Follicle Trauma and the Role of the Dissecting Microscope in Hair Transplantation: A Multicenter Study

In a 1999 study by Cooley and Vogel involving 12 hair restoration surgeons and 271 grafts containing 749 hair follicles, the use of a dissecting stereomicroscope during hair graft dissection was found to significantly reduce the rate of transected follicles from 20.0% to 10.2% (p < 0.05). This suggests that microscopes can decrease follicle trauma, potentially improving hair transplantation outcomes. However, the study also noted that transected follicles might still regenerate, indicating that the reduction in transection may not directly translate to increased hair growth. The findings support the use of pure follicular dissection and contribute to the validation of the follicular family unit concept in hair transplantation.