FUE Hair Transplant Surgery - Is Harvesting Done Only from the Back of the Head? - Hair Transplant

Good day,

I am Byung-Kwon Lee, the representative director of Moandline Plastic Surgery Clinic, specializing in hairline transplants for both men and women.

I want to share through this blog the questions frequently asked by patients during consultations. If you have any other questions about hairline correction, hair transplantation/hair loss, please leave a comment below, and I will respond with care.

**Dr. Lee is preparing for non-shaving, FUE harvesting, and emphasizes the importance of selectively harvesting only healthy hair follicles of varying thickness, from fine to thick.**

1. When performing a FUE hair transplant, does the harvesting have to be done only from the occipital (back of the head)?

Can it be done from other areas (e.g., side hair, chest hair, underarms, beard, etc.)?

Answer: Harvesting from side hair, chest hair, underarms, beard, etc., is possible. It is used in some cases of large transplants (when the stable area of the occipital region is insufficient, in 2nd or 3rd surgeries, etc.), but there are differences in hair length depending on the harvesting area. Usually, harvesting is done from the central to the lower part of the occipital region, as this area remains alive till the end and has a long expected lifespan of hair follicles, even as aging and hair loss progress.

When harvesting from the occipital region in a FUE hair transplant, does the hair not grow back in the harvested area?

Answer: In the case of FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), the area from which hair follicles are harvested through punching does not grow hair anymore as it involves taking the follicle and its surrounding tissue. However, at Moandline, the procedure is done without shaving, selectively harvesting only the necessary follicles, from fine to thick ones, and only from stable areas (safety zone), so the scars are almost invisible unless the density is very low or there is severe hair loss.

Upon close examination, small white spot scars may be slightly visible due to the diameter (0.8mm-1.1mm) and angle of harvesting, but they can be concealed as dormant follicles emerge and the surrounding hair grows. As we harvest at a safe density and sporadically, you don’t have to worry too much.

However, if the density is low or hair loss has progressed to the harvesting area, and if there are severe scars from previous non-incision or incision surgeries, FUE is not the only answer, so it is essential to decide on the harvesting method after thorough consultation with an experienced surgeon.