FU versus MICRO

[Heman]

Is there really a difference between follicular until and all micro until transplants? I've seen both terms used interchangeably, as well as the term "micro follicular unit" transplant.

[Heman]

Is there really a difference between follicular until and all micro until transplants? I've seen both terms used interchangeably, as well as the term "micro follicular unit" transplant.

[arfy]

All these terms do get confusing.

 

Technically speaking, a FU graft is a specific kind of Micrograft. "Micrograft" only describes a certain size (small) or certain number of hairs (less than 4). Since FU grafts fall within that size and almost always have a limited number of hair follicles, technically they are a type of micrograft.

 

The difference between Micrografts and FUs might seem like no big deal, but it can be major:

 

-Microscopic dissection. This gets rid of excess scalp tissue on each graft. Excess tissue can result in compression (the graft shrinks, which makes it look tufty). Excess tissue can make your transplanted hair look like it is emerging from skin grafts, whereas properly trimmed grafts look like they are emerging from virgin scalp. Excess tissue is a major cause of cobblestoning (bumpy scalp caused by grafts), which is NOT a good thing- it can totally ruin your results. Microscopes also aid in the dissection process, with a reported 20 to 30 percent increase in yield from the clinics who use microscopes. In other words, clinics who do not use microscopes may be throwing some of your precious donor hair into the garbage. Since everyone has a limited amount of donor hair, this should be considered a disaster you need to avoid.

 

Respecting the natural groupings. Hair follicles grow in natural groupings or clusters of follicles. Follicular Unit transplantation (using microscopes to trim, etc) ALWAYS respects the natural groupings found in the scalp. However, a "regular Micrograft" may or may not have been cut with those natural groupings respected, there is no way to know unless you watch the technicians every step of the way. A Micrograft can very well be a fragment of a larger Follicular Unit. Since hair follicles are a type of organ, with supporting structures associated with each grouping, it is a bad idea to break up a grouping into smaller pieces. It can affect the graft survival and graft growth. Grafts survive and grow better, when the natural groupings have been respected.

 

When a clinic is doing real microscopically-dissected FU grafts, the technician dissects the donor strip under a microscope, which helps avoid damaging any grafts, or missing any potential grafts. The microscope lets them trim each graft closely, without causing damage to the grafts. After dissection, the tech tells the doctor "we have 827 three-hair grafts, 975 two-hair grafts, 612 one-hair grafts" (etc... you get the idea). The tech cuts the donor strip letting the natural structures dictate how things get divided up.

 

With regular Micrograft transplants, the tech uses jeweler's "loops" (loupes) which are headgear (visors) to magnify the grafts, which are not nearly as powerful as microscopes. This means that usually, the grafts cannot be trimmed of excess tissue as closely, and some grafts may be damaged or overlooked (a reported 20 to 30 percent difference). Also, instead of letting the natural strucures dictate how the donor strip gets divided up, the doctor tells the tech how many grafts of each type the will need to create ("Give me a thousand two hair grafts, 800 one hair grafts..." etc etc). This means that the tech may need to COMBINE different groupings to create the grafts the doctor asked for, or DIVIDE certain natural groupings to meet the doctor's goals. Both of these things (divide or combine) are not allowed, in a true Follicular Unit transplant. Dividing groupings can damage the follicles by separating them from the supporting structures (glands, etc) and combining groupings usually adds too much excess tissue to a graft, which can cause problems, as described above.

 

So even though a FU graft is (by technical definition) a type of Micrograft, there can be a huge difference between the two approaches. Make sure your clinic does microscopic dissection (no loops) and that your clinic does not use Minigrafts or Micrografts. (Minigrafts are even bigger- and worse- than Micrografts).

 

Read the article "Best_hair_transplant_procedure" here for a quick explanation, or look at the "Hair_transplant_news_articles" for more in-depth and scientific explanations.