Effect of Follicular Unit Extraction on the Donor Area

BACKGROUND Hair restoration surgery is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedure in men. The main aim of the study was to know the effect of follicular unit extraction (FUE) follicular unit extraction (FUE) on donor area in terms of hair mass/density. METHODS Ten male patients undergoing hair restoration by FUE were included. In each patient, ten boxes of 1 cm2 each were marked. The first box was marked in the midline and the 2nd and 3rd boxes were marked about 3 cm from the midline. Another two boxes, each of 1 cm2 were also marked at the distance of 3 cm. Two boxes of 1 cm2 were marked on either side. The extraction was performed using 0.9 mm punch. The number of extracted hair were counted. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 31.7 years. The average hair count in the donor area was 154.76 hair per cm2. The extracted hair count was 54.85 hair per cm2 which was about 35.44% of the total donor density (range: 28.9-42.8%). The graft to hair ratio in the extracted follicular units was 1:2.3 (range: 1:1.65-1:2.75). CONCLUSION As the donor density varies, the FUE should be performed with caution.