ABSTRACT
The most common indication for hair transplant surgery is androgenetic or pattern hair loss in both men and women. Other common indications include traction alopecia, eyebrow overplucking, and primary scarring alopecias (for example burns or trauma). Sometimes in quiescent or burnt-out cicatricial alopecia secondary to dermatological conditions patients can be treated surgically; however, patients must be warned of possible reactivation of the underlying pathology.
In any type of hair loss, the first step is to confirm the diagnosis before any treatment can be recommended. This is especially important in women where pattern hair loss is a diagnosis of exclusion. If surgery is recommended then it must be part of a life-long treatment plan that, often also includes non-surgical therapy.
For the surgical procedure there are two basic methods of donor area harvesting: follicular unit excision (FUE) and strip follicular unit technique (strip FUT). On average, 2000 follicular units or more are moved to the recipient area in one operation with patients often requiring several operations over a lifetime depending on the availability of donor hair. Occipital scalp hair is the preferred donor site but in some situations beard and body hair can be utilized too.
