Compare Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) and Other Hair Replacement Techniques


Before you put your deposit down for your DHI treatment, you might want to consider the different pros and cons of having alternative hair replacement treatments carried out. There are a number of different clinics offering a number of different techniques including follicular unity extraction (FUE), STRIP and laser hair replacement.

Difference between Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) & Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

One of the main differences that you would experience between FUE and DHI is that you would need to completely shave your scalp before your FUE treatment whereas no shaving would be required for DHI. In FUE hairs are extracted in units of around five hairs so that around 2000 hairs can be extracted and implanted into your bald areas during a single procedure. During FUE the follicles are often moved using forceps which can cause damage to the hair follicles that could lead to reduced success of the implanted hair. In contrast, DHI can replace around 6000 hairs in a single procedure and the specialise implantation equipment reduces the damage caused to individual hair follicles and thus increases the success rate of the technique.


You are more likely to be found to be unsuitable to undergo FUE compared to DHI due to the fact that FUE requires a certain type of hair in order to be successful. In addition, whilst FUE can be undertaken by trained nurses, only specialised doctors can perform DHI.

Difference between Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) & STRIP

STRIP will leave you with a scar from where the strip of hair was removed at the back of your head and your skin stitched back together. As with follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair is implanted using forceps which can damage the individual hair follicles and also introduces the potential for human error in the direction and angle of the placement of your implanted hair. Due to the fact that the STRIP technique is often unsuccessful if you have particularly curly hair, you have a larger potential to be found to be unsuitable for the STRIP procedure compared to DHI. The STRIP technique allows around 1500-2500 hairs to be implanted in a single session compared to the 6000 that can be implanted with DHI.   

Difference between Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) & Laser Treatment for Hair Loss

Laser treatment can be used to promote hair growth using an instrument to pulse a particular frequency and wavelength of light energy towards your hair follicles. This is typically within the infrared (IR) wavelength and acts to stimulate the growth and rejuvenation of your hair cells. If you are planning on using a laser treatment you should ensure that it is a medically approved infrared laser (and not just an LED that will have minimal (if any) effect on your hair growth).

Some laser treatments can be carried out by you, although other laser treatments could be carried out by a professional at a laser treatment clinic. The laser treatments that are designed to be carried out by you at home typically require a short dose of regular treatment (such as 10 minutes a day) over a long period of time. This means that the results will take a while before you start to see them and you may have reduced success compared to DHI which would be immediate and noticeable. In addition, this is a time consuming process that takes a long time before you will see any results.

However, if your hair loss is only mild and you are not keen on the idea of going under local anaesthetic or the idea of having an immediate change in your appearance does not appeal to you, then you might want to consider using a laser treatment in the first instance. It may be an idea to discuss the use of laser instruments with your GP if you have any concerns about potential side effects.

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