What is the Average Width and Length of a Hair Transplant Donor Strip?

This following article was written by recommended hair restoration physician Dr. William Lindsey and posted on our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums.

What is the typical width and length for a 2,000 graft donor strip? This is for a person with average donor density.

When performing [tag]follicular unit transplantation[/tag] ([tag]FUT[/tag]), our donor strips are almost always 1.6-1.7cm wide or about the width of a stick of gum. The length of the strips varies with density and the number of [tag]follicular unit grafts[/tag] needed to meet the patient’s [tag]hair restoration[/tag] goals. This has let us get up to 3,900 grafts.

When folks speak of 5,000 graft [tag]hair transplants[/tag], frankly I have the man/woman power to do these, but I am rather limited by strip width. Scalp laxity is like a box of chocolates: you just don’t know until you excise the strip how loose a scalp will be. As closure tension has a direct relationship with scarring, I am concerned about getting the scalp closed well more than getting that extra 1,000 grafts.

Dr. William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS
McLean, VA

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David – aka TakingThePlunge
Assistant Publisher and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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