What does CIT hair transplant mean?

The follicular isolation technique is a process of removing one follicular unit at a time from the donor region. Our technique has evolved from the techniques of Dr. Inaba, Dr. Woods, and Dr. Rassman. A special instrument is used to extract the individual follicular units.

This instrument must cut into the dermis to a point just deep to the arrector pili muscle. Once this structure is cut, the graft can be extracted intact. Grafts ranging from one to 5 hairs each have been extracted. Our CIT hair transplant technique has allowed the largest single session of graft removal in a single day. We successfully removed 950 intact follicular units in a single day. We also have the largest successive sessions in a two-day span on the same patient. Currently, we are able to move almost 2000 grafts in a two day time using our follicular isolation technique.

This process requires a dermal depth analysis so that we can properly judge the depth of the arrector pili muscle. We have found that this depth varies from one region of the donor area to another.

Our process allows for the harvesting of hair from multiple regions of the body. This includes chest, stomach, back, etc. hair. The combination of this technique with standard graft harvesting expands the scalp donor region. The ability to use hair from other regions of the body also adds significantly to the total amount of available donor hair. Dr. Ray Woods has found that chest hair grafted to the scalp eventually begins to grow faster and longer than it did when it was on the chest.

The most recent method for hair transplantation, Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) involves extracting individual follicular grafts and then transplanting them to the donor area. So long as the surgeon is adequate, FUE's results will almost alw0ays be superior to that of Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), an older type of hair transplant technique that always leaves a visible scar and often leads to lousy results; over 40% of Forhair's patients seek us to repair transplants by other clinics.    

Cole Isolation Technique (CIT®), meanwhile, is Dr. Cole's namesake FUE variant. A pioneer of the technique, Dr. Cole developed CIT® with the hope of facilitating donor recharging: the regrowth of follicles extracted as grafts. His belief, which was proven correct, is that if the extraction did not penetrate too deep then it would actually leave stem cell remnants. In fact, the application of ACell, an extracellular matrix used for post-op recuperation, enables an average of 30% to 40% of donor follicles to regenerate: this means 300 to 400 new donor hair for every 1,000 single extractions. CIT® is the only hair transplant technique, currently, that enables such recharging: all other hair transplants only transfer hair from one location to another.

CIT® offers numerous benefits aside from donor recharging. Minimal intrusion also decreases the amount of trauma to the scalp, thereby improving recuperation time and lessening the chances of swelling or other side effects. Another prime benefit of CIT® is a substantially decreased chance of scarring. FUE can leave scars that resemble moth-eaten cloth. The minimal intrusion of CIT®, however, helps ensure that patients rarely deal with any noticeable scars. Should patients have any noticeable scars, and this is quite rare, then Forhair will offer Scalp Micro Pigmentation (SMP) for free. An all-natural tattoo that lasts for five to seven years that Forhair regularly uses for scar repair, SMP creates the appearance of hair that is actively growing.  

CIT® is among the best options for hair transplantation. Learn more by visiting our CIT® page or by contacting us.