What is “Ultra Refined” Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation?

Ultra refined follicular unit hair transplantation is a term to describe the new “gold standard” of hair transplantation where hair restoration physicians are using smaller blades, making smaller incisions, and creating smaller “skinny” grafts. Making smaller incisions and trimming smaller grafts allows a hair transplant surgeon to “dense pack” follicular unit grafts much more closely together than that of standard follicular unit hair transplantation (almost twice as dense in many cases) and when done correctly, produces high hair growth yield and minimizes scalp trauma.

Determining what is “ultra refined” however can sometimes be a little tricky as blade and needle sizes vary and many hair transplant surgeons like to cut grafts somewhere in between “skinny” and “chubby”.

With a “chubby” graft, there is some extra potential that hairs in catagen (resting) contained within the graft will be rescued and thus produce greater hair growth yield. However, in my opinion, cutting a graft too chubby will result in additional scalp trauma and a need for more than one pass to accomplish the same result.

On the flip side, cutting a graft to “skinny”, makes the graft more vulnerable, so physicians, nurses, and technicians must be extra careful with these ultra-skinny grafts to ensure they are not damaged. I have found that most patients prefer ultra refined follicular unit grafting because it allows a hair transplant doctor to accomplish more in a single hair restoration surgery. Those who have mastered this technique, such as those members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians have a proven track record of excellent and consistent patient results.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

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