HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

These are several pictures of follicular units, follicular sheaths, plucked hairs, and an extracted two follicular unit graft in a repair case.

Fig. 1 is a two hair follicular unit. You will note a sebaceous gland in the two hair graft. As is customary, the sebaceous gland is on the inferior side of this donor area follicular unit. The follicular unit was sectioned into two hairs. The individual hair was removed from one of the follicular sheaths (Fig. 2). The remaining sheath of this graft is shown with its plucked hair below it. The removed sebaceous gland is above the sheath.

Next (Fig. 3) is a two hair graft from the leg taken by FIT. The graft was then sectioned into two single hairs and the hair shaft removed from the follicular sheath (Fig 4). Its removed hair shaft is above.


The next shot (Fig 5) is a two follicular unit graft extracted by FIT from the hairline of a repair case. This graft, which was previously on the hair line, contains 6 hairs and two follicular units. The two follicular units were sectioned into two separate follicular units. In the two hair follicular unit, the shafts were were separated from one another (Fig 6). The respective hair shafts are shown above and below their follicular sheaths.


The final photo (Fig. 7) is a comparison of a normal donor area follicular sheath with its removed hair shaft next to the remaining follicular sheaths of a two hair follicular unit (grafted years ago to this hair line) that was extracted from the hair line of a repair case. The removed hair follicles are next to their respective follicular sheaths. It is customary for the extracted previously transplanted graft to have a larger follicular sheath than the follicular sheath of a normal donor area's follicular unit. In this case the follicular sheaths were measured at their widest points. The normal donor area follicular sheath measured 0.329 millimeters and the two follicular sheaths from the previously transplanted graft measured 0.458 millimeters and 0.431 millimeters. This is interesting because it shows that the sheaths contract after removal of the follicle. The average diameter of a follicular sheath that contains a follicle from normal donor area is 0.42 millimeters. In this case the follicular sheath is 0.1 mm less than the average. It shows some of the volumetric affect of hairs. It is the excess volume of larger grafts containing multiple hairs, dermis, and adipose that causes ridging.

Dr. Cole since this grafts do increase in volume, could that make them harder to remove when working on a plug redistribution case or are they just as easy to remove as any other follicular unit?