Follicular Isolation Technique with De-Epithelialization for Eyebrow and Eyelash Reconstruction

The study from 2012 compared two hair transplantation techniques for eyebrow and eyelash reconstruction: the follicular isolation technique (FIT) alone and FIT with added de-epithelialization (FIT + DEEP). It involved 60 patients undergoing 79 procedures. The results indicated that FIT + DEEP had a significantly higher mean percentage of preserved transplanted hairs for eyebrow reconstruction and both a higher mean number and percentage of surviving hairs for eyelash reconstruction compared to FIT alone. Additionally, FIT + DEEP resulted in more cases of normal hair growth direction, particularly in eyebrow reconstruction. The study concluded that FIT + DEEP provided better outcomes and fewer complications, suggesting benefits such as reduced need for sutures and lower risk of burying graft epithelium, among others. The level of evidence for this therapeutic study was classified as II.