Vertical or horizontal scalp mobility: What to assess

Area of Science:

• Hair Restoration Surgery
• Dermatology
• Surgical Techniques

Background:

• Scalp anatomy comprises five distinct layers, influencing wound closure.
• Scalp mobility is critical for tension-free wound closure and aesthetic scar formation in hair restoration.
• Accurate estimation of scalp mobility is essential for successful surgical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the number of available follicular units (FUs) using horizontal versus vertical scalp mobility measurement methods.
• To evaluate the efficacy of different scalp mobility assessment techniques in hair restoration surgery.

Main Methods:

• The study included 15 patients undergoing hair restoration surgery at a private clinic.
• Horizontal scalp mobility was assessed using Mayer's method, and vertical mobility using Mohmand & Ahmad's method.
• Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test to compare data.

Main Results:

• The vertical scalp mobility method yielded a larger average donor strip area (49.1 cm²) compared to the horizontal method (42.0 cm²).
• Significantly more hair grafts were harvested using the vertical method (6762.5 hairs) versus the horizontal method (5792.8 hairs) (P < .05).
• The vertical scale provided an average of 969.7 more hairs per patient.

Conclusions:

• The vertical scalp mobility scale is superior for maximizing hair graft yield from the donor strip in hair restoration surgery.
• Utilizing the vertical method can lead to a greater number of available follicular units for transplantation.
• This study highlights the importance of employing the vertical method for enhanced donor site harvesting.