Can Miniaturized Hairs be Transplanted in a Hair Restoration Procedure?
This question, asked by a member of our [tag]Hair Restoration[/tag] Social Community and Discussion Forums, was answered by recommended [tag]hair transplant surgeon[/tag] Dr. Michael Beehner:
I’m looking to undergo a [tag]follicular unit transplantation[/tag] ([tag]FUT[/tag]) procedure, but I think I have some [tag]miniaturized hairs[/tag] ([tag]follicular units[/tag]) in the [tag]universal donor area[/tag]. Can these miniaturized hairs be safely transplanted during my procedure?
There are a couple of things that pertain to this issue: if there is more than 5% miniaturization or even a larger amount, then doing a [tag] hair transplant[/tag] on that individual may not be a great idea (unless the patient understands that the gains may be only for 5-10 years).
In my practice, if the assistants are dissecting out [tag]follicular unit grafts[/tag] and come upon a single miniaturized hair, sitting all by itself as a 1-hair follicular unit, we do not make a graft and throw the unit aside. I don’t feel that the injury of a recipient incision is worth the tradeoff of putting a follicle/hair in there that is unlikely to end up being a full terminal hair. On the other hand, if that same apparently [tag]miniaturized follicle[/tag] is part of a two-hair follicular bundle and the other is a non-miniaturized follicle/hair, then we definitely try to include the weaker appearing follicle, on the chance that it might contribute something or on the hope that it may be a hair in the very early anagen growth phase (which can sometimes be difficult to tell).
In general, I find it rare to see miniaturized hairs in the center of good donor hair; it is an issue that much more frequently applies to my female patients, most of whom have some small degree of miniaturization. It’s then a judgement call as to whether they are a good candidate, and depending on the degree of miniaturization, then I lower the expectations in describing the possible benefits of [tag]hair transplantation[/tag].
Michael Beehner, M.D.
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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc
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