; when loss is hormonal and active, transplanting first simply moves hair that will also thin.
Read the full Women's guide →