Hair transplant in Seoul — FUE with implanter placement

What FUE is

FUE takes healthy follicles from the back and sides of the scalp — the zone that androgenetic hair loss does not reach — one follicular unit at a time, using a punch of 0.8 to 1.0mm. Nothing is cut and nothing is stitched. Each extraction leaves a dot under a millimetre across, and a short growth of surrounding hair covers it. Because every graft is taken individually, the result depends almost entirely on the hand doing the extraction and the speed at which the follicles reach the recipient site.

Why placement speed matters

Density is what separates a transplant that reads as hair from one that reads as a transplant. Forty to fifty follicular units per square centimetre — eighty to a hundred hairs — is the threshold at which coverage stops looking sparse under direct light. Placing that many grafts in a fixed area without compromising blood supply is a function of implanter technique and of how fast the team works, which is why it is not simply a matter of ordering more grafts.

How the price is set

By follicular unit. The tariff is published on the pricing page in bands from 1,000 to 3,000 follicular units, with a separate multiplier for non-shaven work, so you can see the figure before you arrive. The exact band is confirmed at the consultation.

Follicular unit extraction with a 0.8–1.0mm punch. No scalpel, no linear scar, no stitches.

FUE takes healthy follicles from the back and sides of the scalp — the zone that androgenetic hair loss does not reach — one follicular unit at a time, using a punch of 0.8 to 1.0mm. Nothing is cut and nothing is stitched. Each extraction leaves a dot under a millimetre across, and a short growth of surrounding hair covers it. Because every graft is taken individually, the result depends almost entirely on the hand doing the extraction and the speed at which the follicles reach the recipient site.

• The director performs the operation, start to finishConsultation, hairline design, extraction and implantation are carried out by Dr. Kim. Delegated or nurse-performed surgery does not happen here.
• One operation a dayThe clinic books a single case per operating day. Nothing is compressed to fit a second patient in, which is what allows grafts to be handled at a steady pace.
• A resident dissection team, not a hired oneThe follicle dissection team has worked with the clinic since it opened. Grafts are sorted by follicle count and hair calibre as they arrive, and time outside the body is kept short — extracted follicles are stressed by every minute they spend out of the scalp.
• Saline through the extraction phaseThe field is kept wet during extraction. Dry tissue transects; hydrated tissue does not, and the damage rate falls accordingly.

Questions

40–50 follicular units per cm² — 80 to 100 hairs — packed close to native density.

Density is what separates a transplant that reads as hair from one that reads as a transplant. Forty to fifty follicular units per square centimetre — eighty to a hundred hairs — is the threshold at which coverage stops looking sparse under direct light. Placing that many grafts in a fixed area without compromising blood supply is a function of implanter technique and of how fast the team works, which is why it is not simply a matter of ordering more grafts.

• Implanter placement, three pairs of handsOne member of the team loads follicles into the implanter, one passes it to the director, and one adjusts the angle and depth of what has been placed. The director implants. The division of labour exists to keep placement fast.
• Direction, calibre and depth are decided per graftHairs at the frontal line are single-follicle and set at a shallow forward angle; thicker multi-hair units go behind them. Reversing that order is what produces a doll-like hairline.
• Speed as a clinical variableThe shorter the interval between extraction and placement, the better the take. Team continuity is the reason that interval stays short.

Questions

Only the follicles being harvested are trimmed. Nothing about the operation is visible afterwards.

In a non-shaven case the donor area is not clipped. The follicles to be harvested are selected and trimmed individually before the operation, so the surrounding hair keeps its full length and falls over the extraction points immediately. For anyone who cannot take two weeks away from an office, this is the difference between having the operation and postponing it indefinitely.

• Five cutting options, not oneShaven cut, two-block cut, box cut, non-shaven cut and no-cut. Which one suits you depends on graft count, your hair length and how much concealment you need — the choice is made at the consultation, not assumed.
• Selective pre-trimmingOnly the hairs that will be extracted are shortened, and they are chosen so that the thinning is spread rather than concentrated in a patch.
• Density planning around a hidden donorA non-shaven harvest limits how many grafts can be taken comfortably in one session. The plan states that limit up front rather than promising a mega-session and delivering less.

Questions

Hair transplant — what patients ask