What Are Hair Grafts?

The hair restoration field is filled with precise medical terms that might not be clear to new patients at first glance. This goes for everything from the biology of hair loss to the medicines and instruments that leading doctors use to achieve groundbreaking results.

But when exploring the art and science of hair transplantation, what better place to start than with the basics? Hair grafts are the individual units that allow for transformative procedures, from high-volume hairline restorations to precise eyebrow and beard rejuvenation.

The term can be misleading and mixed up among a broad glossary of lingo in the big book of hair restoration, so it’s time to clarify.

Let’s find out what hair grafts really are, why they matter, and how surgeons use them to deliver aesthetic, permanent results for patients.

Hair Grafts Definition and Application

A hair graft is a follicle unit containing healthy hair that can be safely and effectively transplanted from a donor to a recipient region for hair loss treatment.

But while all grafts are follicles, not all follicles are grafts. A graft isn’t defined as such until it has been extracted and processed in preparation for implantation, which means it only exists in this state after the initial excision has been made.

Although the exact definition of a hair graft has evolved, the core concept has remained the same through the years, along with advancements in the hair restoration field and general medicine.

Key Characteristics

All hair grafts share a few essential traits that make them unique in the medical sphere. For starters, grafts can contain anywhere from one to five hairs, depending on how many are clustered together in the same small area of skin.

This is important because hair follicles occur naturally in this way, with multiple hairs sharing the same small surface area, with tiny gaps between them. With a 30x view through a microscope, we see that individual hair follicles create a subtle patchwork effect on the scalp and determine the pattern of hair development in totality.

For more context, we can look back to the “hair plugs” made popular in the early stages of hair transplant technology.  Hair grafts in the modern sense are better understood in contrast with the outdated concept of hair plugs, which dominated the scene decades past.

The problem with this plug approach was the failure to account for the natural spacing and organization of hair as destined by genetics. Doctors extracted hair in larger bunches, often containing multiple donor hair follicular units, and implanted them on the donor site with mixed results and poor longevity.

This explains why hair plugs tend to look like doll’s hair with unsightly spaces between grafts. Ideally, surgeons will identify grafts as follicle units, complete with the protective layer of skin and fat, to successfully extract and implant them in the target region.

Obtaining Usable Hair Grafts

How do surgeons identify quality follicle units and transform them into workable grafts that stand the test of time? It begins with technology and technique, both of which have been refined over many decades of hair restoration research and practice.

For high-volume hair transplant procedures such as Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), surgeons remove a strip of hair-bearing skin from the donor area, usually from the back of the head, then process individual grafts from that section. With help from technicians and assembly-line setups, surgical teams can utilize thousands of grafts in a single mega-session.

While FUT strip surgery has been the norm for decades and is still widely practiced, Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) emerged in the 90s as a more refined version of graft collection. The FUE hair transplant technique introduced more accurate and immediate access to grafts by going directly to the source.

Rather than removing a strip of skin and processing grafts from there, the FUE hair transplant technique used punch-hole instruments to pinpoint the best follicular units from the donor area of the scalp. The result was high-quality graft yields and protection of the donor region with minimal scarring despite the fewer hair follicles removed.

The overall effect is more natural-looking results around the donor area since there are only tiny pinprick scars versus a linear incision and greater self-confidence for those with thinning hair or male-pattern baldness.

Maximizing Graft Survival and Results

Every transplantation procedure has a unique scope and set of objectives. FUT and FUE lay the groundwork for success in any surgical pursuit, depending on the goals.

Whether it’s to add density to facial hair growth, cover a bald area on the crown, or fill hairline gaps along the frontal portion of the scalp, healthy grafts are needed to make it happen.

But before those conditions are met through artistry and technique, surgeons must ensure that each graft is properly isolated and prepared for implantation, despite challenges such as timing, volume, and medical obstacles.

The key is to use medicines and technologies that protect grafts from the moment they’re collected to when they’re finally implanted in the target area, setting the stage for maximum growth long thereafter.

Surgeons like Dr. Jae Pak work on perfecting processes that keep grafts healthy and strong throughout the procedure. They use advanced formulas and solutions to minimize loss and ensure each graft arrives safely at its destination.