Author's Reply

In a 1996 reply to a letter to the editor, Dr. Walter P. Unger addressed various aspects of laser hair transplantation. He agreed with many points raised by his colleagues but clarified certain misconceptions. Unger explained that the term "laser hair transplanting" was chosen for simplicity and that there is no evidence suggesting the procedure is less painful during operation compared to conventional methods, although postoperative pain may be reduced. He acknowledged that not enough patients had been treated to confirm this for hair transplanting. Unger disagreed with creating laser sites too close together and with the notion that megasessions of micrografting were the future trend. He emphasized the importance of some bleeding during the procedure for graft stability and vascular health. Unger also discussed the variability in results due to operator technique and the importance of consistent laser spot movement, advocating for a computer-driven scanner to improve consistency. He mentioned the challenges of transplanting actual follicular units due to the risk of dislodging them and the importance of removing bald skin to increase ultimate hair density. Unger concluded that while laser hair transplanting was not the state of the art at the time, he believed lasers would eventually play an important role in the field, as they had shown potential for more natural-looking results in some patients.