Hair Transplantation

Hair follicles are derived from an interaction between the embryological ectoderm and the mesoderm beginning around the second month of pregnancy (1, 2). The earliest event is the development of regularly spaced epidermal thickenings, called placodes, …

Patterned hair loss, the most common type of hair loss affecting men and women, is characterized by a process of progressive hair miniaturization whereby large, pigmented terminal hairs are replaced by fine, colorless vellus hairs (1, 2). In men, this …

Although patterned hair loss is the most common type of hair loss seen in the field of surgical hair restoration, a variety of scalp disorders can lead to alopecia. A firm knowledge of these disorders is indispensable in determining prognosis and making …

At the present time, with so much emphasis on pathology tests, radiology, drugs and surgical techniques, almost nothing is being written about one of the most important skills of all—the ability to build a strong physician–patient relationship. This skill …

Our hair frames our face. Hair is one of our few physical characteristics we can voluntarily control through its length, style, and color. The slow, relentless involuntary loss of hair creates emotional stress for millions of men and women. Fortunately …

There are many different philosophies for long-term planning in hair transplantation. The one that will be presented here is a personal one based on a 44-year experience with the procedure. During that period, I have been, at different times, more …

There are a number of preoperative events that should occur to help ensure a smooth and successful hair transplant procedure. It is helpful to delegate a specific staff member to be a patient coordinator and to make sure no steps are overlooked. A …

There was a time when a shot of whiskey and a bite on a bullet were the standard for surgical pain control. Fortunately, there has been progress since then, but achieving both safe and effective anesthesia is still a challenge for hair transplantation …

Perhaps the most important factors that contribute to a successful outcome from hair restoration surgery are appropriate patient selection by the physician and physician selection by the patient. There are four elements to this selection process: …

One of the most time-and effort-consuming stages in hair transplant surgery is the preparation of grafts. Applying ergonomic principles to mechanical and technical innovations can help in obtaining the goals of reducing the effort exerted and improving …

In the past decade, many new techniques have been introduced into the field of hair restoration surgery with the goal of improving the ability to provide maximum hair growth, survival, and density. Often, these new techniques are declared to be the best …

Although the first hair restoration procedures of intact hair follicles were described by Japanese physicians Okuda and Tamura (1–3) modern hair grafting can be divided into three major periods: the plug era, a transition period of progressively smaller …

Proper graft placement is a critical step in the hair transplant procedure. As hair transplantation has evolved, the size of grafts and recipient incisions has decreased while the number of grafts and density of placement has increased. Simply put, …

The type of postoperative care that a patient receives after hair transplantation is a key determinant of whether or not their perception of the procedure is positive, and hence whether or not they return for future surgeries. Moreover, it impacts the …

Asia is the largest, most populous continent in the world. Personal appearance, with an emphasis on youthful features, is of increasing cultural importance among its many ethnicities. Not surprisingly, this has lead to a burgeoning demand for hair …

Preview long hair follicular unit transplantation (PLHFUT) is a concept that was adopted and developed by the author beginning in 2004 (1–4). In conventional follicular unit transplantation (FUT), donor hair is trimmed prior to tissue harvesting. In …

Using contemporary techniques of hair restoration surgery, the outcome is generally indistinguishable from the appearance of native scalp hair. Unfortunately, older techniques of hair transplantation usually did not produce this quality outcome. As a …

The evolution from “big surgery” alopecia reductions (ARs) to smaller procedures was taking place at the time of the last edition of this text. This process has continued unabated to the present: ARs are very rarely used as a routine surgical procedure …

Given that hair restoration surgeons must develop a broad set of clinical skills, office design is an understandably neglected aspect of hair restoration practices. And yet, its importance is not minimal: it influences the ability to perform surgery and …