Graft quality in FUE hair transplant procedures

3 haired FUE graft

FUE graft quality

A topic that isn't discussed enough in the hair transplant world, is whether graft obtained during FUE hair transplant procedures are of the same quality and have the save survival rate as the graft quality in strip procedures. With strip procedures, hair is taken from the back of the scalp and hairs are processed under the microscope into individual units. With FUE procedures, follicular units are taken 'at the site.' 

The photo on the right shows a nice three haired graft obtained by follicular unit extraction (FUE). Certainly, it's possible to obtain terrific grafts by FUE, but is the proportion of healthy grafts the same in FUE as in strip procedures? Is the rate of graft survival the same? Modern hair restoration does not know that answer yet. More studies are needed to convincingly determine that the rate of graft survival in FUE is the same as strip. In all likelihood it probably similar given that patients with FUE have nice results. But we really don't know for sure as of yet whether the rate of graft survival in FUE is the same as strip.