Alterations in Hair Follicle Morphology and Hair Shaft Production After Follicular Unit Transplantation
October 2016
in “
The American Journal of Dermatopathology
”
Follicular Unit Transplantation hair follicle hair shaft scanning electron microscopy light microscopy-based histomorphometry immunohistological staining dermal sheath vascular network follicular vascularization FUT hair transplant hair structure hair thickness microscopy histomorphometry immunostaining skin sheath blood vessels hair blood supply
TLDR Hair transplants can make hair follicles larger and hair shafts thicker.
The study investigated the impact of Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) on hair follicle structure and hair shaft production, involving 33 native and 50 grafted hair follicles from two male patients. Researchers utilized scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy-based histomorphometry, along with immunohistological staining, to assess the changes. They discovered that transplanted hair follicles had significantly larger structures and thicker hair shafts compared to native follicles, as well as a thicker dermal sheath and a denser vascular network. These morphological alterations were linked to changes in follicular vascularization. The study concluded that FUT leads to noticeable changes in hair follicle morphology, which could influence the visual and tactile qualities of the hair after the procedure. However, the study's small sample size indicates that further research with more participants is necessary to generalize these findings.
