Dr. Devroye Continues to Improve Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplant Surgery

Given the number of impressive hair transplant results presented in the “Results Posted by Leading Hair Transplant Clinics” forum, Coalition member Dr. Jean Devroye has quickly become recognized as a leading hair transplant surgeon in Europe.

In an attempt to improve the quality of results patients can achieve with follicular unit extraction (FUE), Dr. Devroye designed and has been using for 6 months a unique powered instrument (prototype) for FUE hair replacement procedures. This prototype was designed to improve the speed of the follicular unit extraction procedure while maintaining the same effectiveness as when performed manually by a skilled surgeon.

This new powered FUE device works by spinning alternatively with a low angular motion.   This allows for fast and effective penetration of the scalp and extraction of the follicle while keeping the risks of damage to the follicles virtually nonexistant.   It’s  speed is controlled by a foot treadle allowing for better hand control of the device.

While Dr. Devroye believes his FUE tool prototype helps to increase the speed of the hair restoration procedure, he admits it doesn’t reduce the already very low transection rates he achieves while performing follicular unit extraction with a manual tool. Dr. Devroye’s powered FUE instrument has allowed him to increase the number of follicular unit grafts he can transplant daily via FUE from approximately 1200 to 1500 per day.

Above all else, Dr. Devroye feels the skill and experience of the physician and size of the punch are crucial in achieving optimal results. By his observation, Dr. Devroye determined that smaller punches can easily increase the transection rate of hair follicles during the extraction process. For this reason, Dr. Devroye prefers using slightly larger 1 mm punches instead of incredibly tiny punches as small as 0.7 mm. In his experience, scars obtained with a 1 mm punch are hardly noticeable. Even when the hair is cut very short, Dr. Devroye doesn’t notice a difference in the amount of scarring in patients who’ve had follicles extracted with a 1 mm punch verses a 0.7 mm punch. He does however, caution patients who want to shave their head completely that scarring may be slightly visible whether a 0.7 mm or 1 mm punch was used.

Dr. Devroye is currently working on a new FUE prototype that should be ready in a few weeks. Kudos to Dr. Devroye for his innovations in surgical hair restoration.

Bill Seemiller
Associate Publisher/Editor

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