If you ever heard about hair transplant, chances are you have also heard the terms “hair follicle,” “follicular unit,” and “hair graft.” And you probably have thought that it’s all the same thing. Well, not quite.
The technical language in the field of hair transplant procedures might get confusing due to the similarity of some terms. Also, our own preconceived notions of just what hair exactly is. People looking into having a hair transplant should know the difference between a graft and a hair follicle.
Hair, Hair Follicle, and Hair Graft
Let’s define all the terms involved for clarification in what they all really mean.
Hair
The hair is a rather simple structure, made from a protein called “keratin,” and it sprouts out of another structure called “hair follicle.” Inside of it, the cells of hair start rapidly dividing, which causes the formation of the hair shaft and its growth and expansion upwards. The hair stays attached to the hair follicle during its lifetime, which happens in a cyclical manner.
Hair Follicle
This is the root of where the hair comes from, located beneath the skin. A hair follicle does not grow only one hair from each one, but rather, it grows tight groups of between one to four hairs together. Each individual hair follicle receives the name of “follicular unit” in the context of a hair transplant procedure. Therefore, they are the structures extracted and relocated during the surgery.
Hair Graft
Medically, a graft is tissue coming from one part of the body for implantation into another different part of the body. Within the context of hair transplants, a graft is each hair follicle coming from the donor site for grafting into the receiving site.
Why You Should Know the Difference
The reason as to why it is in your interest to know exactly the difference between a graft and a hair follicle is due to price. Most doctors determine the price to charge you for the surgery based on how many hair grafts you will receive, and here’s where some trouble might arise.
The less reputable doctors like to play with words with their patients. They get them to pay for 6,000 grafts when they only extracted 1,500 follicular units.
The scammers will, thus, use the number of expected hairs instead of the number of actual grafts made when setting the price by calling them hair grafts. Always be sure you are paying for the number of individual follicular units you will receive.
We do not play this game. Our surgeons perform high-quality hair transplants with natural-looking results affordably. Get in touch with us you are looking to get a hair transplant for an honest price.