Q: I have been reading about hair transplantation and I have a question concerning FUT (strip-harvesting). I understand, in this method, a strip is excised from the back of the scalp, the wound then closed. I wonder, then, is not the overall surface of the scalp reduced in this procedure? After two or three procedures, especially, (or even after one large session) will not a patient’s hairline also be shifted? That is, the front hairline would move back by the amount of scalp excised, or, more likely, the “rear hairline” (which ends at the back of the neck) must certainly be “moved upward.” At least, this is how I imagine it would be. Is my logic flawed? I’ve been trying to understand this in researching the procedure, but the point still evades me.

A: The hair bearing area is much more distensible (stretchable) than the bald area and just stretches out after the procedure. As a result, the density of the hair in the donor area will decrease with each hair transplant session, but the position of the upper and lower margins of the donor area don’t move much – if at all. As a result, the major limitation of how much donor hair can be removed is the decreasing hair density, rather than a decrease in the size of the donor area.

Q: Can you give me an idea of the average width of a donor strip, i.e. the actual width taken from the back of your scalp for a hair transplant? A: The average donor strip is 1cm wide, although this will vary depending on the patient’s scalp laxity, density, and the number of grafts desired [...]

Q: Why should a doctor measure miniaturization in the donor area before recommending a hair transplant? A: Normally, the donor area contains hairs of very uniform diameter (called terminal hairs). In androgenetic hair loss, the action of DHT causes some of these terminal hairs to decrease in diameter and in length until they eventually disappear [...]

Q: I am interested in FUT. How do you figure out how large a strip to use for the hair restoration when transplanting all follicular units? A: The length of the donor strip incision is determined by the number of follicular unit grafts required for the hair restoration. There are slightly less than 100 follicular [...]

Q: I have heard that the hair for a hair transplant is taken from the back and sides of the scalp. Where exactly is the best place to remove the hair from? A: You are correct. The best place to put the donor incision is in the mid-part of the permanent zone located in the [...]