Original Regrow editorial diagram. All meaningful guidance is also available in the article text.
Three clinic quotes may advertise three different acronyms without clearly explaining what will happen. To compare them, separate the operation into two questions: how are grafts obtained from the donor area, and how are they placed in the recipient area?
That distinction will not choose your procedure for you. It will help you recognise when two proposals are describing different parts of the same process.
What the terms describe
FUE refers to obtaining follicular units individually using small circular incisions. In the strip approach commonly called FUT, a strip of donor scalp is removed and divided into grafts; the donor wound is closed. Both involve surgery and scarring, with different scar patterns.
“DHI” is commonly used in marketing around implantation with an implanter. It does not, by itself, tell you how the grafts were harvested. The ISHRS cautions against presenting DHI as a separate transplant method and explains the distinction between harvesting and implantation. ISHRS: surgical treatments and implantation methods.
Translate the quote into ordinary language
Ask each clinic to complete the same short description:
“We propose taking grafts by __. We propose placing them by . The reason this suits your assessment is . The people responsible for these stages are __.”
If the answer repeats a branded technique name, ask again in plain language. You are seeking a description you can understand and compare, not trying to win a terminology debate.
Compare the patient-specific reasoning
Ask how the proposal relates to your donor area, hairstyle preferences, previous procedures and longer-term goals. Ask what tradeoffs the surgeon considered and why another approach was not recommended for you.
Write the answers next to the quote rather than relying on a general claim that one method is “advanced.” A newer instrument name is not a substitute for a reasoned plan. Nor does a larger quoted graft number, by itself, establish a better plan.
The useful question is: “What would make you change this recommendation after examining me?” It helps distinguish a provisional estimate from an individual surgical assessment.
Ask what the price difference buys
If one package costs more, request a written explanation of the difference. Does it change the treating clinician, the planned work, included appointments, or only the package label? Are the same areas being discussed? Are both estimates based on the same information?
Keep clinical suitability separate from affordability. You can understand the costs while still asking the surgeon whether either proposed plan is appropriate.
Get aftercare for your actual procedure
Once a plan is agreed, request the final written instructions associated with it. Do not combine a video for one clinic’s “DHI package” with another clinic’s washing schedule and assume the shared label makes them interchangeable.
Keep the version and date of the instructions. If the plan changes on the day, ask which aftercare advice changes with it and where the updated instructions will be recorded.
Leave with a usable comparison
Your notes should identify the proposed donor approach, placement approach, clinician responsibilities, individual reasoning and follow-up arrangement. If those are still unclear, another explanation is more useful than another slogan.
For the wider decision, use our clinic selection checklist. Download Regrow to organise the recovery record after you and your clinician decide on a plan.
Published by Regrow. AI-assisted research and writing; not clinically reviewed. This explains terminology and consultation questions, not which operation you should have.
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Regrow provides general education and self-tracking. It is not a medical device and does not provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. This article has not been reviewed by a clinician. Your clinic's instructions always come first.