Glossary of terms used on this site

Follicular Unit Extraction or extraction technique by means of follicular extraction

also referred to as follicular unit transplant is a transplant technique that preserves the follicular unit.

a resilient fibrous sheet covering the surface of the cranial vault, the scalp layer located between the subcutaneous tissue and the loose connective tissue.

Lower bulb-shaped part of the hair.

is the outer covering of the hair shaft.

each hair goes through a continuous cycle that has phases of varying duration (anagen phase, catagen phase, telogen phase)

term referring to the number of follicular units per square centimetre

the hair follicle is a hollow segment of the epidermis that extends downwards to the dermis. The follicle is a thin bag made of epidermal tissue that’s bulb-shaped at its lower part. Hair follicles produce hairs. Each follicle is fed by a papilla.(The papilla of a hair follicle is an indentation at the base of the bulb of the hair. It contains many blood vessels that supply nutrients to nourish the growing hair.)

there are 20 to 30 cycles during a lifespan. Each cycle will last 3 to 5 years on average.

normally 45 to 60 hairs are shed daily and continuously renew themselves. Normal hair loss predominates at the end of summer and in springtime. Hair loss exceeding 60 hairs per day is considered to be excessive.

unit of measure for hair density incorporating the number of hairs per square centimetre as well as the hairs’ diameter.

a condition inherited from the parents or ancestors.

type of scar formed by  overgrowth of a healed wound.

organic substance resembling proteins in chemical structures, that forms the basis for the epidermis, nails, hairs and keratinised tissue,

associated with a group of scalp diseases that cause localised hair loss called « scarring alopecia ». It damages  the hair follicles on the scalp that can be detected by skin biopsy. Early stage diagnosis can prevent permanent scarring alopecia.
If no inflammatory activity caused by the disease is noticeable, a (test) hair transplant can be considered in order to make an estimate of the viability of the transplanted grafts.

scale commonly used for classifying feminine hair loss

is a systemic chronic auto-immune disease, affecting connective tissues in several organs- , that manifests itself in different ways depending on the individual. The associated adjective is lupous.

chronic inflammatory disease that affects  hair follicles.

grafts of 1 to 2 hairs created naturally or from subdivision of the follicular unit

grafts of 3 to 6 hairs coming from 1 or from several follicular units.

graft containing several follicular units.

destruction of cells in living tissue. Necrosis defines the premature and unprogrammed interruption of well-functioning cells in human tissue. Tissue undergoing necrosis can no longer sustain its normal function in the organism and is considered dead.

hair loss caused by misfunctioning of the hair follicle resulting in premature interruption of the growth phase

scale commonly used to classify masculine hair loss. It distinguishes 7 stages of androgenetic alopecia.

Made from distilled water and sodium chloride at a ratio of 9 g per 1000ml. Solution preserving  grafts in an ideal environment before being implanted

a protein that can be found in the hair follicle’s cells  in  bald areas, which is not found in areas with hair.

plasma rich with blood platelets or PRP has regenerating and healing properties. A treatment with PRP  uses the patients cells without addition of foreign bodies. These cells have the ability to locally activate growth factors and to stimulate skin regeneration and growth mechanisms by acting directly on stem cells in the hair follicle.

circular scalpel with a 0,8 to 10 mm diameter.

a small metallic tube with the extremity as sharp as a scalpel. Applying pression with this small tube, in conjunction with a rotating movement allows the extraction of a hair "root" from the scalp. The trephine punch is also used by dermatologists to remove parts of the skin for microscopic analysis.The trephine diameter varies according to the applied technique, punch hair transplant uses a 3 to 4mm punch whereas follicular unit extraction (FUE) uses 0,8 to 1 mm trephines.

it’s the bald area (or of low density) where grafts will be implanted; it receives the grafts that were extracted from the donor area.