Total Excision Techniques in Donor Area Harvesting for Hair Transplantation
March 1994
in “
The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery
”
TLDR The Total Excision Techniques improve hair transplant results by increasing grafts by at least 50% and reducing scarring.
In the 1994 document, W.P. Unger, M.D., presents the Total Excision Techniques (TET) for donor area harvesting in hair transplantation, which is designed to maximize graft yield and minimize scarring. The technique allows for the excision of narrow strips of donor tissue and re-excising scars from previous sessions, resulting in a limited number of scars and increased graft yield by at least 50%. The paper outlines the preoperative and surgical procedures, emphasizing the importance of sharp instruments, saline injections for tissue turgor, and careful excision to preserve hair matrices and subcutaneous tissue. The author also discusses the benefits of reharvesting from previously used donor areas. The TET is considered a significant advancement in hair transplantation, comparable to minigrafting and alopecia reduction.
