Establishment and Clinical Application of the Concept of Invalid Extraction Rates in Follicular Unit Extraction

The study evaluated the concept of invalid extraction rates in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) for hair transplantation, involving 30 male patients with alopecia. It found that the invalid extraction rate, which measures the percentage of unsuccessfully extracted follicular units, is a useful criterion for assessing a surgeon's skill. Surgeon B achieved the lowest rate of 13.89%, indicating the best balance between speed and accuracy, while surgeons A and C had rates of 15.16% and 16.37%, respectively. The study concluded that experience reduces invalid extraction rates, suggesting that tracking these rates could improve surgical outcomes and standardize practices. Despite its findings, the study noted limitations such as varying extraction difficulty and a limited sample size.