People often get confused as they are not able to distinguish clearly between hair plugs and hair restoration. This happens because medical terminology has often found to be little confusing. At present hair plugs are considered as an outdated version of hair transplantation. Now let us take a look at the differences between hair plugs and hair transplantation.
Hair plugs
Hair plugs were in use in hair transplant clinic from 1950 onwards. This was replaced by follicular units of hair during 1990s. In the method called hair plugs transplantation, usually a punch tool is used to separate a plug of hair from the back of the patient’s head where generally hair loss does not affect. In a hair plug around 20 or more of hair will be present. Such hair plugs are removed in rows from the back side of the head. In the recipient area the surgeon would have created enough holes smaller in size than the size of hair plugs already removed. The surgeon then meticulously places the hair plugs one by one and allow the wounds to cure themselves or if needed they are stitched up and made secure.
Hair transplants
In hair transplants which are the later version, the follicular units of hair are transplanted. A follicular unit of hair is the smallest unit of hair which has its own separate existence. The area from where the follicular units are removed is called the donor area. Usually back side of the head where hair loss is very rare is taken as the donor area. The area where the hair has to be transplanted is said as the recipient area. This area will be normally the front portion of the scalp. There are two methods of transplant. They are follicular unite extraction (FUE) and follicular Unit transplant (FUT). In follicular unit extraction the follicular units of hair are extracted one by one by the surgeon and they are then transplanted to the recipient area. In the follicular unit transplant they hair transplantation is done in follicular unit itself. But the method of extraction is different in this case. Instead of removing follicular units of hair one by one the surgeon in a hair transplant clinic removes a strip of skin with full of hair from the donor area. The remaining skin is stitched together. The follicular units of hair on this removed strip are separated completely by the surgeon and are kept ready for transplanting them to the recipient area.
Why FUT or FUE is better than hair plugs?
Hair plugs are relatively larger as they contain about 20 hairs. So there will be more scar marks in the donor area as well as the recipient area.
As the follicular units contain only up to 4 hairs they are smaller and hence their scar marks are relatively smaller and not noticeable.
As the hair is transplanted in their biological units the possibility for healthy transplantation and successful growth of hair is achieved in FUT or FUE
Follicular units of hair transplantation give natural and healthy look to the transplanted hair.
