[Follicular unit hair transplantation: current technique]

Since 1959, when Norman Orentreich described the phenomenon of donor dominance in androgenic alopecia and opened the way to hair transplantation, the field of hair replacement surgery has been evolving continuously. Advances in the last 15 years, particularly the microscopic dissection of donor strips into follicular units, have eradicated the idea that follicular transplantation is an aggressive procedure that produces an artificial result. Hair transplantation procedures involving the transplant of only follicular units can now achieve natural, undetectable, and reproducible

, very different from the outcomes achieved with earlier techniques. Consequently, there is no excuse today for not offering hair transplantation to patients with androgenic alopecia, both male and female, who are good candidates for this technique. This review provides a general overview of the current procedure for follicular unit hair transplantation.