FUE Hair Transplant

IDS Clinic performs Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplantation — a surgical hair restoration technique that individually extracts donor follicles from the back and sides of the scalp and implants them into balding areas. The procedure results in minimal scarring and permanent natural-looking regrowth.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplantation at IDS Clinic Singapore is a surgical procedure for patients experiencing androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern hair loss) or thinning in localised scalp areas. Unlike the older Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT or strip) method, FUE harvests each follicular unit individually, leaving only tiny circular scars in the donor area that are virtually undetectable even with closely cropped hair. The procedure begins with a pre-operative consultation in which the doctor assesses the patient's scalp, evaluates the extent of hair loss using the Norwood-Hamilton or Ludwig scale, determines the donor hair density and quality, and estimates the number of grafts required to achieve the desired coverage. The hairline is designed collaboratively with the patient to ensure a natural, age-appropriate result. On the day of surgery, local anaesthesia is administered to both the donor and recipient areas. In the donor zone — typically the occipital and temporal scalp — individual follicular units (containing 1–4 hairs) are extracted one by one using a specialised micro-punch tool. The extracted grafts are sorted by graft size and kept in a chilled storage solution to preserve viability during the procedure. Recipient sites are then created in the balding or thinning areas according to the planned density, direction, and angle to mimic the patient's natural hair growth pattern. Each graft is meticulously placed by trained technicians under the surgeon's supervision. A typical session involves 500 to 3,000 grafts and takes 6 to 9 hours including breaks. Post-operatively, patients receive detailed wound care instructions. Mild swelling, redness, and crusting are expected for the first 7 to 14 days. Transplanted hairs shed within the first month — a normal process called shock loss — before new hair growth begins at 3 to 6 months. Full results are typically visible at 12 months. The procedure carries a claimed 90% graft survival rate at IDS Clinic. For patients with limited donor supply or very large areas to cover, multiple sessions may be planned 6 to 12 months apart.