A patient’s question

Sapphire FUE and DHI: what the difference is

The short answer: both techniques transplant your own hair, and the difference is not in quality but in how the graft gets into the skin. With Sapphire FUE, channels are first opened with a sapphire blade, and then the grafts are placed in them. With DHI, the graft is inserted straight away with a special Choi pen, with no separate channel stage. Which one suits you depends on the area, the density and the condition of the scalp — that is determined from photos and at the examination.

Send photos and find out the technique

How they differ in practice

Order of steps

FUE: extraction of grafts → channels → placement. DHI: extraction → insertion with the pen. Fewer steps, but each one takes longer.

Control of angle and depth

In DHI the pen itself sets the angle, so the direction of growth is held more precisely. In FUE the angle is set by the channel.

Area covered in one session

FUE usually covers a larger area in the same time; DHI is slower and is more often used for smaller areas.

Shaving

DHI often makes it possible to avoid shaving the whole head — which matters especially for women.

How the choice is made

Photos of the area

They show the size, the stage and the approximate density.

Examination

The donor area, the condition of the scalp and the direction of your hair growth are examined.

Decision

The technique is named in the plan before the procedure, together with the number of grafts.

What is important to understand

A technique does not replace the calculation

Neither FUE nor DHI will add hair beyond what the donor area holds.

The result does not show straight away

The first hairs start to grow after a few months, the final result usually after 9–12 months. This is the same for both techniques.

Sometimes they are combined

The hairline is done with one technique and the main area with the other. This is normal practice, not a compromise.

A technique does not treat hair loss

If the process is active, it is dealt with separately — a transplant covers the area but does not stop the cause.

Common questions

Transplanted hair is taken from an area that is not sensitive to hair loss, so how long it lasts depends not on the technique but on where the graft came from and how well it took.
Both are performed under local anaesthesia. The difference in sensation during the procedure is small, and recovery depends more on the size of the area than on the technique.
Usually 2–3 days: the procedure, a check-up and the first wash. This does not depend on the technique chosen.

What else to read

How many grafts

What the number depends on and what only shows at the examination.

Hair Transplant

All the treatments in this area: beard, hairline, PRP.

Turnkey Packages

Hotel, transfers, interpreter and coordinator.

Send a photo — the specialist will name the technique

Photos show the size and the stage, the examination shows the donor area. The technique and the number of grafts are fixed in the plan before the procedure.

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