What is HFE Method?
Only two methods of hair transplantation are approved by ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, USA) FUE (Strip) and FUE. There is also known one more robotized hair transplantation (Artas).
So called HFE method is not officially registered or recognized anywhere. It is a marketing trick in order to wrap FUE method in a new form, so it was called HFE (it is defined differently – Hair Follicular Extraction, Hair For Ever … ) as if it is an innovative and progressive method. However this method doesn’t have any advantages and generally it can’t be considered as a separate method at all.
In details:
1. It is considered as an advantage of HFE, that each follicle is separately transplanted, although this is a drawback not an advantage, as it has already been proved for several decades that the most correct and effective way is to transplant follicle units (consisting of 1-3 follicles), rather than separate follicles.
2. If HFE is considered as advantageous because of grafts being extracted by hand punch (HFE – Hand Follicular Extraction), there’s nothing new it that, as FUE method uses both hand punches and motorized technique.
3. It is completely incomprehensible, why using implanter pens during HFE “method” should be considered as advantage. There is no connection between implanter pens and follicle extraction. There have already been used for many years in many clinics of the world for any methods of hair transplantation and its function is to transplant extracted grafts. However the opinion about using implanter pens and tweezers is divided into two views in ISHRS.
4. They also say that HFE uses ultra miniature tools, though it is one more misleading thing for patients, as in both cases – FUE and HFE – small size punches (0.6-0.9mm diameter) are used.
Generally, highly qualified and progressive clinic should acquire the both – FUT and FUE methods of hair transplantation, and any technique (hand FUE, motorized FUE, tweezers, implanter pens or long hair transplantation) and use then correcpondingly, in accordance with each individual case.
