Standardizing the Classification and Description of Follicular Unit Transplantation and Mini-Micrografting Techniques

Abstract

Previous attempts at classifying small graft transplants have focused mainly upon graft size and have not taken into consideration other technical factors involved in graft production that may influence the outcome of the surgery. The proposed classification attempts to consider these factors by including various technical aspects of harvesting, dissection, and placement, all of which impact the quality and quantity of the small grafts used in the procedure. By standardizing the nomenclature, as well as the description of the other factors involved in the surgery, communication between physicians and patients may be facilitated. In addition, different procedures may be more accurately studied and compared.

The distribution of hair in Han Chinese

“…These data can contribute to preoperative evaluation, surgery planning, and postoperative outcome evaluation performed by hair transplantation surgeons. The required amount of hair transplantation, area of donor site excision or extraction, postoperative density, and cost may be estimated, depending on the area of recipient site during the preoperative consultation [11,12] . For example in a male patient with vertex hair loss with a recipient site measuring 2 cm × 2 cm, assuming that all the transplanted FUs survive, the transplantation of 200 FUs can achieve 60% of the normal density of vertex hair.…”

To ablate or not: A proposal regarding nomenclature

“…[1][2][3] The science is always much more important than the words, but more precise word usage can help us better understand what we are doing, and why.…”

Textbook of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

“…The hair follicle is a part of the epidermis that extends down into the dermis. The hair follicular unit (FU) is the grouping of terminal hairs, which can be seen under a microscope and contains approximately one to four hairs (Bernstein et al, 1998).…”