Hair transplant technologies are being improved annually and in case you desire to undergo a hair transplant surgery, it is quite necessary to understand every hair transplant aspect to plan accordingly. The type of grafts to use during a hair transplant surgery is one of the crucial aspects to be considered during the planning session. In this case, the surgeon has to evaluate the visibility of the graft and not its size alone. Additional contrasts include a patient’s skin colour, the hair texture (curly or frizzy), and the overall hair density.
Planning For Your Hair Transplant Surgery
The latest hair transplant approaches include Mega sessions, Giga sessions or a combination of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). Currently, a number of patients are in favour of the FUE surgical approach, but according to some hair transplant experts, the approach may not be advantageous as it seems. Transferring individual units may have repercussions in some patients.
Totally alopecic patients or those unsuitable for a high hair density should opt for procedures like FUT. Similarly, patients who aren’t ready to undergo multiple sessions should as well opt for it. The is because a single FUT procedure can thoroughly create dependable results and the additional hair transplant procedures are only intended for a higher density.
Types of Hair Grafts Used in Hair Transplantation
| Graft Type | Follicular Units | Hairs | Recipient Region | Cut to size or number of hairs required |
| Micrografts | ||||
| Micrograft | 1 or less | 1-4 | Microslit or Needle | Cut to the number of hairs |
| FU (Follicular Unit) | 1 | 1-4 | Microslit or Needle | Cut to the number of hairs required |
| Follicular Family (FF) | 2 | 5-6 | Microslit or Needle | Cut to the number of hairs required |
| Multi-FU Graft | ||||
| DFU (Double FU) | 2 | 3-5 | Slit | Cut to the number of hairs (FU) |
| Triple FU | 3 | 5-8 | Slit | Cut to the number of hairs (FU) |
| Quadruple FU | 4 | 6-12 | Slit | Cut to the number of hairs (FU) |
| Traditional Slit Grafts | ||||
| Small Slit Graft | ∼2 | 3-5 | Slit | Cut To Size |
| Medium slit graft | ∼3 | 5–8 | Slit | Cut To Size |
| Large slit graft | ∼4 | 6–12 | Slit | Cut To Size |
Further graft types include slot grafts and round grafts, which may be detailed to you by your hair transplant surgeon during a consultation.
To take a precise look at the slot grafts and round grafts, these grafts are more required when a patient requires a higher density. Further indications confirm that slot grafts are necessary for Caucasian patients with white hair. Some surgeon may obtain the required density objectives by a mere combination of Follicular Unit (FU) in the hairline, Triple FU for the posterior to the hairline zone in addition to double FU.
Posterior to the round grafts and its main concerns require a patient to have good hair characteristics, a good permanent density and as the surgeon may find required. The decision pertaining the type of grafts required depends on the earlier detailed hair characteristics we saw at the beginning of this article.
The Extraction Phase of the Surgery
The surgeon will choose the densest part of the scalp, mainly at the back where the hair is intact. The donor strip is excised and it may range from 8mm to 10mm. The strip will be dissected as per the hair units required. Another extraction approach or hair transplant technique considered in the modern hair transplantation field is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
