Does the Recipient Site Influence the Hair Growth Characteristics in Hair Transplantation?

The study conducted by Hwang et al. in 2002 aimed to determine whether the recipient site affects the characteristics of transplanted hair. The research comprised three studies: Study I showed a 60.2% survival rate of scalp hair transplanted to the lower leg after 3 years, with a lower growth rate but unchanged diameter. Study II found no significant difference in growth rate or diameter between leg hairs retransplanted to the neck and control hairs moved from the scalp to the neck, although both exhibited lower growth rates than original occipital hairs. Study III observed no significant difference in growth rate or diameter between transplanted and donor hairs in 12 patients with androgenetic alopecia one year post-transplantation. These findings suggest that the recipient site can influence the growth and survival rates of transplanted hairs, challenging the previously held belief of "donor dominance" and indicating that the recipient site's environment can alter transplanted hair characteristics.