Hidden Transection of Follicular Unit Extraction in Donor Site
Dae-Young Kim1, Jong-Pil Choi, Young-Joong Hwang
1*Department of Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong Yonsei Hair Transplantation Center, Seoul, Korea; †JP Plastic Surgery Clinic, Seoul, Korea; ‡YES Plastic Surgery Clinic, Seoul, Korea.
Background:
When calculating the transection rate in follicular unit extraction (FUE), many surgeons did not consider damages that may arise in the donor site through FUE punching.
Objective:
The authors investigated what changes and/or damages are happened to the hair follicles surrounding a punched hole.
Materials And Methods:
Two to 4 study boxes were marked on the donor strip and 8 follicular units were harvested using FUE from each study box. Follicular unit extraction was performed by the expert for 10 patients and by the beginner for 10 patients. After the strip harvesting, each study box was separated. Then, the 2 cross sections along the punched line and follicular units obtained from each study box were analyzed under a 20-power digital microscope.
Results:
The authors found various transections through this analysis. Among them, some transections were hidden under the scalp surface, keeping the shaft alignment. The authors named this occurrence "hidden transection." Although 2 surgeons harvested with similar transection rate, there was a significant difference in hidden transection rate: 2% for the expert and 8% for the beginner.
Conclusion:
The main finding of this study is that a correct way to calculate the real-transection rate in FUE is to consider both extracted follicular transection and hidden transection.
