Hair Restoration

  • Hair transplant (follicular unit transplantation) occurs with relocation of hair via follicular units, which are naturally occurring groupings in the scalp; several grafts needed
    • Follicular units: composed of 1–4 terminal hairs, 1–2 vellus hairs with the associated glands, arrector pili, and adventitial collagen
    • Once strip of donor tissue removed, follicular units are taken out intact through careful stereomicroscopic dissection
    • Follicular unit density during hair restoration is typically >30 follicular units/cm2
  • FDA-approved medical treatments for male-pattern alopecia include topical minoxidil and finasteride (Propecia); latter is a type II 5 α-reductase inhibitor and leads to decreased conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT); side effects of finasteride include decreased libido, gynecomastia, decreased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level