XVII International Course on Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery - Barcelona, 16-19 June 2010

Hairline creation with micrografts -  P. BOUHANNA M.D. (Paris)

Small scalp fragments such as micrografts or follicular unit grafts of 1 to 3 hairs are used for hair transplant surgery. Implanting 2000 to 3000 hairs during each session which lasts for 3 to 4 hours, will provide a well defined and natural frontal hair line and the densification of a more or less widespread hair thinning area.

Two techniques are actually available:

1- Follicular units Segmentation (FUS)

Hairs, harvested will keep their ability to grow after implantation throughout the patient's life.

This procedure based upon the implantation of 1 to 3 hair grafts, aims at restoring the natural emergence of 2 to 3 hairs from each pilo-sebaceous orifice and avoids the unsight ful hair doll's appearance.

2- Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Follicular unit extraction consists to harvest from the donor area, intact follicular units with 1 mm punches inserted at a depth of 4 to 5 mm. the obtained unit is then very gently extracted from the surrounding tissue.

FUE can be considered in patients: who shave their scalp, who have less or no scalp laxity, who wish a small session, who don't have a baldness evolution.

Advances in hair transplant techniques aim towards the restoration of an esthetic natural look of hairs, due to:

  • A fine implantation on the balding area with surgical needles and jewelry forceps allowing the good choice of hair emergence angle, hair orientation and obliquity
  • The performance of a fine and regular "one-by-one" frontal hair line
  • A homogeneous distribution of many more micrografts and follicular units grafts.