Long Hair FUE: what unshaven FUE is and what it asks of the surgeon

Long Hair FUE is the extraction and implantation of follicular units while keeping the hair length, without shaving the donor area. This article explains what changes for a surgeon who wants to learn it and what is worth knowing before adopting it.

What it is

In conventional FUE the donor area is shaved so the follicle and exit angle can be located precisely. In Long Hair FUE the hair stays long. According to the academy's documentation the cosmetic result can be visible at 24 or 48 hours, because the patient does not have a shaved donor area and the implanted hair keeps its length.

On 5 December 2018 Trivellini Tech presented Trivellini Long Hair, an evolution of its Mamba Nano system, to extract long hair without shaving [1]. Our documentation attributes the earlier concept to Marcelo Pitchon, with Roberto systematizing it and developing specific instruments; the exact attribution is being confirmed with him.

What changes in the operating room

• Extraction. With long hair it is harder to see the direction of each follicle. That is why the technique relies on instruments that show the exit angle and on a different way of cutting by layers.
• Implantation. Long hair is implanted and has to be handled so it does not damage the graft or neighboring hair. The implantation technique is part of the method.
• Pace. It is a more demanding technique. If your clinic schedule is tight, plan more margin while you build practice.

What the literature says

There is literature on the technique: in 2021 the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology published "Preview long hair follicular unit excision: an up-and-coming technique" [2], which presents it as an emerging technique. Read it directly rather than relying on our summary: we teach Roberto's method and he has interests in its instruments.

Who it is for

Surgeons whose patients make not shaving a condition, as described in the article on patients who refuse to shave. Also those who want to widen their offer, as long as they are willing to go through the learning curve.

How it is learned in the academy

The course "FUE sin rapar: fundamentos del sistema Trivellini" (unshaven FUE: fundamentals of the Trivellini system) has a module on Long Hair FUE and the multiphase system, with a quiz and a verifiable certificate. The course is training; it does not license you to operate or promise clinical results. For questions about your own technique there is the 1:1 training session.