The Cause of Primary and Secondary Damage to Hair Follicles on Full Thickness Skin Autografts

In a study involving 46 guinea pigs, researchers measured heat loss and oxygen release on full thickness skin autografts to assess hair follicle damage and vascular changes. Three months post-surgery, hair quantity on the grafts was evaluated as an indicator of follicular damage. Despite measuring heat loss and oxygen release as indicators of vascular activity, no correlation was found between these circulatory measures on the seventh postoperative day and primary or secondary follicular damage. The findings suggested that unknown factors significantly influenced hair growth in grafts, and that revascularization could be assessed by different types of heat loss.