Transection at Donor Harvesting

After the microscopic hair dissection was adapted into hair transplantation, the most transection of hair follicle occurs at donor harvesting.

In our office, we have moved from multi-blade knife to double blade now to a single blade. The transection rate was cut down but not as perfect as expected. We had a paper to mention how to harvest strips years ago. But we keep improving our method.

Currently we use a completely different approach, combined with an intruder, skin hook and blade technique. The result is amazing, even curly hair has very minimal transection.

As you can see from the photos, there are many different types of hair: Caucasian hair, Asian hair, African-American hair, wavy, curly and gray hair. All have an excellent result.

After 50 years of hair transplant technique improvement, if we use the right method, the transection during the procedure is finally reduced to minimum.

Asian Hair

Caucasian Hair

Curly Hair

Edge-Most Difficult part to avoid transection

Wavy Hair

Grey Hair-Hard to see

Curly Hair-Not only curly on hair but also curly in the tissue. Almost impossible to avoid transection.

Compare the Quality of FUE Graft and FUT Graft

FUE grafts are cut blindly using punch, basically are bare grafts, no tissue at button part. No study discuss about regrowth hair rate, quality and life time yet.



FUE Grafts:




FUT grafts are cut under microscopic direct vision, contain a lot of tissue including regrowth elements bulge and sebaceous gland.

FUT Grafts:

Which type of graft do you prefer?

Live Patient Session of ISHRS Annual Meeting

There are always live patient sessions in the ISHRS ( International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) annual meeting . About 20 to 30 live patients will show their hair transplant surgery results to the meeting attendants. Of course, these are the best results from doctors who presented them.

Started from 2006 San Diego meeting, I personally asked every patient if they take Finasteride to find out the relationship between surgery result and Finasteride.

The survery below shows the percentage of live patients on Finasteride:

2006 San Diego meeting- 100%
2007 Las Vegas meeting-100%
2008 Montreal meeting- 100%
2009 Amsterdam meeting- about 70%, In Europe the trend is different, but the surgery result was not as impressive as in the States.
2010 Boston meeting- only two patients didn’t take Finasteride. But both told me that after received hundreds of advices from attendant doctors, they would like to try it.
2011 Anchorage meeting- only 3 to 4 patients presented and the main target moved towards how to cover donor scar.

Conclusion from the survey:
To have the best surgery result, taking Finasteride is necessary.